Craig Levein: Hearts' 'hunger' mirrors 1986 title-challenging team I played in
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Craig Levein celebrates Hearts' win at Motherwell, which continued their 100% start in the league
Craig Levein sees echoes of the Hearts team of 1986 in the "hungry, ambitious players" that have propelled his side to the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Levein was part of the Hearts side that led going into the final day 32 years ago before losing at Dundee as Celtic took the title on goal difference.
The Tynecastle boss sees no reason why his team cannot maintain a challenge throughout the current campaign.
"We will try to stay there as long as we can," Levein said.
"It is a marathon not a sprint, and we have only just set off. I think we need to keep everyone fit, our best players in particular, but hopefully we can keep churning out results.
"Realistically there will be moments when things don't our way and we lose a few games. But these things are normal. It is important we come back from things like that. It could happen at any point.
"We don't want to get carried away. There is a hell of a long way to go."
Hearts have won all five league games so far and enjoy a five-point lead over champions Celtic and Livingston, who they host on Saturday.
Levein, who has won the Premiership manager of the month award for August, says "this group of players is as hungry a team as I have worked with" and competition for places has brought an "intensity every day in training you need to be successful in this league".
"I trust them, which is a good place to start," he said. "I don't have any doubts about the attitude of any of the players, although I think we have yet to be fully tested.
"You look through our squad and see young, hungry, ambitious players. You also look at our squad and see some senior pros who have been through just about everything football can throw at you, and their attitude is just as good today as it was when they first stepped into the training ground as a teenager.
"When I go back to when I played here [from 1983 to 1997], we had those two things. A lot of hungry, young players and good senior pros. And any good side I had as a manager over the years has included those things."
Levein acknowledges Hearts' hopes of a sustained challenge may also benefit from Celtic and Rangers both being involved in the Europa League group stages until mid-December.
"There is no doubt it does split your focus a bit when you have a league game and then an important European game," he added. "I hope they play each other in the final."