Copyright dailyrecord
Charlie Mulgrew is refusing to completely back down on his claim Hearts have no chance of winning the Premiership title this season. But the former Celtic and Scotland defender admitted there is a seed of doubt following the Hoops defeat to the Jambos at Tynecastle. Mulgrew boldly declared the Tony Bloom-backed side will end the season at least eight points behind Celtic by the end of the season. However, following a 3-1 win for Derek McInnes’s men over the four-in-a-row champions to move the Jambos eight points clear over Celtic, Mulgrew admitted he is ‘slightly worried’ over his old team retaining the title. Mulgrew was born in 1986 – when Hearts blew the title on the final day after a spectacular collapse and the year after Aberdeen became the last non-Old Firm side to win the Scottish top flight. And while on punditry duty for Premier Sports, he was asked if he was changing your thought process in any way and he replied: “Hearts have made a great start and it was a great result for them. “Although it was an against a Celtic reserve team, they took the game to Celtic and got a great result but it’s really early in the season. Is there a slight bit of worry in me? I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t but there’s no evidence in my lifetime to suggest anyone outside Celtic and Rangers can mount a serious title challenge I was born in 1986 and there has been nothing in that time.” Ex Rangers defender Alan Hutton then interjected: “Do you want a hankie to wipe those tears away,” And Mulgrew laughed: “Hutts, I saw you celebrating that Hearts goal!” Hutton said: “From my point of view, you’re nine games in. Hearts are unbeaten. Celtic were missing a few big players but they went out and done the job. They’re confident. They’re absolutely flying, you could see with the start they had that the meant business and thought they could go out and win that game of football and that’s what’s they done so why not dream?”
