Hearts 'excited' with Celtic 'going backwards' - fan views

Derek McInnes is being lauded by Hearts fans after their win over Celtic

The cat is truly set among the Scottish title pigeons after Heart of Midlothian beat Celtic to go eight points clear at the top of the Premiership.

With Rangers securing a first win under new head coach Danny Rohl while Hibernian and Dundee United also took three points, it is getting interesting at the top of the table.

Meanwhile, there are renewed calls for Aberdeen to sack manager Jimmy Thelin, but how do other fans view this weekend's results?

Hearts, Hibs and Rangers joy amid Celtic concern

On the whole, Hearts are staying realistic about actually becoming champions, but they are at least allowing themselves to get excited about the prospect of sustaining a title challenge after Sunday's 3-1 win.

Derek: Eight-point lead and a plus-11 goal difference on second place? Dreamland, that's where Hearts fans are. Who would have thought we'd have such a strong opening, coupled with such a weak Old Firm? We dominated Celtic - possession may say different, but it's what you do with it, and we were magnificent at times. Alexandros Kyziridis was superb, Claudio Braga was immense, Lawrence Shankland put in a strong shift, the defence was strong, everything lined up as we knew it could and we ran out deserved winners. Am I excited? Of course I am.

Norrie: The work ethic of this team is remarkable. Cammy Devlin, Oisin McEntee and Harry Milne just never stop and what they do is highly effective. Shankland has gained a yard since last season. He doesn't seem to be held back by pressure. The whole team is just exciting to watch and, considering the league is only nine games gone, it's such a contrast to this time last year.

Jim: A good performance and a great three points. After watching Hearts for 60 years, though, I am certainly not getting too carried away. One game at a time and three points on Wednesday in Paisley would do nicely.

Alan: The biggest test for us now is the next game, St Mirren away. They are the only team to beat us, albeit on penalties in the cup.

Chris: We've obviously had a great start to the season, but we've really only clicked here and there. We'll get better. That said, teams will need to work very hard to beat us. Derek McInnes has them working at a high intensity. I expect the Old Firm to get their acts together and we'll obviously lose points eventually. But we have real quality sitting on the bench and even in the stands. Come May, the new recruits will have found their feet, we'll have strengthened in January and we'll be in the mix, fighting for the title.

Celtic fans are split about who takes the blame - manager Brendan Rodgers or the board - but they are obviously not happy.

Darren: It's not Brendan Rodgers that's the problem. It's the board. They buy and sell the players and expect the head coach to build a team out of what they buy. It's the board acting like a bunch of selectors and they got it wrong badly. Celtic can be a force in Europe, but this board won't take a chance.

Jim: It seems that Celtic are going backwards with Brendan at the helm. He doesn't appear to be interested or fully committed to the club and the players seem to lack inspiration or motivation. Maybe it's time for changes both on and off the field.

David: Dane Murray got his chance and blew it. He was directly to blame for the first and third goal. Callum McGregor showed some form at last but was fighting a lone battle. Well played Hearts, you were good.

Joe: Rodgers' position must now be in serious jeopardy. Forget the transfer window, Celtic are consistently losing to clubs with a fraction of the resources they have. The standard of play is truly awful and lack of goals is embarrassing. That sits with the manager.

Patrick: A really poor performance. A shame for the youngsters, but let's hope they learn from it. Momentum is everything and Hearts have it all while Celtic have none. Need to improve these performances as the board can't do anything until January now, so no point blaming them. The manager needs to get more from the players.

Stuart: Again, Rodgers has no answer, takes off our best player for an inferior winger. He built this squad and should take the blame. Rodgers should do the honourable thing and resign. Would you give him the huge amount of money he will need in January to improve this lot?

On the other side of Glasgow, there is a bit of relief among Rangers fans after their 3-1 win over Kilmarnock.

Graeme: Good first step. Finally, a manager/coach that prepares for the opposition and gives the team a proper chance. Hopefully we'll get to see why these signings were made and recruitment can be properly judged.

Colin: Much better from Rangers. There was a freedom in the play that had been lacking under Russell Martin. It was nice to see a manager willing to change the plan to suit the opposition. Rangers used to play with two central forwards and really go at teams. In recent years, that changed to two defensive midfielders. It's time to get back to going after teams. Dare I say a team of Rangers' size has shown too much respect to teams of late, which has removed much of the fear of playing against us that used to be there.

Bill: One swallow doesn't make a summer. This shows someone can relate to players, can get a bit extra out of them. A work in progress, but I'm not going to get carried away. Hopefully he can weed out the dross.

Steve: What I immediately like about Rohl is that he is not afraid to make changes early. How many managers have we had that would wait too long before changing things up, or worse, making changes when it's panic stations. The team were playing reasonably well, but he decided changes were needed to push for the win and it worked out very well. Long may that continue.

