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JAMBOS BLAZING

Perhaps the only unexpected element of Hearts' victory over Celtic in the Scottish Premiership was the extent to which surprised people seemed when reports of the result and its consequences for the top of the standings circulated. Although this 3-1 win at Tynecastle, which leaves the Edinburgh side top of the league and a significant margin clear of their rivals, was earth-shattering in nature, no one who has been following the progress of both squad this campaign will have been in the least shocked by the final score.

For each of the last four decades, the Glasgow duopoly of the Old Firm have carved up the Scottish league between them, turning the beautiful game to almost a joke in the process. Several matches into the current campaign it has become clear that Hearts – who count Stephen Hendry, Sir Chris Hoy and Ken Stott among their celebrity fans – could be ready to strike while the Glasgow duo influence is freezing cold.

CELTIC'S DECLINE

Although a lot of the attention in the Scottish game has been on the disastrous season being endured by Rangers, the complete turmoil of the situation at Ibrox has meant that Celtic's slightly less terminal decay has been allowed to fester below the radar. The defending title winners have already dropped a considerable number from nine fixtures this term under their manager. The team's boss has acquired the distant look of a man who constantly checking his Google calendar to see how many days are left until his contract ends, and woke up this morning to learn the answer is 246.

"No one has put in more effort in all my time at the club," he told reporters following the loss, after they had questioned his appetite for any kind of a championship battle. "So the motivation is present to try and reverse the standards that we're at. It's absolutely fine, it's still so early."

EDINBURGH DISRUPTOR

Given the horrific beginning to the campaign being endured by Rangers, Rodgers and his players could typically be expected to escape scrutiny for their own inability to roar out of the traps, but on this occasion an Edinburgh disruptor has joined the fray. Despite being forced to function with a war-chest that is not just a small portion of Celtic's as a minuscule amount in comparison, the Tynecastle outfit have introduced the investment and knowledge of Tony Bloom to the SPL mix. As well as putting in ten million pounds during the off-season, the Brighton owner has provided the club sole use of his top secret analytics-based Jamestown Analytics player identification system.

In Oisin McEntee, Alexandros Kyziridis and a Brazilian prospect it has enabled them to unearth hidden talents from Walsall, the Slovak first division and the Norway's second division, among other lesser-known leagues, for the combined cost of a modest car. Spotted at their home venue on Sunday wearing a Hearts scarf, the famously shrewd sports betting expert could be observed celebrating each goal with the enthusiasm of a man who had almost certainly noticed the bookies had greatly misjudged his team's prospects of beating the struggling champions, and filled his boots as a result.

MANAGER'S RESPONSE

"I don't think it's a statement win," said the facial-haired team manager Derek McInnes after his team's most recent success, their eighth in nine outings. "It might be for those on the periphery. It might change perceptions. It might validate views that there's a tightrope. But let's not kid ourselves, we're really pleased with what the players have provided us. In terms of skill, we look in a good place, and certainly in fitness we seem in a good place, so we hope it persists. Naturally, this is not a situation that this club is used to being in." No, the manager, it is not. But the glorious, analytics-backed truth is that for the initial occasion in ages, Scottish football might genuinely have a title race that a team other than the traditional powers can claim.