Celtic and Rangers fired pointed title message by Hearts - 'we don't see this as a one-off'

The Tynecastle side sit joint-top of the league after 15 matches with Celtic ahead of the duo’s clash at Parkhead on Sunday despite being on a run of one win in their last six matches.

On the back of new investor Tony Bloom’s proclamation that he wants to the Hearts win the league within the next decade, the team’s flying start to the season heightened talk that they could become the first team in 40 years to split Old Firm dominance in the 2025/26 campaign.

Hearts led Celtic by nine points at one stage of the season and while they are ahead of Celtic currently on goal difference only, they could cede top spot to the defending champions if they lose on Sunday. They are nine points clear of fourth-placed Rangers, with both Old Firm sides holding a game in hand over the Gorgie outfit.

But regardless of the result this weekend and where Hearts end up finishing this season, McKinlay was steadfast in his opinion that the club are only going to get better as the years go on.

“I've heard a lot of chat that this season's our big chance to win the league and all this stuff because Rangers and Celtic aren't as good as, and that to me is really interesting,” said McKinlay, speaking after Thursday’s annual general meeting at Tynecastle.

“People have not been listening to what we've been saying. We expect to get better and better and better and better. We are surprised this year where we sit, which is what you were alluding to.

“We don't see this as a one-off. We see this as, you know, as Tony said, he expects to win the league within the next 10 years. He might have adjusted that, I'm not sure, but this is a long-term project to make us a club and a team that can compete year on year with Rangers and Celtic.”