Gazza: Not getting too carried away but it looked much better on the eye. Structure better, second-ball winning better and goals to boot. Tough one on Wednesday at Hibs, but I hope this showed we will be in better shape for Easter Road.

Hibs' 2-1 win in Aberdeen has Hearts' city rivals in third and their fans in positive mood.

David: A very professional performance from Hibs and a great platform now in place to push on and beat Rangers on Wednesday.

Tim: Typical of Hibs to give us a nervous last three minutes after being so superior throughout the match - conceding in injury time is our worst habit. But plenty to like about the performance, both defensively and in attack. A well-balanced side with a strong bench.

Gordon: Another good three points for Hibs. Pittodrie always a difficult place to go irrespective of where Aberdeen are in the table, but please learn to put the ball in the back of the net and Martin Boyle learning to stay onside would help. Grant Hanley again solid at the back and Thibault Klidje also played particularly well together with Josh Mulligan and Jamie McGrath putting in good performances.

Sandy: First-class team performance with Dan Barlaser man of the match. Raphael Sallinger is looking a really fine goalkeeper and had a great game.

Laurence: Good to get an away win, but if we'd taken our chances, it would have been five or six. Third in the table but can't stop thinking about the draws with Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Falkirk, plus the injury-time goal against Hearts. A win on Wednesday against Rangers will solidify things and we can look upwards with confidence. It's a big game.

Glass half full for winning trio

Dundee United sit fourth after a win over St Mirren even their own fans thought was a bit fortunate.

Jimbo: United were awful again in the first half and were lucky to go in level. The introduction of Amar Fatah gave us pace and directness and, for once, VAR was on our side. Craig Sibbald can't score like that every week, can he?

Gary: [Manager] Jim Goodwin got lucky. United were poor again but that was exacerbated by the wrong formation for an hour. Anytime we got the ball at the back, the midfield were covered and too narrow up front. The enforced change of Luca Stephenson made a significant difference because of the change of shape and personnel. Vicko Sevelj and Iurie Iovu, and even Bert Esselink at times, weren't at the races and St Mirren's goal was pathetic. Yevhen Kucherenko needs to learn how to catch. If you get hit whilst doing that, you'll get a free-kick all day long. We're tired of him costing us needless goals. Good shot stopper, shocking at dealing with crosses.

Dave: I spent most of the match expecting St Mirren to score a second and winning goal, so to snatch three points was massive. It's time to give Dave Richards a run in goal - Kucherenko's a bomb scare on every cross. The team, and the referee, got him out of jail.

Joe: A tough watch again for the most part, but it was all about three points. That said, if we continue to start games as slow as we have done this season then these wins will filter out. Motherwell are a dangerous side and if we give them as much opportunity to get a grip of the game like we did with St Mirren then I fear a negative result on Wednesday.

Ben: We dug in, stayed in the match and capitalised on St Mirren's lack of potency. To be honest, we've more than deserved a win from a game that we probably shouldn't have won. I have to say, the strength in depth we have is brilliant, especially when you consider Ivan Dolcek wasn't used against St Mirren.

For Falkirk fans, it was a case of a glass half full after their win over Dundee took them into sixth place.

Kenny: Thought we were poor first half, lacking cutting edge and trying too hard to walk it into goal. Second half, we were much better and more clinical in both passing and we pressed a lot better. The second goal was an absolute peach.

Nathan: Down a few players going into this one. Step up Connor Allan with a great performance at centre-back and a phenomenal goal to add to that. Overall, a fantastic result for us before Celtic on Wednesday.

Ross: We seem to be something of a second-half team at the moment, which is slightly concerning. However, if our centre-halves can turn into prime Maradona and grab all three points in the end then who cares?!

Allan: Punching above their weight. Hope they can keep it up. [Manager] John McGlynn has done a great job.

Motherwell fans were just relieved to take three points against Livingston to move into seventh place.

Mark: Elijah Just take a bow! What a game from the guy and what a goal. First half of the game was questionable, but the turnaround for the second 45 minutes was outstanding. Dreadful performance from the referee, however.

James: Not our finest performance, but a much needed win. Callum Slattery made a big difference, Just was tremendous.

Ross: Another match, another baffling VAR decision. The operators are determined to ruin the product on display by their inability to implement it correctly. Thankfully, justice was done in the end.

Brian: Not at our best by any means at all but three points at last. Just was immense, not for the first time this season. He took the game by the horns and ran the show.

Grant: Was a tough watch at times but we got the three points. Great to have players back from injury and hopefully we can build on the result with Dundee United in midweek and the cup game on Saturday.

Taylor: First half was the worst I have watched this season and the second half against Falkirk was hard to beat. Livingston will be gutted as they were the better team. Motherwell are playing great football until it reaches the final third, but unfortunately it's results that matter and we haven't had enough wins. Jens Berthel Askou - drop Calum Ward, too many bomb scare moments, and give Aston Oxborough game time in goal.

