CELTIC WILL BE LATE BLOOMER

BRENDAN RODGERS reckons Hearts ARE title contenders but vowed Celtic will improve.

- BY RYAN MCDONALD

MONEYMAN Tony Bloom

The Hoops are preparing for a mouthwatering trip to Tynecastle on Sunday as the unbeaten Jambos look to soar a whopping eight points clear of the champions.

Rodgers admits that Derek McInnes’ pacesetters have made a flying start - winning seven of their eight league matches - and reckons they could last the pace.

But after bouncing back from their Dens Park disaster with a 2-1 win over Sturm Graz, Rodgers expects his troops to finally click into gear in their quest for five-in-a-row.

The Celtic boss said: “Well, I think in Derek they've got a good manager who knows what he wants from his teams.

“He knows Hearts is a big club, he’s aware they've got good players. They've made a really, really good start.

“It’s still very early. I would expect us to get better as we've been inconsistent so far.

“Our goals and all that side of it hasn't been where wed want it to be. But you saw on Thursday night that if we can reach these levels against good sides, then we'll do far better.