How Hearts Of Midlothian became contenders

Heart of Midlothian have defied expectations this season, as they sit 1st currently in the league with 44 points in 20 games, which is 3 points above previous champion and title favourite, Celtic. Hearts have won four out of their last five games, which also included wins over Rangers and Celtic away from home at Celtic Park. Hearts are currently the only team in the Scottish Premiership to be undefeated at home all season. How exactly are Hearts able to perform above expectations and establish themselves as contenders this season?

Strategic Investment On 25 June 2025, Hearts announced that Brighton owner Tony Bloom would officially join the Hearts board after completing an investment giving him a 29% stake in the club, which was around £9.86m.
The Brighton owner's involvement brought more than just money – Hearts became the exclusive partner of Jamestown Analytics in Scotland, the same analytics software used by Bloom's side in the Premier League, Como in Serie A and Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the Belgian Pro League.

Smart Recruitment Because of Tony Bloom's Jamestown Analytics recruitment tools, Hearts were able to find key players across the globe for very little money, spending only £2.6m total. The two main players who have had the most impact are Portuguese forward Cláudio Braga, who came from Aalesunds FK in the Norwegian second division, and Greek left winger Alexandros Kyziridis, who came from Zemplin Michalovce in the Slovakian Niké Liga.

Managerial Brilliance Lawrence Shankland continued as club captain under new manager Derek McInnes. McInnes, appointed in May 2025, brought a clear tactical philosophy focused on making Tynecastle an intimidating fortress again. The Scot led Aberdeen to their first trophy in nearly 20 years back in 2014. Elsewhere, he also brought Kilmarnock back into the top flight before leading the Rugby Park side to fourth in 2023/24, thus qualifying for Europe. He's been there and done that in Scottish football, making him the perfect appointment for Hearts

Important victories The biggest reason they look like contenders is they’ve beaten Celtic and Rangers (a lot) This is also a major factor. It’s one thing to farm points vs the bottom half; it’s another to take big head-to-head wins off the teams you’re racing.

Concrete examples from this season:

Hearts 3–1 Celtic at Tynecastle on 26 Oct 2025.

Celtic 1–2 Hearts on 7 Dec 2025 (reported as Hearts’ second win over Celtic that season).

Rangers 0–2 Hearts at Ibrox on 13 Sep 2025 (Shankland scored both).

Hearts 2–1 Rangers on 21 Dec 2025.

Also, match reporting around the December Rangers game highlighted the historical rarity of what Hearts were doing: four straight top-flight wins vs the Old Firm clubs (excluding Celtic/Rangers themselves)

Hearts' emergence as genuine title contenders is something no one really saw coming, but at the same time, we all love an underdog story, like when Leicester won the Premier League title in 2016 or last season when Bologna won their first title in 40 years. This just backs up the statement that Marcelo Bielsa once made about football being as entertaining as it is because the rich can overcome the powerful.