Ich bin ein Mod said:
What, me being born was good for Scottish football?
that and dundee united winning the league!
I think hearts can & will win the league this year.
I say this because, ignoring the old firm, Hearts are better than any of the other teams by some distance. They've got the best manager in the league and some of the best players. Fysass, Skachel, Gordon, Hartley, Pressley are all players good enough to walk into either of the old firm teams. I had a feeling at the start of the season things were going to be interesting, as when Celtic were signing Camara (who?) on a free from Burnley, Hearts are signing a Greek international Fysass from Benfica as left back whilst also holding onto players such as Gordon, Webster, Pressley, Hartley giving the team a strong and Scottish backbone. Paul Hartley is proving to have become a better midfielder than Rangers Barry Ferguson, who seems to get worse every time I see him??
I think looking at their team, if they can keep their first 11 fit for most of the season the league may be wrapped up very quickly. And even if they do have a few injuries along the way, there is cover. I would personally like to see hearts win the league by 30 points. Now this may sound daft being a United fan, but I can't wait to see empty seats in fortress Ibrox against Livingston come February...Maybe when the old firm realise what losing the league by 30 points feels like, they wont come to our grounds and sing "what a shitey home support" when the only reason it is shitey is because of the strong hold they have over everyone else. The league has needed somebody to come in and shake things up, and it has happened...but Rangers and Celtic as much as they say they are happy this is happening - I really don't think they are. They are only happy when they win every game 5-0. It is almost like they have a divine right to be champions year after year. I hear the rangers fans are boycotting Tyncastle because they haven't been given as many tickets as they normally get...Humph…cream puff indeed (maybe it is because they are scared they are ((and will) be getting a fleecing next Saturday
)
Regardless of who is paying for all of this “revolution” (that dodgy banker Romanov), and how it is being financed, one thing is for certain he is ploughing his dough into the club and investing heavily in the players. And Hearts are now getting results. Now clearly the Chairman has ulterior reasons for being at the club, but he is unlikely to pull out his money when they are winning the league and getting a full house every week, not to mention the prospect of champions league next year. His investment has shown (so far) to be a clever one, he has proved how with a bit of guts and the right people in charge the old firm are there for the taking (more so this year than ever) And I think this Romanov revolution may have caught both the old firm unawares – I guess time will tell.
I just don't think in the past 10-15 Rangers have had as bad a side as they have this year. It is built up of mediocre players. Outwith Prso who is a bit of class. And Celtic are not the team they once were under O'Neil...although they are still a solid squad, and they finally look to be coming onto a game. Losing Mcnamara and more importantly their main man O'Neil is a big worry for them. Although they still have the best front line in the SPL, perhaps one of the best in Britain? But when you compare the managerial records of Strachan, Mcliesh and Burley…it becomes clear who has the best manager.
I was very optimistic at the start of the season that hearts were going in the right direction...there just seems to be that Chelsea buzz about them. The Chelsea chairman Ibramovich (who was/is just as dodgy as Romanov) ruthlessly took a mediocre EPL side and created an invincible team with his own money. Now I'm not saying Hearts are on the same level, and obviosuly the investment is not on the same scale - but - the scottish premier league is not on the same scale or level. Hearts don't need to be invincible, they just need to be solid - and the are. The SPL Champions Rangers are signing players like Bernard and Jeffers? I mean are these the types of players hearts are meant to fear? If I were a manager I’d personally be more afraid of Jankaukis and Bednar than Jeffers and Novo.
As for the other sides getting better, Hibs for sure are. Last year, they were great. They are a young side with some great young players emerging. Not to mention Mowbry knows the score tactically. He's a good, all be it inexperienced boss at a sleeping giant that are Hibs. Sad to see them lose their captain to Rangers, but I thinking rinsing them 3-0 on their own patch kind of made up for that. I'm surprised as anyone about Kilmarnock, I tipped them for the drop this year...
But I think teams like Aberdeen and Motherwell seem to be competing better, but I don't think this is because they have upped the standard, more that celtic & Rangers (who in my view were the weakest side to ever win the league in my lifetime last year) have dropped a down a level. When they used to have players of a different class the the normal such as Van Bronchurst, they now have standard SPL players in their team, and it shows, especially in Europe.
Next few weeks is going to see the title decider
If hearts win at Inverness and Rangers slip up again they will be ten or more points clear. Then the following Saturday, Mcliesh takes his team, exhausted from European action to a packed Tyncastle...against a physically stronger and technically better team. Only one outcome if you ask me!
