Hearts 'can win title but not getting carried away'

Heart of Midlothian can win the Scottish title but are determined to "not get carried away" with leading the table so early in the season, outgoing chair Ann Budge has suggested.

Brendan Rodgers resigned as Celtic manager 24 hours after a 3-1 defeat by the Edinburgh side extended the gap at the top to eight points after nine games.

But Budge doubts such a "big decision" by the reigning champions "was made on the basis of Hearts winning on Sunday".

She told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "Everyone is becoming more confident as time goes on. But, as you would expect, we are all saying let's keep calm, let's not get carried away. It is too early in the season."

Hearts' received a £10m boost to their finances this summer as Tony Bloom took a 29% stake in the club and the Brighton owner has been more bullish about their chances of challenging Scotland's Old Firm dominance.

"Tony is the one who has this huge ambition and he's the one who can come out and say these things," Budge said.

"Me, I want to go for continuous improvement. Do I think they can do it? Actually, I do, but there are so many external factors that you can't control.

"Celtic, Rangers and a lot of other clubs will be out to make it hard for us."

Rangers, who are 13 points behind, had already replaced Russell Martin with Danny Rohl as head coach and now Celtic have reinstated treble-winning manager Michael O'Neill as interim boss.

Asked if Hearts' success led to Rodgers' exit, Budge replied: "I am sure there are many things going on in the background that only the people at Celtic will understand and will know.

"The fact we've had such a fantastic start has presumably added a bit of pressure, but at the end of the day I'm sure this is a big decision and I doubt it was made on the basis of Hearts winning on Sunday."

Budge's 2014 investment is credited with saving Hearts from financial ruin, but she announced this summer that she would be standing down as chair this December.

"I'm in two minds, but the decision's been made and I'm getting my head around it," she admitted.

"It was a big decision, but the reality is none of us are getting any younger and it is about succession planning and making sure the club is as strong as we can be."

After having got "the Tony Bloom deal over the line", Budge thought "it is a good time" to pass on the reigns.

She thought the deal was "crucial" to their current success, but although the businessman's investment was also "very exciting", she believes it was access to Jamestown Analytics, his football scouting system, that "has been the real game changer".

Hearts brought in Derek McInnes from Premiership rivals Kilmarnock this summer as head coach and Budge added: "It must be difficult for experienced managers to effectively become a bit reliant on analytics. But it is a matter of both - we need his experience.

"But he has been amazing. He has bought into the whole concept brilliantly and he is reaping some of the rewards."