How Heart of Midlothian Look Set To Break a 40-Year Record | OneFootball

The last team to win the Scottish Premiership that wasn’t Celtic or Rangers was Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen in 1985.

The two Glasgow teams have held a duopoly on the Scottish title for 40 years, but Heart of Midlothian currently sit three points clear at the top of the table and show every indication that they could go all the way this season.

How have Hearts got into this position, and will they go all the way to snatch Scottish bragging rights?

History

Heart of Midlothian, aka Hearts, is one of the oldest clubs in the world – established in 1874, 152 years ago. In that time, they have enjoyed relative success, winning four Scottish Premiership titles, their latest in the 1959/60 season, and eight Scottish Cups, with their most recent coming in 2012, but were beaten finalists in 2019, 2020 and 2022. During this time, despite some promising cup runs and the occasional higher finish, they were never seen as challengers to the status quo.

Hearts have dealt with financial struggles over the years, which resulted in the club facing administration at the end of the 2012/13 season and, after starting the 2013/14 season on -15 points, a subsequent relegation to the Scottish second tier. The following promotion season, however, was one to remember.

With their transfer embargo as a result of the administration over, Hearts won the title, as well as 91 points across the course of the season, finishing 21 points above second-placed Hibernian. Despite this dominance of the second tier, Hearts would manage no better than mid-table over the next few seasons, until once again being relegated at the end of the 2019/20 season.

Winning the second tier once again in a similarly impressive fashion, by 12 points, Hearts were promoted back to the Scottish Premiership in 2020/21, but this time, things would be a little different. A third-place finish in their first season back would grant the club European football, with fourth in the league the following season showing that the club could keep up with the increased match load of competing in Europe as well as their domestic league. However, one point from 18 at the start of the 2024/25 season led to instability, with the club only finishing seventh, going through three permanent head coaches in the process.

All this set Hearts up for the 2025/26 season. They were a club with ambition that had tasted both European football and bitter relegation, and wanted desperately to remain at the top, yet lacked the financial might of their positional rivals. This is where Tony Bloom comes in.

Tony Bloom and Jamestown Analytics

On June 26, 2025, Tony Bloom became a minority owner of Heart of Midlothian. The current Brighton and Hove Albion owner stated that he wanted to ‘disrupt the pattern of domination which has been in place for far too long’ by bringing Hearts into the picture, and less than a season later, it’s hard to argue that he hasn’t done just that. Even though the season is yet to come to a close, what Hearts have been able to achieve so far is beyond what anyone expected this soon after Tony Bloom’s investment. It is yet another display of the brilliance of Jamestown Analytics.

Along with some welcome financial might, the big difference maker that Tony Bloom was able to bring with him to Scotland was access to his data analysis company, Jamestown Analytics. This agreement between the Englishman and Hearts to use his service was finalised in November 2024 and has since been used to bring in both underrated coaches and players who have allowed them to compete with the very best Scottish football has to offer.

The service itself isn’t unique, with many clubs in the modern era taking a data-driven approach, but Jamestown Analytics can be, and is by many, considered the cream of the crop. The depth and breadth of the data analysis that Tony Bloom’s service is able to provide is second to none, with rich data that many competitors don’t have available for leagues and players that have slipped through the gaps for many of Hearts’ transfer rivals.

No transfer embodies this more than the signing of 25-year-old forward Cláudio Braga from the second tier of Norwegian football. The Portuguese striker has been a revelation this season, scoring 10, assisting 4, and has quickly established himself as a fan-favourite and a key asset in Hearts’ title challenge. Not bad for a €500,000 signing that almost no one had heard of before this campaign.

There has been plenty of experience brought into the squad too; level heads that can help manage the pressure the club now finds itself in. For example, new goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow, who has conceded a mere 12 goals in 19 games and kept 10 clean sheets in the process. The club also has stalwarts such as Lawrence Shankland, who have proven their ability at this level time and time again, with the Scottish forward currently the club’s top goal scorer despite being kept out of the last few games with injury. With new reinforcements in January, such as the €1.2 million-rated 22-year-old right-back Jordi Altena, Hearts’ title dream looks very achievable.

Hearts’ head coach Derek McInness, who is also a Jamestown Analytics appointment, is about as experienced as can be in Scottish football. The former Rangers and West Bromwich Albion player did not spent much of his playing career in Scotland, but, as a coach, has racked up over 700 fixtures managed in the country. The combination here of an experienced, sensible and adaptable coach and a recruitment team plucking out low-risk, high-reward bargains gave Hearts every opportunity to go all the way this season.

The title charge

With a new head coach and a selection of exciting new players, Heart of Midlothian fans would have gone into this season with high hopes, but few would have predicted how well it would really go.

Hearts would come storming out of the gates, pilling the pressure on both Celtic and Rangers to keep up from the very first match week. Going unbeaten in their first 12 matches, Hearts picked up nine wins, including victory over both Celtic and Rangers. The established duopoly both had poor starts to the season, with big managerial changes; Russell Martin leaving Rangers and Brendan Rodgers and Wilfried Nancy departing Celtic. This disruption allowed Hearts to establish and solidify their lead at the top of the table.

With Danny Röhl and Martin O’Neill both playing catch-up at both Rangers and Celtic, Hearts cannot afford to take their foot off the gas.

Despite only losing three league games all season, Hearts only hold a three-point lead at the top of the table; with 13 games left to play, both Glasgow teams will still feel as if they can snatch the title from their new challengers.

Since Hearts have two more fixtures against Rangers and one against Celtic still to play, it’s hard to deny that this season in Scottish football will go down to the wire – it has been about as exciting and unpredictable as it gets.

Hearts fans should still feel anticipation, though. Their record against the top teams in the league this campaign is nearly perfect; with two wins and a draw against Celtic, as well as two wins over Rangers, it will surely give Hearts the confidence and belief to go all the way.

Despite a wobble in November, when the team went four without a win, and a recent loss to St. Mirren after an early red card, Heart of Midlothian show no sign of slowing down, and if their January business turns out to be as fruitful as their summer signings, there is a very real chance that this could be the year that Hearts break the 40-year duopoly that has held a grip over Scottish football.