This season’s Scottish Premiership was the most gripping in years, underpinned by a rare level of competitiveness. Heart of Midlothian led from October in pursuit of a first title since 1959/60, while the Old Firm of Celtic and Rangers lived in near-permanent crises, lurching between managers.
With the eyes of the football world tuned in to Saturday’s decisive day as Hearts travelled to Celtic needing only a draw, that uncertainty lingered until the final five minutes. Two late Celtic goals crushed Hearts’ fairytale aspirations to clinch a fifth-successive title, triggering their fans to storm the pitch in yet another ignominious moment for Scottish football.
‘The fact that a football team had to leave one of the biggest, most famous grounds in the world, rushing for safety, getting out of there as quickly as possible under police advice because they feared Celtic fans attacking the coach; it’s just shameful, and it’s just sad,’ Henry Winter told Box2Box.
‘The day had begun with the potential of a sort of bright dawn for Scottish football. Ironically for Celtic, if Hearts had won, it would have been a boon for them in terms of broadcast deals. It was absolute global news – the Wall Street Journal was doing huge pieces on it, and that doesn’t happen very often in Scottish football.
‘But it ended almost back to the bad old days. Then, the subsequent scenes later on in Glasgow Centre with Celtic fans fighting each other. A minority of the 60,000, the majority peaceful in the stadium… but a few of them have stained the club.’
Australian Cameron Devlin was a central figure in Hearts’ title push. A fan favourite through his five seasons on Tyneside, he was near-on ever-present when fit, missing ten matches across two stints to injury.
His pain may be tempered somewhat by Wednesday’s surprise call-up to the Socceroos pre-World Cup camp in Sarasota. Out in the cold for much of Tony Popovic’s tenure – called up twice but never fielded – he now has a final chance to impress before the June 1 deadline.
Devlin is now out of contract at Hearts, where a new world order has been established since he signed his last one. Part-owner Tony Bloom’s famed model of recruitment has revolutionised Brighton & Hove Albion, and has already had a pronounced impact at the Jambos.
‘Tony Bloom’s influence, Jamestown Analytics’ influence… obviously Bloom’s gone in and got 29% ownership of Hearts, and he’s done an amazing job in terms of the recruitment,’ said Winter.
‘He’d been talking to them for about two years before, but finally came in last year. Jamestown Analytics was involved before. And had recommended Derek McInness a year before he got the job, and he’s been really, such a fantastic story.
‘They are the biggest fan-owned club in the UK, they have 8,000 members of Friends of Hearts. They call themselves the disruptors because they want to disrupt the East Coast, West Coast balance in Scottish football, taking on the Old Firm.’
If there is romance to be found in yet another Celtic triumph it sits firmly with manager Martin O’Neill. The 74-year old lifts his fourth Celtic title, twenty-two years after the last. Twice he was called in this season as interim, following the sackings of Brendan Rogers and Wilfred Nancy.
‘O’Neill, he’s just a player whisperer. The way he got players playing like that, the impact he had with his words at half time. He’s an amazingly inspirational character.’