Ex Premier League ace points Hearts towards Rangers and Celtic danger that must be snuffed out in title bid
Hearts are currently in the middle of a Premiership title debate.
A former Premier League star has warned Hearts of a looming Old Firm threat to their title ambitions - as he lauded their start to the season.
Paul Dickov made his name in England featuring for the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City, and was also capped by Scotland’s national team. He has taken note of an excellent start to the season for Derek McInnes’ side at Tynecastle in which they remain unbeaten heading into November’s international break.
A strong start and Brighton owner Tony Bloom’s investment has sparked talk that Hearts could launch a sustained challenge for the Premiership title that Rangers and Celtic have held since the 1980s. Both sides of the Old Firm have changed managers, Danny Rohl now at the helm at Ibrox. while the current champions hunt Brendan Ridgers’ successor. Dickov says a fresh leader would suggest a new threat for Hearts, as Rangers and Celtic will only improve after poor starts.
Paul Dickov on Scottish Premiership title race
Dickov told Best Betting Bonuses: They've done wonderfully well already. Derek has gone in there and got them playing really good football, really difficult to beat, scoring lots of goals. They need just a little bit of consistency. They got the draw at the weekend and people were saying that Celtic’s closed the gap a little bit again.
“But they've shown already against the Old Firm that they can not just compete, but beat them. It's going to be difficult to sustain that all season, but we're in November now. They're clear at the top. There’s no reason why they can't keep that going.
“I don't want to be disrespectful to Hearts and the run they've been on, and where they are at the top of the league because they've been magnificent. I don't think anyone could have foreseen that in the summer. Celtic, and especially Rangers, have been really poor from the start of the season, but both teams now have got new managers.
Will Old Firm improve to challenge Hearts
“This is where Hearts have got to be wary. With Martin O’Neill at Celtic and Danny Rohl at Rangers, they’re only going to get better from here. Hearts have got a little bit of a cushion there, and if they can keep that consistency going that they've got, there's no reason why they can’t be up there at the very end.
“Nicky Weaver, an old teammate of mine, was actually working under Danny at Sheffield Wednesday a couple of seasons ago. I was asking Nicky what it was like and he couldn't have been more complimentary of him.
“He said he's got all the attributes to be a top coach at a top club. So if he can get Rangers playing to a tune, as I said, the fans will be on his side. Fans just want to win football games, don't they? And if they're winning, it'll then take the pressure off the board a little bit. If they're not winning, the Rangers fans are going to go after the board again. Trust me on that one.