Bloom Reaffirms Hearts’ Ten-Year Ambition to Win Premiership Ahead of Celtic Park Return

Tony Bloom has reiterated his ambition to see Hearts win the Scottish Premiership within ten years, warning he would be “really disappointed” if the club fails to achieve that goal.

The Brighton chairman, who completed a near £10 million investment in Tynecastle Park last summer, vowed at the time to “disrupt the pattern of domination of Scottish football” held by the Old Firm.

Hearts’ inaugural title bid fell short on the final day of last season. Despite topping the table from September, a late comeback by Celtic turned a 1‑0 deficit into a 2‑1 victory, leaving Hearts empty‑handed for the first time since 1960.

The two sides meet again on Sunday at Celtic Park for the first time since that dramatic decider, broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Sunday 18th October 2:30pm


Kick off 3:00pm

“The way last season ended, in difficult circumstances from a Hearts point of view, is exceptionally disappointing for the club and for me as well,” Bloom told Sky Sports.

“At the end of the day, we’ve got to accept what’s happened, if not be happy about how things ended.”

When asked whether he still believed Hearts could become the first non‑Old Firm side to win the top‑flight title since 1985, he replied: “Absolutely. I’d be really disappointed if Hearts have not won the Scottish Premiership within the ten years.”

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In the aftermath of that defeat, Hearts suffered a significant exodus. Head coach Derek McInnes, captain Lawrence Shankland and midfielder Cammy Devlin all moved to Rangers, while Alexandros Kyziridis and Alexander Schwolow also departed.

However, the club tapped into Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics network to appoint Wouter Vrancken as the new head coach, and brought in a crop of fresh talents including Calvin Miller, Malachi Fagan‑Walcott and Beau Reus.

The early part of the campaign proved difficult; Hearts lost in both Champions League and Europa League qualifiers and also dropped points in their opening Premiership fixture against Aberdeen.

Nevertheless, the side now sits in the Conference League, has reached the League Cup semi‑finals and occupies third place in the top division – three points behind Rangers and two behind Celtic – ahead of Sunday’s encounter.

Bloom reflected on the new season: “We move on to this season. We’ve started reasonably well, got a new head coach, so again we’ve got to be hopeful and optimistic for the season to come.

“It was really difficult with the head coach coming in literally just before the start of pre‑season, but as a football club you have to recover, and you have to recover quickly. I think we have done.

“We’ve brought in a lot of new players, and there’s a lot to play for in the season for Hearts, so I think there’s a lot for the Hearts fans to look forward to this season.”

Will Bloom back up his belief?

More than a year ago, when Bloom spoke to Sky Sports about his ambition to topple the Old Firm, many observers were sceptical.

As Hearts’ title challenge gathered momentum, interest swelled not only across Scotland but worldwide.

Until the 87th minute of that decisive final game, Hearts were on the brink of championship glory. The narrow defeat, however, elevated the club’s profile.

Despite extensive changes to both the management team and the playing squad over the summer, Hearts remain competitive this season. Bloom continues to set a ten‑year horizon for ending their 66‑year trophy drought, though supporters hope the wait will be shorter.

Bloom, who chairs Brighton, also leverages his Jamestown Analytics firm at the English club. Brighton have progressed from League One to the Premier League, securing top‑half finishes in successive seasons and regular European football.

Eight years after acquiring a majority stake in Belgian club Union Saint‑Gilloise, Bloom applied the same data‑driven methodology, guiding the side to the Belgian Cup and subsequently to its first top‑flight league title in 90 years.

Similar transformation is evident at Como in Italy, where Jamestown Analytics have lifted the club from the lower tiers of Italian football to Serie A, securing a fourth‑place finish last season.

When Bloom sets his mind to a project, it rarely fails to materialise. After splitting the Old Firm last term, few now doubt that Hearts will deliver a league championship within his prescribed decade.

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