Disruption at Hearts - the Gorgie noise will truly ramp up if Jam Tarts slay Celtic

It’s a buzz word in Scottish football right now. For the past 40 years only two teams from the same city have been champions of Scotland, with only a handful of occasions where someone outside of Celtic and Rangers have been deemed able to challenge them.

For many, season 2025/26 has the potential to be different. Not since Aberdeen won the Premier Division in 1985 has a non-Glasgow club finished top of the pile. But Hearts, the boys in maroon, are not just the talk of the toun. They are the talk of the country.

Defeat Celtic on Sunday and move eight points clear at the top of the league and Hearts’ impact will be noted beyond these shores. Moreover, the proclamations of summer investor and Brighton owner Tony Bloom will be given more credence.

“I firmly believe in the club’s ability to disrupt the pattern of domination of Scottish football which has been in place for far too long,” were Bloom’s words when his £9.86 million investment and 29 per cent shareholding were approved by the Foundation of Hearts. ‘The Lizard’ is a gambling entrepreneur, as well as a hugely successful businessman and an astute poker player. Bet against him at your peril.

Bloom doubled down on Hearts powers to disrupt in early August, just before opening the campaign at home to Aberdeen. “If we [Hearts] have not won the league title in the next 10 years, I will be very disappointed," he stated. "I think Hearts will have an excellent season. I think we can, even from this season, challenge for every tournament that we're in. I think we've got a very good chance of at least being second this season.”

It was good thing new head coach Derek McInnes overcame the Dons 2-0. Hearts have not looked back since.

Hearts’ rich blend

They’ve won seven of their league matches to date - slaying Rangers and Hibs. Their only blip was a 3-3 draw with Motherwell, when they came back from three goals down. Their only defeat in 13 matches was on penalties in the Premier Sports Cup at St Mirren.

McInnes has presided over a fine turnaround following a seventh-placed finish last term. He has used Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics signings wisely, such as exciting forwards Alexandros Kyziridis and Claudio Braga. He has peppered them around a spine of the team that includes gnarled Scottish football veterans such as Craig Halkett, Stuart Findlay, Cammy Devlin and captain Lawrence Shankland.

Such is Hearts’ robustness is that goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow, signed at the end of August, is yet to concede a goal.

On top of all this, the traditional pacesetters are in trouble. Rangers trail Hearts by 13 points and even with a new head coach in Danny Rohl, some have already written them off as title contenders. Celtic are five points behind, a club addled by disharmony on the back of a poor transfer window and recent stuttering form that has led fans to question their manager Brendan Rodgers.

Hearts have capitalised on the failings of others. It is worth recalling that Aberdeen also had 22 points after eight games last season, only to finish a remote fifth. Celtic kept pace with the Dons before they fell apart. But this season, the champions’ level has dropped.

Rodgers calling his Celtic team a “Honda Civic” following last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Dundee was brutal. The manager clarified his comment by saying it was in relation to the speed his team has lost. True, they are not as rapid as when Nicolas Kuhn and Kyogo Furuhashi were in place less than a year ago. Yet it is worth highlighting that the Parkhead boss still has multi-million pound players at his disposal. Celtic have been underperforming - in the board room, on the pitch and in the dugout.

Celtic were more like their old selves when beating Sturm Graz on Sunday. Rodgers upgraded them to a “Range Rover Sport”. They played with zip and verve, and would have scored more than two goals had they been less wasteful with some glaring chances. A repeat performance will cause Hearts major issues.

Celtic’s plethora of absentees

However, Rodgers cannot call upon three of the players that started in Europe. Their main No 9 Kelechi Iheanacho was subbed three minutes in with a hamstring tweak. Alistair Johnston, playing for the first time since August, aggravated his own hamstring problem. And then the hammer blow, the news on Friday that centre-half Cameron Carter-Vickers could be out for five months with an Achilles issue.

Add into the mix that last season’s player of the year Daizen Maeda is a major doubt due to - yes, you guessed it, a hamstring issue - and Celtic arrive in Gorgie without four vital individuals. Likely replacements are Auston Trusty, just back from plantar fasciitis, teenager Colby Donovan and 22-year-old striker Johnny Kenny, who has scored just twice in his Celtic career.

Conversely, Hearts are settled in their 4-4-2 formation. McInnes has named the same team three games in a row. They have scored the most goals in the league and have conceded just six.

Is this a flash in the pan from Hearts? McInnes, his players and many fans say they are just enjoying the ride right now, playing down the talk of winning the league. Move eight points clear and the hype will get bigger, though.

Celtic can deflate their hosts by winning at a venue that normally is kind to them. Rodgers has kept a cool demeanour on the matter, believing his team will improve as time goes on and pointing out the early juncture in the season.

Unsurprisingly, this match is a sell-out, a high-noon showdown live on Sky Sports. It is not over-emphasising matters by saying this is one of the most eagerly-anticipated league matches for many a year. We’ll know a lot more about both teams - and the title race - just after 2pm on Sunday.