Brighton owner and Hearts backer Tony Bloom has repeated his belief that the Tynecastle side can seriously challenge Celtic in the coming years.
Bloom set out his goals for the Edinburgh club, saying they can cut the gap on Celtic.
Bloom has brought new optimism to Hearts since his arrival was confirmed, and he has wasted no time in setting out his aims.
He wants Derek McInnes’ team competing at the very top of the Premiership and feels finishing second should be a realistic short-term goal.
The English businessman, whose Union Saint-Gilloise side went from Belgium’s second tier to regular title contenders, believes the gap to Celtic and Rangers is not too big to close. He says smart signings and bringing through young talent will be vital to making that happen.
Bloom went even further, telling fans he expects Hearts to lift the Scottish title within the next ten years. It’s a big statement, but one he says he truly believes, and he wants everyone involved with the club to share that belief.
He said: (Sky Sports), “Well, I think hopefully we’ll have a big improvement on the league position from last season and I think if we can generally have a real chance of going for the title, really pushing Celtic this season, I think that would be a big success even if we don’t quite make it this season.
“I think it may take some years to actually win the SPL but I think we want to be challengers. We’ve got to believe in ourselves that Hearts can actually really make a difference, put in really good performances and if we can finish in the top two I think that’ll be a really good season for us.
“I think everything that Hearts do, they need to keep improving at every aspect of what they do at the club. The most important thing is the recruitment of players and also players coming through the academy and I think that will be continued improvement and so I think Hearts will hopefully be improving year on year.
“There are some similarities but Union Saint-Germain was, when I took over the club, they were near the bottom of the second division so there was a much bigger gap between where Union were at that time and the biggest three or four clubs in Belgium whereas here, the two obviously by far and away the biggest two clubs, Celtic and Rangers, that’s the gap we’ve got. I know last season was one of those seasons where we didn’t do particularly well but I think that it’s a smaller gap to close than what Union Saint-Germain had in Belgium.
“I understand. Fans from Celtic and Rangers will say they’ve heard all this before and they won’t necessarily believe it but I absolutely genuinely believe it and it’s really important for Hearts, the fans, the people who work at the club and the players do believe because I genuinely think that in the not too distant future Hearts will be a real force in Scottish football.
“Well I can’t predict actual how long but as I said last night at the Fans Forum I’d be really disappointed if we don’t win the title here in the next 10 years.”
Bloom’s comments will likely get noticed in Glasgow, but they show Hearts are serious about stepping up.
The Tynecastle side have proved at times they can match Celtic in one-off games, but keeping that up over a full season has been the real problem.
Recruitment will be vital, and Bloom has already said building the squad every year is the main focus. With his money and the club’s strong set-up, Hearts could become a regular challenger if everything is handled well.
Celtic won’t ignore the intent coming from Gorgie. Brendan Rodgers knows a strong Hearts side makes the league harder and the title race tighter. Even so, catching a Celtic team going for another title is still a huge task.
Right now, Bloom’s comments are only words, but they set a challenge. Hearts want to break the Hoops’ domestic dominance, and Celtic will be keeping an eye on whether the Tynecastle push really takes off in the coming years.
