Yan Dhanda's bold Hearts statement showed balls but I'm afraid there's a reason Jambos have a ceiling

Yan Dhanda was pretty bold with his statements about going past the Old Firm.

I’m not going to boot a boy for having a bit of confidence and belief. If that’s what he really feels, fair play for coming out and saying so. Too many managers and players trot out the same old dull guff and are almost scared to have a bit of balls.

Dhanda’s declaration that Hearts could go past Celtic and Rangers in the title race was always going to raise eyebrows. Me? Although I admire Dhanda saying it, I don’t think it’s doable due to the budgets here in Scotland. I know all the stuff about Leicester winning the Premier League in England and other incredible upsets, I’m just not sure it can be done in Scotland with the monetary situation which gives the Glasgow clubs such huge advantages. It’s about targets for Hearts this season and, in some respects, they’re in a tricky spot.

So comfortable was third place last season that it’s going to be tough to match points tallies and that sort of thing. To be honest, I actually enjoyed being chased down. Finishing your game, running into the dressing room to find out how Hibs and Aberdeen had done and being buzzing if we won and they dropped points. You’d soar out with the lads on the Saturday night, be flying and rifle into training on the Monday full of it.

Hearts had no-one near them really last season when it came to getting third and, to be honest, it makes it tough to match the efforts if you’re talking about those points tallies and stuff like that. Steven Naismith will have targets. More goals scored, less conceded, more points, all that.

As far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter if you get 69 or 50 points, just be third. That’s the marker and, if you can get closer to the Old Firm,