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Great to see Hearts really taking it to the Old Firm in this seasons SPL. It’s what the league’s been crying out for for years. The way they ripped into Rangers last Saturday was impressive and it will be interesting to see how they go against Celtic in the coming weeks. Even if they don’t last the distance (which I think they won’t) at least the top-end of the SPL’s going to be far more interesting than the English Premiership this season.

And with the debate still raging over a foreigner being in charge of England, and about whether British managers are still any good, it’s refreshing to look north of the border and see what some homegrown bosses are doing there.

In the Scot’s corner we have George Burley who deserves a medal already for the way he’s transformed Hearts into title challengers in such a short space of time. Then there’s Gordon Strachan who, despite sending Celtic crashing out of Europe in his first game, has got them back on the straight and narrow and made some inspired signings in the shape of Nakamura and Borac in particular. And of course there’s Alex McCleish at Rangers with two titles to his name and a Champions League campaign to look forward to.

Representing the English corner there’s Terry Butcher who’s done wonders riding Motherwell through administration and it’s a surprise, given his credentials as both a player and a manager, that a bigger club in Britain hasn’t come knocking.  And then there’s Tony Mowbray who, last season, his first in management, booked Hibs a place in Europe and is slowly building a young side to be reckoned with. No wonder he has Premiership sides sniffing around him.

The EPL might have gone a bit stale this season but the SPL’s making it up for it with great managers, promising young players and an exciting, unpredictable title-race. It’s long overdue.