The Monday Jury run the rule over the four big questions facing Scottish football this week
04:00, 27 Oct 2025
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Are you finally prepared to accept Hearts are genuine title contenders?
KEITH JACKSON: Some of us have been saying so for a while. Yesterday’s trampling all over Celtic has merely confirmed that the threat is very real and very credible.
ANDY NEWPORT: How can you not be? They have a commanding lead and with the way both Celtic and Rangers have imploded this season, they will never have a better chance to avenge the ghosts of 1986.
GRAEME YOUNG: Yes, their legitimacy is there for all to see and they rubber-stamped their credentials by seeing off Celtic and proving they have plenty left in the tank. Derek McInnes feels born for this role as he harnesses years of experience to masterfully lead a team good enough to win the title.
What’s the biggest problem for Brendan Rodgers to address within this current Celtic slump?
KEITH: There are no easy fixes. He’s lost some of best performers to injury and is relying on others who aren’t up to the job. Some of them were hiding in plain sight at Tynecastle yesterday.
ANDREW: Goals and creativity at the top end of the pitch. They lost something like 60 goals from last year’s side having allowed Kyogo, Kuhn and Idah to walk out the door without adequate replacements. That has to be addressed in January.
GRAEME: The lack of quality is exposing any tactical tweaks – there are not enough good players on the books. It’s never more evident when livewire Seb Tounekti is replaced by Michel Ange Balikwisha who lacks the flair and skills of his fellow summer signing.
What’s a realistic target for Danny Rohl in the league this season?
KEITH: A top six finish will be the first ambition. If he can go on from there to reel in Hearts and Celtic then a third place finish might be acceptable on the back of the carnage he inherited.
ANDY: First and foremost it’s just to lift confidence and start picking up results. That might not seem like much but it’s been beyond this rag-tag bunch for most of the season. If he can lift spirits they can still rescue second at push, but the damage has been done where the title is concerned.
GRAEME: The way Celtic are going then they have to be eyeing making inroads if he can start winning games. Defeating their city rivals in next weekend’s semi-final is a necessity.
Falkirk have taken 12 points from their first nine games in the top flight. Are they top six material?
KEITH: Why not? Yes, it’s a long shot but they’ve been a refreshing addition to the Premiership already. With Aberdeen and Rangers all over the shop, the door to the top six is swinging wide open.
ANDY: The early signs are promising but the real test will come over the winter months when the fixtures pile up and so too the toil on John McGlynn’s squad. Only then will we know if the Bairns are built to last.
GRAEME: It would be great to say yes but just outside with a few famous wins appears more likely. John McGlynn is proving to be a genius and his side deserve all the praise.
