Hearts Extend Lead in Scottish Premiership
With four more goals and three additional points, Hearts now hold a nine-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership. Chief Executive Andrew McKinlay's confident assertion that "we will win the league" before Dundee's visit appears increasingly plausible.
Although McKinlay suggested that this victory might not come this season, the Tynecastle side is steadily building its case to challenge the Old Firm's longstanding dominance in the league.
Head coach Derek McInnes took a more measured approach, describing their strong position after a quarter of the league season as "a good reference point." While Hearts were fortunate to secure a point against St Mirren on Wednesday, allowing Celtic to close the gap to six points, they capitalized on Celtic's absence from league play by defeating Dundee 4-0 this weekend.
McInnes remarked, "We said the point at St Mirren would be a brilliant and important point if we won today – and that’s how it has turned out. A few weeks ago, we challenged the players to be above Celtic before we face them and to be top of the league after the first round of fixtures. We’ve achieved that goal and now we need to prepare for the next round."
Hearts' performance in the first 11 games has been impressive. With 29 points, they are just one win away from matching the tally achieved after 12 games during the 2005-06 season, a time when they were under different management circumstances. Currently, they remain unbeaten in their last 15 Premiership matches, marking their longest streak without defeat in over a decade, and are the only team in the league yet to lose.
Hearts have scored in all 15 of those matches, a feat they haven't accomplished in ten years, and they have yet to be kept from scoring in any match. Striker Lawrence Shankland has been particularly noteworthy, netting his third goal in as many games against Dundee, bringing his total to seven in the league this season, already surpassing last year’s tally.
Defensively, Hearts have recorded six clean sheets, matching the highest in the league, and Dundee failed to register a single shot on target for the first time since facing Hearts in December.
In Saturday's match, Hearts completed 610 passes, their highest total of the season, with midfielder Cammy Devlin leading the team with 109 attempted passes. Despite these achievements, McInnes believes the squad is still improving, stating, "We feel there is a bit more in us. We have good wide players and midfielders who control the game. The foundation of our success has been our clean sheets, and we’re finding the right balance."
McInnes acknowledged that they took a calculated risk by resting new forward Claudio Braga and key defenders Craig Halkett and Stephen Kingsley due to minor injuries. However, Braga’s replacement, Pierre Landry Kabore, rewarded the manager's faith by scoring his first two goals for Hearts, showcasing the depth of the squad enhanced by their partnership with Tony Bloom and Jamestown Analytics.
Burkina Faso forward Kabore was recruited from Estonian club Narva Trans, while midfielder Tomas Bent Magnusson, who scored the fourth goal against Dundee, joined from Icelandic club Valur.
McKinlay's optimism was evident when he spoke with BBC 5 Live before the match, stating, "It’s dreamland and we’re enjoying it. Scottish football often faces criticism for the dominance of two teams, and in recent years, one. This is fantastic for Scottish football and for Hearts. A year ago, we were at the bottom of the league, and now we’re at the top. Let’s make the most of it."
Celtic has a game in hand and is under the interim management of Martin O’Neill, while Rangers, trailing by 14 points in fourth place, are looking for a turnaround under new head coach Danny Rohl. Nevertheless, McKinlay draws confidence from Bloom’s impact at Brighton and Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium.
"We’re confident we’re not just here for a short time and can maintain our momentum. Tony has instilled a great deal of belief in us, given the success of analytics at other clubs. We genuinely believe we have a significant opportunity. I’m not saying we’re going to win the league this year, but if we don’t, this won’t be our only chance. We have something promising developing here, and we believe we will continue to improve over the coming seasons. USG was nearly relegated from the second tier, and within seven years, they won the league and are now competing in the Champions League. We are confident that we will eventually hear Champions League music playing here. We will win the league, but whether it’s this season or not, remains to be seen."