We wanted a challenge...

It's a bit of both. Our standards have obviously dropped. And that's why we are 8 points behind rather than being neck and neck, like we were with Aberdeen this time last year.

But, come on, credit where it's due. Hearts have upped their game significantly. They look strong all over the park and, if they can keep this high standard, they'll beat most teams they play.

It would be incredible if we were starting each season not knowing if it was us, Rangers or Hearts that were going to win the league.

 

Mate. Hearts have improved, but do you think if we're operating the way we should, we wouldn't be say 3-5 points ahead of them?

I'd say 8 wins and a draw in the first 9 games is pretty standard for Celtic domestically. Maybe throw in a second draw. And we would've won that game yesterday because Celtic over the last 5-8 years or so outside of the last 6 months have been a big-game club. At least domestically.

Credit where it's due. And Hearts have certainly been getting plenty of it.

But it's mostly down to ourselves. Of course it is.

 

A line I heard a few weeks back sums the club up well...

"Celtic never miss an opportunity, to miss an opportunity!"

Hearts are in a good place because of savvy people, investing their money, time and resources well.

We really don't do the above well. The challenge lies within... and we're living up to the parochial, tin pot label that many, including ourselves have labelled us. Aiming for mediocrity, and currently missing.

Hearts are up for it, we the fans are up for it, but I don't see the board, Rodgers and to a degree the players up to the challenge.

 

Hearts are unbeaten with only 1 draw. The only way we'd be 5 points clear of them is if we had won every game, including yesterday's. That would be the Invincibles levels. And remember when we did that there wasn't a strong Rangers or a strong Hearts to compete with us. It's not realistic to expect us to win every game.

What we should be seeing right now is a close run race with Hearts. That's our fault. But their position at the top is fully deserved.

 

If Celtic had started the way we should've started, I don't think Hearts would've kept up their momentum. I think they would've already slipped up a few times.

We're putting absolutely zero pressure on them and it's showing.

Even when we were keeping pace points wise our performances were atrocious and everyone could see the dropped points coming.

 

Well, there should be no hiding place but would it work that way in reality?

 

You could easily turn that around and say that we have slipped up a few times because of the pressure we're feeling from Hearts.

Anyway, there is a lot of IFs and BUTs. Regardless of all that, the original poster pointed out that it is great that we have an exciting season in front of us and they are relishing the excitement. And I couldn't agree more. I'm glad we aren't 5 points clear, like you said, because then it would feel like the league is already won.

I'm fed up of unchallenged dominance. It's boring.

 

Not for me. Never found any of this 15 years of dominance boring tbh. I'd much rather we scudded Hearts 5-0 and shut it all down.

Can argue whether it's good for the game up here or not, whatever that actually means in practice. But I'll never find us steamrolling over the opposition boring.