Hearts make their points on Premiership title challenge as Celtic and Rangers history shows what is required

With one round of Premiership fixtures played, Hearts are the team to beat sitting nine points clear atop the league table. Chatter around whether they can sustain form and mount a serious title challenge intensifies with each win, as Derek McInnes seeks to keep at bay any hysteria. Most fans are enjoying the moment and happy to stay for the ride at this point.

That said, there is also growing curiosity about whether this team might go the distance. They seem to have the credentials. Saturday’s 4-0 win over Dundee leaves them unbeaten after 11 league games - nine wins two draws, a points total of 29 and a goal difference of 19. Hearts are brimming with confidence and momentum. They are the Premiership’s top goalscorers with a talented 30-man first-team squad boasting strength in every position.

For an indication of their potential, it is worth examining how they compare to previous league champions. The Edinburgh News has dug out records from the last 10 years of the Premiership, assessing each title-winning side after the first 11 games, examining their points totals and respective goal differences.

This time last year, Celtic and Aberdeen sat joint-top of the league on 31 points. Celtic’s goal difference was 28, Aberdeen’s 14. The Pittodrie club would, of course, fall away thereafter and Celtic went on to lift their 13th title out of the last 14 with a total of 92 points. The year before, Celtic were top on 29 points after 11 matches, this time with a goal difference of 18. They finished as league champions with 93 points. In 2022, Celtic again led the way on 30 points at this stage of the campaign, and their goal difference on that occasion was 30. They won the league on 99 points the following spring.

Rangers were leading the table in 2021 on 24 points after 11 rounds of fixtures. Their goal difference was nine. Celtic sat two points behind on 22 points but with a goal difference of 19. The Parkhead club would go on to lift the Premiership trophy the following May with a 93-point total. Rangers were also top 12 months previously, boasting 29 points and a goal difference of 23 after 11 games. That year, they won the league under Steven Gerrard after reaching 102 points.

In 2019, both Glasgow clubs were joint-top on 28 points after the first round of games. Celtic’s goal difference was 27, Rangers’ was 26, and Celtic would eventually be crowned champions on 80 points - although the season was cut short following the Covid 19 outbreak. The year before that saw Hearts emerge strongly at the start of the season to lead the top flight with 26 points and a goal difference of 12. Celtic were one point behind the Edinburgh club with a goal difference of 21 and would go on to lift the title with 87 points.

The previous three years, 2017, 2016 and 2015, were dominated by Celtic. They had 27 points with a goal difference of 19 after 11 games in 2017, and they totalled 82 points come the end of the campaign. In 2016, their total was 31 points with a 26 goal difference and they ended with 106 points. At this stage in 2015, they boasted 26 points and a goal difference of 17. They finished on 86 points that year.

Clearly, recent evidence shows Hearts are motoring at the required pace for a title success. With one round of fixtures gone, there are three to go. McInnes’ team have belief and ability, a goal threat and a winning mindset. They intend to get on with their work as quietly as possible, but the longer this level of form continues, the louder the title shouts will become. They are at the required level in terms of consistency of results. It is now a case of how long they can sustain it.

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