Hearts' missed chance: panel weighs last season's title race
The Journos panel discussed whether Hearts let their best chance of a league title slip last season, and why Scottish football needs a strong Aberdeen.
By Peter Martin,
On The Journos, Peter Martin was joined by Michael Grant, Hugh MacDonald and Gordon Parks to look at whether Hearts blew their chance of winning the league, and at what it would take for any club to break the Old Firm's hold on the title.
The panel began with Aberdeen. The argument was that "we need a strong Aberdeen" to take on "the most mediocre of Rangers and Celtic sides", and the Dons featured again before the end, with the line "That's 45 minutes on the Dons" closing the discussion.
"Last year was the best chance"
The main focus was Hearts. The verdict that "Last year was the best chance" framed the debate over whether last season was the club's best opportunity to win the league, at a time when both Old Firm sides were struggling.
The panel pointed to points dropped at Livingston and to Hearts failing to win a single match outside Edinburgh from January. They also discussed whether James Anderson should have backed Derek McInnes with three or four more players.
Burns, McCann and Robertson
The conversation turned to Celtic history, with Tommy Burns, Fergus McCann and a striker McCann would not pay for. John Robertson and a figure of 90,000 were part of that discussion. The panel also recalled a Tino Asprilla moment.
Fir Park and self-doubt
The panel then looked at the reaction to the Fir Park decision before the decider at Celtic Park, and at the part self-doubt may have played as Hearts' challenge came to a head.