What next for Hearts and Celtic? Final day chaos demands answers but leaves a clear truth | OneFootball

The pained faces of the Hearts players as they returned to Tynecastle, some still wearing their kit, said it all. Forced to leave Celtic Park promptly due to the “menacing and threatening atmosphere” that engulfed the end of the most dramatic of title deciders, there were tears at the reception they received back in Gorgie, apologies that did not need to be offered. There was anger, too; a strongly-worded statement going in hard on the “shameful” scenes that were an “embarrassment to Scottish football”, confirming the club are working with Police Scotland to investigate the “disturbing” allegations of “serious physical and verbal abuse towards players and staff”.

In invading the pitch following Callum Osmand’s goal, when there was still 30 seconds of injury time to play, a minority of Celtic supporters tainted what was otherwise a special day as Martin O’Neill savoured a fourth Scottish Premiership title at the age of 74. To return to Celtic and win the league was beyond his “wildest dreams”, he said, while a 56th title moved Celtic ahead of rivals Rangers for the first time in a century. It was no excuse, though, for hundreds flooding the pitch and abusing Hearts players, essentially forcing the referee Don Robertson to call full-time as the visitors were escorted down the tunnel for their own safety.

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Police are liaising with Hearts to investigate whether any of their players were assaulted during a pitch invasion in Celtic's title-winning victory at Parkhead (PA)

The majority of Celtic supporters at Parkhead booed those who invaded the pitch, and there will surely now be repercussions. Hearts said they “expect the strongest action possible” from the authorities, and the Scottish Football Association and Scottish Professional Football League have to act after the conclusion of a title race that had attracted interest and attention from around the world ended in disgrace.

The rise of Hearts has been a wonderful story but so too is what O’Neill has managed to achieve at Celtic, a club legend returning to glory 22 years after his last title in Scotland. Yet the opportunity to appreciate both sides at full-time was robbed, as was a sporting conclusion to a brilliant title race.

And there is still a lot to untangle, as well as a need to hear from more sides of the story. Many of the Celtic fans who spilled onto the pitch, from all corners, were teenagers and young adults, filming themselves as they goaded Hearts players. A troubling culture is on the rise. There are, as Hearts suggested, more serious allegations of attacks on the visitors and captain Lawrence Shankland appeared dazed as he was escorted off the pitch surrounded by security. The chaos continued into the evening in Glasgow as lines of police in riot gear issued a dispersal order after “significant levels of disorder” in the Trongate area.

There could be more celebrations when O’Neill attempts to win a Premiership and Scottish Cup double, when he meets his former midfield general Neil Lennon and his Dunfermline side at Hampden on Saturday.

Beyond that, though, Celtic are faced with more uncertainty. Despite winning a 14th league title in 15 years, there is no clear plan for the future. O’Neill said he does not know if he will stay on. The Northern Irishman held Celtic together during a disruptive season, unifying a fractured club. Hearts were minutes away from breaking up the Old Firm’s dominance. “It's a wake up call to Celtic and Rangers,” O’Neill warned.

Hearts winning the title, for the first time since 1960, would have been an earthquake of a result, but they still led the way for 250 days and there is confidence within Tynecastle that their success will not be a one-off. When the Brighton owner Tony Bloom was unveiled as a new minority investor at Hearts before the start of last season, he set out his vision for the club. He told the fans he saw no reason why Hearts could not be competitive immediately by splitting the Old Firm, and win “at least” one league title in the next 10 years. The first part of that prediction has come true and Hearts will enter the second round of Champions League qualifying next season.

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Hearts minority owner Tony Bloom (left) and former Heart of Midlothian owner Ann Budge acknowledge the fans at Tynecastle (PA)

Bloom had looked at Scottish football and spotted an opportunity to “change the dynamic” of what had long been an established order. From the outside, Bloom, a gambler who made his millions by taking advantage of sports betting markets through the use of advanced data models, believed a club managing to disrupt the Old Firm and regularly qualify for the league phase of European competitions would have a profound effect, unlocking a revenue stream that could help them become more competitive in the long-term.

If he could help share some of the sense and expertise that fuelled Brighton’s rise into the model Premier League club and transformed Union Saint-Gilloise from a second-tier side into Belgian champions, then perhaps, over time, something similar could happen in Scotland.

Bloom also knew Hearts had an ace in the pack. The previous year, Hearts had entered into a partnership with Jamestown Analytics, the cutting-edge data company that has revolutionised player recruitment and whose secrets are the envy of some of Europe’s wealthiest clubs. It led to several signings from obscure, overlooked locations, far away from the hotspots and tracks beaten by the sport’s many scouts and analysts. Hearts signed Portuguese forward Claudio Braga from Aalesunds, a club in the Norwegian second-tier, as well as the Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis from the Slovakian top flight. Players were also plucked from Iceland, Estonia, North Macedonia and Kazakhstan. Some have yet to make a desired impact, but Hearts have an edge over Celtic and Rangers in the market.

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Hearts may listen to offers for star players such as forward Claudio Braga and winger Alexandros Kyziridis (PA)

The Jamestown model considers a player’s value for selling as well as buying, and Brighton and Union Saint-Gilloise indicate that every player is available as long as the buying club meets their asking price. Braga, the Scottish player of the year, was signed by Hearts for a few hundred thousand pounds but his value has likely increased so that if he does depart Tynecastle it will be for a seven-figure fee. If there are suitors, Hearts can also sell from a position of confidence in their own recruitment, trusting in their ability to replace those who would depart for huge profit. In Derek McInnes, Hearts have a savvy manager whose record of getting his teams to punch well above their weight is now undeniable after an 80-point season and going unbeaten at home.

There is a sense, though, that Celtic and Rangers can’t both stumble through another campaign, having flailed around and made disastrous appointments in Wilfried Nancy and Russell Martin. Rangers squandered £40m last summer and will at the very least drop into the Conference League, which may have a significant impact on their future business. Celtic looked to have paid the price for their complacency and for not backing Brendan Rodgers; it seemingly did not occur to them that there would be competition closer to home this term, but the need to invest smartly in the squad is clear and they may not have O’Neill’s inspiration to paper over the cracks.

The cry of “we shall not be moved” had echoed around around Tynecastle as the unlikeliest of stories materialised. Hearts’ defiance lasted until the final 10 minutes of the season, but their challenge in Scotland is here to stay.