'Thelin must go' while others bemoan VAR

The pressure is back on Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin

Two defeats after the promise of two wins have Aberdeen pushing again for the departure of manager Jimmy Thelin and chairman Dave Cormack.

George: Let's not beat about the bush any longer. Jimmy Thelin is way out of his depth. He's another manager who has no idea about Scottish football and it's time for him to go. No ifs or buts, the time is now!

Kevin: Absolutely abysmal yet again. I seriously can't understand why any manager with such a poor overall record still has a job? He has spent a good few million and made us worse. I'm beginning to wonder if the players have given up on him as well as an ever-increasing amount of fans have. How long do we continue with this nonsense?

John: Totally clueless and abysmal. Simple as that. These players, while good on paper, are simply not good nor proud enough to wear the shirt. Not good to see anyone lose their job, but enough is enough, Jimmy has to go and go now. Mr Cormack it's your time also to go. You have given it your best shot, but calamity after calamity is enough. The whole board need to leave along with you.

Mark: It's seems so often now that it's one step forward, two back. The team just can't build any real momentum. I haven't seen an Aberdeen side so wasteful in front of goal and so open at the same time. I want Jimmy to succeed, but he looks so deflated as the weeks go on.

Kilmarnock fans are not letting their team, or manager, off the hook, even if Ibrox is usually a difficult place to get a result.

John: Pure shambles in defence again. If we keep playing like we do, will it mean a relegation fight? It looks a possibility. Change is needed.

Alan: It's all coming together now - useless defence, hopeless goalkeeper. Mistakes from last week were probably worse at Ibrox. We must pick up something this week, no question, but defending like last week and Sunday only seems to point to lessons not learned. Hopeless performance from players who are untrustworthy. Sad times.

Gary: Always the same. If a team needs a win, let them play Killie. We need another goalie and fast. After a fairly good start to the season, it's looking like it could be a difficult one.

Crawford: The mistakes we make are unacceptable. Max Stryjek's absence is huge and the slackness in defence is costing us. Stuart Kettlewell needs to get back to winning ways and let the team know that.

Anna: When will Stuart Kettlewell learn that three at the back does not work? That's six goals in two games lost. As for the performance, it wasn't the best. OK, we got it back to 1-1, but in the second half we blew it big time. The lack of striking options on the bench didn't help either. At this rate, we'll be lucky to finish in the top six.

Bill: Two good performances and results against Dundee United and St Mirren have evaporated with two pretty well self-inflicted defeats against Hearts and Rangers. Why? The quality of players we have seem incapable of consistently good performances.

The defeat in Falkirk brought Dundee fans back down to earth after their long-awaited victory over Celtic.

Iain: We need to see out games from winning positions. So frustrating after a momentous win against Celtic last weekend. Horrendous refereeing and VAR decision robbed us of a 2-0 lead and red card for Falkirk. Three hard games ahead against Hearts, Rangers and Hibs. Makes this result all the more galling.

Andy: Credit to Falkirk for turning it around, but that's the second time this season VAR has robbed Dundee of points. What are they looking at for the Ethan Hamilton booking? That's a Dundee penalty all day and a red card! Two up with Falkirk down to 10 men, the three points go up the road to Dens.

Mark: Poor result after going ahead but think we need to keep the faith. We have signed the majority of the squad on long-term contracts, so just avoid relegation this season and build.

Gary: If you don't get the decisions, you've got to make it happen and we didn't do that. VAR failed again, but we didn't get the second we needed, Falkirk did. Poor defending has cost us again. Substitutions weakened us too. There's better options on the bench for that type of game.

Brian: A centre-half walks through numerous Dundee players and scores the winner - shocking. After last week's great result to this loss is night and day. Substitutions again were Dundee's downfall. Yan Dhanda needs to be returned to Hearts. Some of the others on loan need to be returned to their teams as they are awful. Certain new signings are a complete waste of money and worse than the players we lost. Will not get started on the goalkeeper, he is awful.

Ross: What's the point in beating Celtic and drawing with Rangers if we can't turn up to play against the teams we should be competitive against? Relegation looms.

St Mirren fans were left bemoaning shot-shy strikers and what they saw as poor refereeing decisions for their 3-1 loss to Dundee United.

William: Simply not good enough. Can talk about shots on target, but the reality is that our strikers are just not good enough. The manager should have done something about that in the summer, but he failed to do so.

Alan: Once again, we have so much of the ball but fail to take advantage of the situation. But also again just like last week, VAR interferes and comes up with wrong decisions.

William: How could VAR not see that Shamal George picked up on the line, it is not a free kick! This wrong decision changed the game. As for the red card, it was exceptionally harsh. The boss commented on the number of shots at goal and it's obvious we need to do a lot better. This game should have been won and we'd be sitting third top and not third bottom.