Whatever you think, there is currently a title race between Celtic and Hearts.
On Sunday, Celtic were beaten at Dundee, which means that Hearts go into the weekend meeting with the champions of Scotland with a five-point lead.
It’s still early days, but after eight matches, Derek McInnes’ men have won seven games, and talk of a possible title race is filtering outside of Scotland and into the English media.
This isn’t the norm because the last time a team outside of Celtic or Rangers, who won Scottish football’s main crown, was Aberdeen in 1985, but could things now change?
Hearts’ challenging Celtic for the title ‘feels different’
On the Sunday Supplement on Sky Sports News (19/10/25), they brought up the topic of the title race in Scotland, including how ‘it’s not the title race we were expecting.’
Jonathan Liew of The Guardian claimed that it ‘feels different’ this season, including the investment from the new man in the Hearts boardroom, Tony Bloom.
Either way, those in the English media feel something is cooking in Scotland, and things could become ‘really interesting’ in the coming years.
Dharmesh Sheth, Sky Sports presenter: “It’s not the title race we were expecting. We weren’t expecting a title race. But here we are, Hearts are five points clear of Celtic. Celtic need to go into this game (against Dundee) thinking, ‘we need to win.'”
Martin Samuel, The Times: “It’s fantastic. I have a mate who supports Hearts, and I can’t claim to know too much about it. I know Tony Bloom is there. He has appeared to have made quite an instant impact. He has invested in the club. They are using quite a lot of his data analytics, aren’t they?
“I don’t know if that can make an impact in such a short space of time. But it’s just an interesting thing.”
Jonathan Liew of The Guardian: “Yeah, (Hearts have the power to keep going). We have seen them threaten to launch a title challenge (before). It does feel different this season.
“I think partly due to the fact that the two Glasgow clubs seem a little bit in a low ebb. They have got complacent. We have seen the gap closing. The issue was always finances. No other club in Scotland could compete with Celtic and Rangers in terms of finances.
“We have seen Tony Bloom’s investment in Hearts. The Bournemouth owners have an investment in Hibs. If the potential is there to close the gap, in terms of recruitment, data and finances, the next few seasons in Scottish football could be really interesting.”
‘This is what Scottish football has been crying out for’
Celtic have won 13 out of the last 14 titles, and as the final few months of the season approach, they will be there, looking to lift their crown again, but will Hearts?
Dan Kilpatrick of The Athletic added on the Sunday Supplement that Scottish football needs this.
As Kilpatrick also noted, the farcical situation at Rangers, who are without a manager and still struggling to win football games.
Dan Kilpatrick, The Athletic: “This is what Scottish football has been crying out for years, really. It’s a good thing Hearts have made this strong start. It looks like Rangers are going to have a difficult year, and might be too far adrift to claw themselves back into it.
“We were looking at a pre-session for Celtic, and it’s a positive thing that Hearts have made this start. The fact that there is Premier League investment in the Edinburgh clubs, I think that could be a really good thing for the game.
“What that league has needed, for so long, is more competition. More clubs that feel like they have a genuine shot at the title. I really hope this is the start of something over the next few years.”
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
