I grew up supporting Hibs - but Hearts winning the league would be 'fantastic' for Scottish Football
The former Leeds United and Aberdeen star said he’s reluctantly enjoyed the Jambos success thus far.
As Hearts’ unbeaten run continues into another International break, a prominent boyhood Hibee would enjoy seeing them ‘split up the Old Firm’.
While the draw against Dundee United may have been a slight bump in the road, the fact remains that Hearts have still yet to be defeated in this season’s SPFL Premiership. However, with every point earned comes greater expectation that Derek McInnes’ men can make Tony Bloom’s dream of splitting Rangers and Celtic a reality.
Former Celtic boss, Gordon Strachan knows a thing or two about title races having spent four years in the dugout at Parkhead. The 68-year old may have grown up in Muirhouse as a Hibs fan, but has great ‘admiration’ for Hearts and their exploits so far this season.
A ‘perfect storm’ is brewing at Tynecastle
Speaking to Boylesports, Strachan said: “it would be huge and it would be the dream for everyone there to split up the Old Firm. For a while, everyone's dream was to be second between Celtic and Rangers. But due to circumstances at both Rangers and Celtic, there's a perfect storm at the moment that allows a team to come through this gap.
“They haven't been lucky at Hearts, they've prepared for this. With Tony Bloom and Ann Budge, who have done a lot of good work there, and Derek McInnes going in and the way they've signed players, it's a perfect storm for them right now to sail through it. If they can do that, that would be fantastic.”
In his usual comedic fashion, the former Scotland boss described what it’s like watching his rivals flourish. He continued: “for me, as a Hibs supporter as a kid, this is the worst thing that could happen – I'm always joking. But as a Hibs fan, I've still got a lot of Hibs mates that find it difficult to deal with.”
‘Great admiration’ for Tony Bloom
At the start of the season, Tony Bloom said that Hearts would win the league within the next decade and while many at the time had reservations about this remark, the dream start to this season has proved a few doubters wrong. Strachan has been impressed by the success of Bloom, not just at Hearts but elsewhere too.
He said: “I've got to show great admiration for them. They've done well. The recruitment's been great, helped by Tony Bloom at Brighton again, whatever he does. We should all be doing it, but there are only so many good players out there. We all use this data thing because we'll all be drawn against each other. It's been good for the game, something to talk about.
“Can they hang in there? They probably could, but as I said, it's a bit different when you're in the lead. But at this moment in time, they're doing a great job. They drew yesterday against Dundee United, who are a hard team to beat. Slip ups are going to happen. They have to deal with that kind of setback if they're going to win anything, that's for sure.”