Hearts Can Win Scottish Premiership Within a Decade, Says Owner Tony Bloom

Tony Bloom, chairman of Brighton & Hove Albion, has reaffirmed his conviction that Hearts can secure the Scottish Premiership title within the next ten years. Bloom, who invested nearly £10 million in the Gorgie club a year ago, initially pledged to disrupt the established dominance of the Old Firm in Scottish football.

Last season, Hearts came close to winning their first top-flight title since 1960, ultimately finishing second after a late turnaround by Celtic on the final day of the season. The two clubs are set to meet again at Parkhead on Sunday, with Hearts, now managed by Wouter Vrancken, aiming to challenge the traditional powerhouses once more.

"The way it (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 if he still believed Hearts would be the first non-Old Firm side to win the league since 1985, Bloom stated, "Absolutely. I'd be really disappointed if Hearts have not won the Scottish Premiership within the 10 years."

Following the close of last season, Hearts experienced significant departures, including head coach Derek McInnes, captain Lawrence Shankland, and midfielder Cammy Devlin, who moved to Rangers. Other key players also left the club.

However, leveraging the insights from Bloom's Jamestown Analytics company, the club appointed Wouter Vrancken as their new head coach. The squad has been reinforced with new signings such as Calvin Miller, Malachi Fagan-Walcott, and Beau Reus.

Despite an challenging start to the current season, which included early exits from Champions League and Europa League qualifiers and a Premiership opener loss to Aberdeen, Hearts have shown resilience. They have advanced to the Conference League group stage, reached the semi-finals of the League Cup, and currently sit third in the Premiership, three points behind Rangers and five behind Celtic.

"We move on to this season," Bloom added. "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."