Pressure will be on Hearts in more ways than one

IAN PAUL

15 Sep 1990

PRESSURE will be high all around the country, say the weather folk.

And so it will.

Any day that includes an Old Firm confrontation inevitably brings the blood pressure up several notches, but one which also accommodates a meeting between Hibernian and the city rivals who tried to take them over, Hearts, ensures that the nerve ends will be in severe danger of amputation.

Aberdeen v Dundee United, St Mirren v Motherwell, and St Johnstone v Dunfermline might well all be grand occasions but are merely football matches.

At the other places much growling and scowling will go on before the day's events are drawn to a conclusion.

Much has been made of Hearts chairman Wallace Mercer's decision to give his team's derby a miss, but it seems to me to be absolutely correct, whatever the accusations of body-swerving that are aimed his way.

The sight of Mercer who, in Hibs' fans eyes, attempted to wipe their club from the face of the earth, taking his seat at Easter Road this afternoon would surely have inflamed tempers already short.

It is, after all, the first time the teams have met since Mercer's take-over bid and the bitter recriminations that followed before he was defeated.

Nevertheless, the Hearts leader may reflect that it is a sorry situation when the chairman of a leading professional club has to deem it prudent not to be seen at his team's first important derby match of the season.

He cannot deny that it is a situation engineered, albeit inadvertently, by himself.

There will be enough vitriol poured across the air at the old Edinburgh ground this afternoon without the presence of the 'villain' of the piece who cannot be certain of his popularity with his own supporters, either, after the sacking of manager, Alex MacDonald.

Certainly, in the view of the Hibs manager, Alex Miller, there is a deal more than the normal derby pride to be played for.

"Don't forget, this club tried to put us out of business" he said yesterday, "Any of our players who doesn't have a feeling for the club in these circumstances shouldn't be playing.

This is entirely different from any derby match that has ever been played.

Even so, I am confident that once it starts it will not boil over."

Some of us may be less convinced.

There is a serious danger that matters outwith the playing field will have had such an influence that players will be carried away on a tide of hysteria.

It was sensible, therefore, that the sole football man left in charge of Hearts, Sandy Clark, was offering words of moderation.

Clark, left on his own since the sacking of MacDonald and assistant manager Walter Borthwick and the resignation of reserve coach John Binnie, said: "A football match has nothing to do with chairmen or directors, and if both sets of fans and players handle it properly it should be nothing other than a good football game."

As someone who has seen a fair number of Edinburgh derbies, I have to suggest that a good football game would be quite an innovation for these teams but never would it be more welcome.

Hearts, whose start to the season has not included a league win, will be in the unusual, if not unique, position of having no member of the coaching staff in the dug-out.

Clark is still serving a year's ban from that area that he sustained while manager of Partick Thistle, and will therefore have to converse from the stand via the walkie-talkie with one of his substitutes.

He doesn't know who the two on the bench will be yet, however.

The illness and injury list is so substantial that the caretaker manager has great difficulty in choosing his first selection.

As well as Scott Crabbe, another unnamed player is suffering from food poisoning, while Alan McLaren, Dave McPherson, and Craig Levein all face fitness tests and Derek Ferguson is doubtful after suffering a training injury.

Apart from their already lengthy collection of injuries, Hibs will have to check Joe Tortolano who has an ankle knock.

In light of the tension surrounding the Edinburgh event, it may be that the meeting of Rangers and Celtic could be considered a tete-a-tete between old pals.

Something like a wee night out for Malcolm Rifkind and Michael Forsyth.

At least the Rangers manager, Graeme Souness, believes and hopes the game could be a credit to the Scottish game.

"We all received a boost with the international win in midweek and we hope it will be a game to give another good advert for the game in this country."

Like his rival at Parkhead, Billy McNeill, Souness is revealing virtually nothing about the team he intends fielding.

Added to last week's lot are Mark Walters, Stuart Munro, and John Brown.

McNeill has not even named a squad, preferring to ponder his options awhile yet.

We must remain ignorant, therefore, about the possibilities of returns for Charlie Nicholas, Chris Morris, and Martin Hayes, all of whom were left out in the team's home win over Hibernain last week.

Dariusz Wdowczyk is not ready to be considered but other than that the usual squad is ready.

"We have been concentrating on getting our preparation right and I am confident the players will go to Ibrox with no thoughts that they can't get a good result." said the manager, "I sense they are in the right mood to meet the challenge.

It is important that they tackle the game in a relaxed frame of mind."

Souness made the observation that his side tackled Celtic in the first Old Firm match last season facing the possibility that defeat would leave them six points behind.

Rangers won and ended up clear champions.

Celtic could fall five points behind Rangers this time if they lose and the comparison is not lost on the Ibrox management.

"They will be hungry this time and it is up to us to match that hunger."

The best game of the day could well be at Pittodrie, where Aberdeen will attempt to leap-frog Dundee United at the top of the table by inflicting upon them their first defeat of the season.

The excellent displays of the Pittodrie representatives in the under 21 and full internationals against Romania have done nothing to reduce Aberdeen confidence, although their bank balance has been affected.

Brian Irvine's appearance for the senior national team has resulted in Falkirk, from whom he was transferred, collecting a £30,000 bonus agreed if he should reach that level.

St Mirren have a doubt about striker Gudmundur Torfason for their difficult task against Motherwell at Love Street.

The Fir Park team is in fine form and Saints will need to be at their best to cope.

St Johnstone will test Dunfermline's recent recovery to the full at McDiarmid Park.

Taken from the Herald