Derek McInnes tells Ally McCoist what ‘so many people’ are saying about Hearts challenging Celtic

Add as preferred source on Google

It’s Celtic and Hearts steering away from everybody during the early weeks of the new season.

The champions of Scotland are sitting top of the Premiership table, on goal difference, after Brendan Rodgers’ side left it late to beat Kilmarnock on Sunday at Rugby Park.

But perhaps the result that everybody is talking about from the weekend is Derek McInnes and his Hearts team beating Rangers at Ibrox.

There was a lot of noise coming out of Rangers and Hearts over the summer, and so far, only one has been able to match Celtic, as McInnes spoke about what others are saying on the matter.

• READ MORE: ‘One thing I’ll say about Hearts’ – Peter Grant sends Tony Bloom a strong Celtic message

Derek McInnes on Hearts trying to challenge Celtic for the title

McInnes was on talkSPORT, alongside Ally McCoist and Jeff Stelling, where the talk turned to Hearts possibly challenging Celtic for the title.

There was similar talk of Aberdeen pushing Celtic last term, but as McInnes pointed out, their campaign dwindled in a ‘strange’ fashion.

But the Hearts boss shared that ‘so many people’ would like to see his team push Celtic for the Premiership title so that it can benefit Scottish football.

Is this a window of opportunity for Hearts? “I think it’s something in Scottish football that, every now and then, it rears its head,” responded McInnes.

“Aberdeen last season got off to such a strong start. They weren’t able to maintain that. It was a complete opposite. They had such a strange season. The same sort of conversations were getting had by people then.

“I think Saturday was a case in point where, before the game, everybody was saying to me, ‘do you think you can do this and that? Can Hearts properly challenge?’ There were so many people who would like to see that, I think, from a Scottish football perspective.

“But there are equally as many people ready to send us on my way on Saturday. If we had lost the game on Saturday, there would have been so many people saying, ‘you lot, back in your place. Getting above your station.’

“And I just think that it’s still a bit early on for us to really be saying that, ‘we’re going to do this and we’re going to do that.’

“All we’re looking to try and do, at the moment, is really just to try and meet the expectations that are put on us. The expectations of the Hearts support would be to try and finish in the European spots, try and get to a cup final and get that encouragement that we can improve.”

What McInnes is hearing from Hearts’ new investor, Tony Bloom

Hearts’ new investor, Tony Bloom, has made a lot of noise, and his track record with Brighton and Belgium is pretty strong.

Yes, it needs to be noted that Celtic have won 13 out of the last 14 titles, and this is a far greater challenge.

But, as McInnes pointed out, it’s not stopping Bloom from wanting to win Scottish football’s main crown.

“I think in time, with the Tony Bloom investment and the way the board have supported us, is to maybe try and exceed those expectations,” added McInnes.

“Tony Bloom came out and said that, within 10 years, he thinks that we can be challenging for the title. You’re working for people with bags of ambition, bags of experience and bags of expertise.”