With instability in Glasgow, could Hearts do the unthinkable this season?

• Hearts are top of the Scottish Premiership as the only unbeaten team remaining
• Both Celtic and Rangers have changed managers in recent weeks
• Hearts have benefitted from new investor Tony Bloom and his Jamestown Analytics data tool
• The last team apart from Celtic and Rangers to win the league was Aberdeen in 1984-85

Who had Heart of Midlothian being top of the Scottish Premiership in November? The Edinburgh team have made a great start to the season, and sit top of the table with nine victories and two draws. They’re the only unbeaten team in the league so far. 

But could they take advantage of uncertainty at Celtic and Rangers’ poor start to become the first team outside of the Old Firm to win the league in over four decades? 

As it stands, Celtic are favourites to win outright with almost every bookmaker, but Hearts, rather than Rangers are now second. Rangers are third, while Hibernian, third in the table right now, are behind them in the odds. 

Old Firm struggles allow Hearts to step in

Celtic, of course, have dominated the league in recent years, with Rangers only winning the title once since 2010-11. You’d expect that, if Celtic faltered again, Rangers would be the team to take advantage. But, in a season that’s seen Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers resign amid conflict with major shareholder Dermot Desmond, Rangers have had problems of their own. 

Head coach Russell Martin lasted just 123 days at Ibrox, becoming the shortest-serving manager in Rangers’ history. Former Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Röhl took over last month and beat Kilmarnock and Hibernian but lost to Norwegian side Brann in the Europa League and Celtic at the weekend in the first Old Firm derby of the season. 

With both Glasgow teams having such poor starts to the season, Hearts have stepped in. Many tipped them to have a good season, due in a large part to the arrival of Derek McInnes and some good signings. Their current transfer strategy has to be applauded, the club’s investment from Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom and their use of Jamestown Analytics, the company he owns, paying off. 

Bloom bought a 29% non-voting stake in the club in August through Starlizard Consulting Ltd., though the Foundation of Hearts still retains a 51% majority stake, and it marks the entrepreneur’s first foray into Scottish football. So far, his strategies have made quite an impression.

As chief executive Andrew McKinlay has pointed out, Bloom has found success at both Brighton and Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium, both teams punching above their weight in their respective divisions. 

Hearts’ smart new signings

One new signing in particular, Cláudio Braga, a striker from Aalesunds in Norway, has made a great start to his time at Tynecastle Park. He has a friendly rivalry with fellow forward Laurence Shankland, who’s been at Hearts since 2022, and the pair have got 13 goals between them to become the league’s two top scorers. Another new arrival, Burkinabé forward Pierry Landry Kaboré, is now off the mark with his first two goals for the club. 

Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis, a free transfer from Zemplín Michalovce in Slovakia, has four assists so far, while midfielder Oisin McEntee has made a solid start to life at the club and experienced on-loan centre-back Stuart Findlay has done likewise. New goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow has settled in well, too. And then there’s Eduardo Ageu, Hearts’ record signing, who has struggled with injuries so far but has plenty of time to get up to speed.

Midfielder Cameron Devlin, who’s been at the club since 2021, has made a good start to the season too, as has left-back Harry Milne, who joined in February 2025, and long-serving defender Craig Halkett.  

The good form of multiple players has combined to mean that Hearts have not only scored at least once in every game this season but also amassed an impressive six clean sheets at the same time. 

Have Hearts got what it takes to go all the way?

All things considered, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Hearts finish as ‘best of the rest’ in third place come the end of the season. And then, in the coming years, who knows? The ‘buy low, sell high’ approach has tended to work for Bloom’s other clubs, and with the potential for loanees to arrive from Brighton, the future looks bright.

But in the meantime, it’s going to be a long season, and it’s difficult not to see at least one of Celtic or Rangers, most likely the former, recover and come back to win the league. 

Martin O’Neill, back at Celtic Park as interim manager after two decades, might have been away from management for a few years, but at 73 has extensive experience, while players like defender Liam Scales, new winger Benjamin Nygren and captain Callum McGregor have all started the season well.

If they can put the off-field uncertainty behind them, it’s hard to look past them. Rangers, meanwhile, are five points behind Celtic and have had a mixed time of it this season. They’ll be up there come May, and could be in front of Hearts by then, but may not have enough to win. 

Whether Hearts can win the league or not, a serious challenge to Old Firm dominance would see this be a successful season. Becoming the first team outside Glasgow to win the league since Aberdeen in 1984-85 would be a very big ask, but stranger things have happened. And even if they don’t quite make it, the future looks very bright in Edinburgh.

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