These next few months are going to be pretty tasty in Scottish football.
In recent times, Celtic are used to winning, winning, and winning again. No man knows that better than Martin O’Neill.
But whilst Celtic have strolled into the sunset winning title after title in recent times, it’s not going to be straightforward this time, because Hearts are leading the chase, Rangers are second, and the Hoops are third.
Simon Jordan has made it clear that he wants Hearts to win the title because it would ‘liven up Celtic and Rangers’, but he can’t see it happening.
What is the biggest difference you’ve noticed from Martin O’Neill’s style as Celtic manager?
Who wins the Premiership title? Celtic, Hearts or Rangers?
The weekend action was interesting because Celtic failed to beat Hearts, and Rangers saw off Dundee on the same day.
Many feel that Hearts bullied Celtic in that match, even without a few star-studded players featuring, such as Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin.
But Jordan told talkSPORT that he thinks Hearts won’t have the ‘know-how’ to get over the line, and they will fall off.
Whilst the former Crystal Palace owner is impressed by what Danny Rohl is doing at Rangers right now, given that he took over after the comical mini era of Russell Martin.
He thinks it will be O’Neill and Celtic lifting Scottish football’s main crown at the end of the season.
“I would like to see Hearts go in there and win the league,” said Jordan. “I think it would be a good thing for Scottish football. I think it might liven Celtic and Rangers a little bit.
“I fear for Hearts that they are going to get reeled in – my fear is Hearts run out of legs, and run out of quality in the longer term. I hope they don’t because it would be good for Scottish football.
“He (O’Neill) knows he has been brought in, not just to hold the fort for someone else to come through the door. He has been brought in to win the league.
“When I said, ‘Hearts running out of legs.’ I didn’t mean energy. I meant nous. Wherewithal against two established powerhouses in Scottish football that know how to win the Scottish Premier League.
“I just got the feeling because of the wherewithal, because the way Scottish football has been configured forever and a day, and there is a reason why nobody else has won the league since Aberdeen.
“It’s because there is a dominance. There is a know-how. Expectation. I hope the orthodoxy gets broken.
“But I fear that it won’t. I am surprised that, out of the two, it’s Rangers who have emerged. I still feel that Martin will probably come to the fore, and Celtic will possibly hunt Hearts down.”
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
