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Two hours after Hearts’ seismic win over Celtic, Foundation Plaza was still thronging with maroon-clad supporters wearing smiles as broad as the Forth.
Television crews and radio reporters had little trouble in persuading the hospitality stragglers to serve their needs for vox pops to follow up on what had just unfolded.
You suspect this sight will become commonplace as this season gathers pace and that many of those posing the questions will come from far and wide. The prospect of a non-Old Firm side winning the Scottish title is a story of international significance.
But whether Derek McInnes’ men prevail or stumble in the next 29 matches, it feels like the tectonic plates are shifting.
Even if Celtic or Rangers yet dust themselves down to extend the Glasgow clubs’ 40-year hegemony, it feels like there’s a permanence to what’s happening in Gorgie. This is no one-season wonder. They aren’t going away.
Shortly after presiding over a stirring victory which took his side eight points clear at the top of the table, McInnes made a point of detailing the various advantages Celtic still enjoy over his team.
Alexandros Kyziridis, Cammy Devlin and Claudio Braga were all immense against Celtic
Greek winger Kyziridis scored the goal of the match with a fine cut inside and tidy finish
Hearts investor Tony Bloom watched from the stand as the Gorgie men downed the champions
‘You’ve got to say, Celtic spend millions and they pay millions in wages,’ he stated. ‘A lot more than we can ever do.’
This financial gulf is largely the reason why the most coveted prize in the land hasn’t left Glasgow since Aberdeen lifted it in 1985.
Challenges from the east and the north have sporadically emerged, but no side has been able to maintain one since the Dons took the issue to the final game at Ibrox in 1991.
The chasing pack have been unable to fight the numbers. You get what you pay for, or so we were led to believe.
Anyone of a Hearts persuasion considering chronicling what’s already a captivating season will need no one to tell them that its starting point came well before a ball was kicked.
On November 20 last year, the club announced that it had struck an agreement with Jamestown Analytics allowing ‘exclusive’ Scottish access to player data.
Braga has been a sensation since his arrival from Norwegian second division side Aalesund
An offshoot of Starlizard, the data firm owned by Brighton owner Tony Bloom, this deal was the moment when Hearts’ chances of overcoming the inherent advantages of Celtic and Rangers were enhanced.
Anyone who’d seen the turnaround in Brighton’s fortunes and those of Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise from a distance immediately recognised how significant this development could be.
Both clubs had soared from the moment Bloom got involved, their success fuelled by the identification of underrated talents in untapped markets, selling them on for huge profits and having replacements waiting in the wings.
With a profile on every player in the world who’s played more than 3,000 minutes on file, Jamestown had made those clubs smarter, slicker and better than so many with superior resources. And Celtic and Rangers were next in the firing line.
The following month, the data company flagged up Union’s Elton Kabangu as a potential asset, with the Belgian forward joining Hearts on loan before agreeing to a permanent move. But other names were also being considered back then with the summer in mind.
Claudio Braga was playing in the Norwegian second tier with Aalesund. Alexandros Kyziridis was plying his trade in Slovakia with Zemplin Michalovce. Ageu was on loan at Alverca in Portugal from parent club Santa Clara.
Kyziridis arrived on a free transfer but has been one of the most exciting players in the league
Each of them was tracked until the close season when deals were struck. Braga, who cost £430,000, has eight goals to date for Hearts. Kyziridis, a free transfer, has five.
Rest assured, Jamestown are already identifying possible replacements for when they inevitably move on for big fees.
In comparison, the attempts of Celtic and Rangers to stay ahead of the curve have been amateurish.
In January, the Parkhead club sold Kyogo Furuhashi without having a replacement lined up. Having limped on until the summer without their talismanic striker, they subsequently flogged Adam Idah and only brought in a free agent in Kelechi Iheanacho after the window had closed.
With Iheanacho now injured, Rodgers’ striking options at Tynecastle were Johnny Kenny (one goal in seven) and Shin Yamada (none in six).
At least the pair were sighted. Jahmai Simpson-Pusey hasn’t played a single minute since joining on loan from Manchester City. Hayato Inamura, a defender Rodgers said wasn’t ‘quite at the level’, hasn’t been seen in public since his one and only outing against Livingston in August.
Manchester City's Jahmai Simpson-Pusey has barely been seen since joining Celtic on loan
Celtic’s transfer strategy — if you could even call it that — has long been slipshod and wasteful.
Talents of the ilk of Furuhashi, Liel Abada, Nicolas Kuhn and Matt O’Riley have been sold for huge sums. Their replacements have been wholly inadequate.
The ineptitude and complacency of a hierarchy which has continually used its bulging bank balance to defend itself is there for all to see.
Everyone except them, it seemed, could envisage how Hearts might benefit from Bloom’s involvement. No one can now see how they counteract it.
While Rodgers, unquestionably, has been sold short by the very people who are supposedly supporting him, he’s not exempt from criticism either.
The Northern Irishman defended Dane Murray’s inclusion at Tynecastle on the basis that the young Scot (right-sided) and Liam Scales (left) gave the back-line better balance.
£6million signing Auston Trusty does not seem to be trusted by Brendan Rodgers at the minute
A year ago this week, though, Scales and Auston Trusty — a £6m American international — were still capable of shutting out Atalanta in Bergamo.
Rodgers’ loyalty to Reo Hatate remains perplexing. The Japanese has been miles off the mark this season. Luke McCowan must wonder what he’s done wrong.
While James Forrest is now 34, he was the best right-sided option at Rodgers’ disposal on Sunday. Benjamin Nygren, whose body language throughout was poor, just doesn’t have pace to operate on the flank.
Aside from Callum McGregor, the only player in the side who deserved pass marks was Seb Tounekti. The reasons behind his substitution on the hour mark were a mystery.
Celtic didn’t just go down. They did so without a fight. The insipid nature of the performance suggested this season could soon get away from them.
The manager’s claims that Hearts have a different DNA to his side was also unnecessary.
Rodgers was left with much to reflect on following his side's defeat to the league leaders
He’s got enough on his plate. His outfit has failed to score in six matches this season. They’ve managed just 12 goals in nine league games. That’s 10 fewer than the team they’re now chasing and 14 less than they’d scored at this point last season. Even allowing for injuries, the drop-off is astonishing.
Rodgers must find something to rekindle the fire. He needs to alter some facet of his side’s approach in matches which is going to quickly improve results. Given his track record, only a fool would yet write him off.
There is no question, though, that this is the biggest challenge of his two spells in Glasgow.
The game’s changed beyond recognition. With a poker player like Bloom at the table, Hearts are holding all the aces.
