Levein spells out the task in capital letters

For three years they’ve been top dogs. Now Hearts have to chase city rivals

MOIRA GORDON

CRAIG LEVEIN is turning into a major thrill-seeker. Like a guy who gets hooked on gambling when it’s only matchsticks at stake but eventually needs the adrenaline rush of knowing his life-savings are in the pot, the Hearts manager wants the Edinburgh derbies to count for more than just bragging rights.

As a player and manager on the Gorgie side of the city, he has long known the importance of the footballing face-off with capital rivals Hibs. A game all involved in recognise as a must-win or, at the very least, must-not-lose encounter, it was Levein who celebrated this season’s Festival Cup friendly win by reminding the assembled media that having lost the unheralded East of Scotland Shield kick-about to Hibs, another defeat would have been unthinkable. But few outwith the most ardent capital fans would ever care about either competition.

Even Premierleague matches between the two teams have mattered little to those without allegiance to either club. While the exhilarating performances and unpredictable outcomes have rendered the city joust captivating entertainment in recent years, the fact that nothing but pride has been on the line has continued to undermine their importance. Levein wants that to change. And today he gets his wish.

A team who have finished ahead of their primary opponents for the past three years, Hearts head into today’s match in arrears. The Tynecastle side occupy sixth spot, three points and two places behind Tony Mowbray’s charges, with both clubs embroiled in the current five-way battle for third place.

It’s a scenario that renders a win more important to Hearts than Hibs, and while that’s a situation Levein and his players are unaccustomed to, the manager believes it could actually be to their advantage, following the exertions in Rotterdam on Thursday night.

"I think this is probably a good match to go into but you never really know, do you? I do know that the last couple of times we’ve come back from European games we’ve not done particularly well in the league and I’m hoping the fact this is a derby will help focus our minds more. We’ve not played terribly badly but we’ve not played as well as I would have wanted, and the more often that happens the more aware you become."

And another stumble against not only their derby rivals but also one of their rivals in the quest for a UEFA Cup place next season would be costly. Looking at statistics, Hearts should not lose. Having steadfastly worked on his defence, Levein has succeeded in turning Tynecastle into the kind of indomitable fortress where teams travel more in hope than expectation. In his first full season in charge, Hearts lost eight league games at home, the following year they halved that to four, and last season it was sliced yet again to a miserly two home defeats throughout the entire campaign.

This term they are nurturing an unbeaten home record in the league. On top of that they have yet to lose a derby match at Tynecastle since Levein’s arrival in December 2000. In fact, since Levein took the reins his men have lost only two of the 11 competitive derby fixtures. As for Hibs, unbeaten in eight games, all that will count for today is a greater sense of self-belief as they walk out the tunnel.

"I think it’s great there is something for both teams to play for. Ask the supporters, even the ones who were with us in Holland, which game was more important to them and I think most of them would say the derby - every one is important. We wanted to win the last one, we want to win this one and I’ll tell you now, we’ll want to win the next one.

"I know the supporters think it’s great to be involved in Europe but, ideally, from my point of view, the big matches every season would be derbies where the result decided who would qualify for Europe the following season. Those would be huge games, and for Hearts and Hibs fans I don’t think you could get much bigger than that."

While some of the more myopic Hearts fans may not echo his views, even reaching the split with both teams in the top half of the draw would be an improvement as far as Levein is concerned. "That would mean we would definitely get to play the four derbies. I’d love to see two strong Edinburgh teams fighting it out at the top end of the league. I think it would benefit both teams and make these games even more exciting, if that’s possible."

Having had Hibs watched three times this season, Levein is aware of the threat posed by Mowbray and his players today. "They have a different style, with a lot of passing and creativity. They like to push forward and as well as picking up points, the team seem to be enjoying themselves and growing in confidence, and the fans seem to like what they are seeing."

With Hibs on fire, Hearts will need to rediscover their defensive form. The loss of six goals in two games is a Hearts rarity, but equally as rare for the Gorgie side are back-to-back games with teams of the calibre of Celtic and Feyenoord. "Defensively we had been doing well until the Celtic game and I’ve been happy with the way the midfield has been performing but we have struggled up front," said the Hearts manager. "But there is a valid reason for that and it’s more to do with injuries than anything else."

Main striker and the club’s top goalscorer for the past two seasons, Mark De Vries was flown home prior to Thursday’s game to receive more antibiotic treatment on his poisoned toe. In hospital until yesterday, he is unlikely to play but Levein was giving him as much time as possible.

"To be honest, it’s unlikely and the concern now is that it develops into something more than a poisoned toe, like blood poisoning, but Phil Stamp [who missed the Feyenoord game due to sickness] says he is feeling better and we’re hoping it will be the same for Robbie Neilson and Paddy Kisnorbo, who were the others who were feeling sick." But Graham Weir, Kevin McKenna and Dennis Wyness came through the UEFA Cup match unscathed, offering their boss striking options for the first time this term.

"Weir and McKenna still aren’t 100% fit but they are available for selection and that’s a start because from my point of view we want to pick up some points. We’re about three or four points down on what I considered a realistic target for this stage of the season but I know there are mitigating circumstances and I’m confident we can start moving back up the table again once we get everyone back. And this would be the ideal game to start a good run.

"At the moment it is hectic and we are having to play a lot of games but it’s the kind of games we all want to be involved in so we shouldn’t have any problems focusing. There hasn’t been much time to prepare but everyone knows what they are doing and this is a derby so I don’t expect to get anything less than 100%."

A win could see them leapfrog Hibs, while a draw would keep them within striking distance. A defeat for Hearts though would see the deficit stretch to six points. That, added to the unbeaten records which are on the line and the obligatory bragging rights, makes for a pretty sizeable pot. It’s the big stakes Levein craves. The cards have been dealt and the adrenaline is pumping, now he just needs to hope his players don’t fold.

Taken from the Scotsman