\n<\/p>\n
It tells us to put a sharp pin in our balloon of optimism – or at least let a good bit of air out of it.<\/p>\n
It is easy to watch either – or both – of Glasgow\u2019s big two and bin them off after they fail to pass the eye test, but they will likely still go on to post points tallies non-Old Firm clubs cannot find the consistency to come close to.<\/p>\n
We are seeing that already in the infancy of the current campaign, with Hibs winning just one of their four opening games.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, despite a statement end to the transfer window, Aberdeen are rooted to the foot of the table with one point and no goals from four matches.<\/p>\n
Closing the sizeable margin between second and third could prove hard enough. The average distance between the two spots over the past five seasons is 22 points.<\/p>\n
That gap reflects a widening financial chasm, with qualification for Uefa’s club competitions playing a key role.<\/p>\n
While Celtic and Rangers have both failed to reach the Champions League this season, both still accounted for about 86% of the transfer fees spent in the Premiership this summer, according to Transfermarkt, external<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n It makes the Edinburgh pair breaking their transfer records in the past window look like a tiny drop in the ocean. <\/p>\n And Hearts (74) and Hibs (67) would likely also have to smash their top-flight points records to stand a chance of even finishing second.<\/p>\n A Rangers side that was led by Philippe Clement and then Barry Ferguson last term failed to win 16 games over the course of the 2024-25 Premiership campaign, yet they finished 17 points clear of Hibs in third.<\/p>\n The Ibrox club were 12 points behind Aberdeen in early November and still ended the campaign 22 ahead of Jimmy Thelin’s men.<\/p>\n Hearts investor Bloom has stressed the importance of “challenging the establishment”. Come the end of this season, he will have a clearer picture of how realistic that is.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n