Will Hibs burst Hearts' bubble?

JIM DUFFY

IT'S NOT very often that the west coast fans and media sit up and take notice of an Edinburgh derby, let alone take a real active interest in one. But that's exactly what is happening in the build-up to this one and I expect most Old Firm fans are hoping it will end in a home win. Not because they are all suddenly Hibs fans but because they know that Hearts need to start dropping points if anyone is going to have a chance of overhauling them.

The fact is, the results Hearts have enjoyed against Rangers and then, more recently, Celtic mean that they can no longer be dismissed. They are genuine title challengers and only the most short-sighted fans of either Old Firm club still believe the bubble will burst.

I know it's stating the obvious but whether or not Hearts can become the first team outwith the 'Big Two' to win the Premierleague in two decades, only time will tell, but on the evidence of everything we have seen this far, anyone who thinks they won't last the distance and at least still be there or thereabouts in the final few weeks is surely just deluding themselves.

Overcoming Hibs on their own patch will be further proof and I think that's exactly what will happen.

I have seen quite a bit of Hibs in recent weeks and anyone who has heard me on the radio will know I am a big fan of the team and the football they play. I love the fact they are so attacking and imaginative, but while that may be a thorn in the side of many other SPL rivals, the fact is Hearts are very strong defensively. In fact, I think they have the best defensive unit in the division, and that includes Celtic and Rangers.

The telling factor, though, is probably going to be at the other end. While Hibs have some wonderfully-creative players in attack and an excellent midfield, with the likes of Guillaume Beuzelin and one of the best young players in the country, Kevin Thomson, who has been exceptional, they don't have a naturally-defensive player in that area and the backline is very young and hamstrung further by injuries to the likes of Gary Smith and Steven Whittaker. It leaves Tony Mowbray with fewer options than he would like and that may be a problem against the likes of Edgaras Jankauskas and Roman Bednar, if he is fit again. They are very good strikers and they get tremendous support from the likes of Paul Hartley and Rudi Skacel who have the luxury of breaking forward knowing that Julien Brellier is playing a deeper role.

The Hearts strike force also has a greater physical presence which will be hard for the young Hibs defence to compete with but I do think the team as a whole will be far more competitive than they were in the first derby meeting of the season, when Hearts ran away with things, winning 4-0.

Hibs will be determined to redress the balance and they have skill and talent but they also have a pretty nice incentive in the shape of Hearts' unbeaten run. I know they have the midweek game against Kilmarnock to navigate their way through but if they can get at least a draw in that, then the game in Leith on Saturday is going to have an extra edge.

Hearts will know that their city rivals will be hell bent on doing what every other team in the division has failed to do on league duty this term - and that's beat them. Hibs would love to be the ones to halt that run. That thought will appall the Hearts-minded. The players and the management are realistic enough to know that a defeat will come eventually, but they will be determined it doesn't come at Easter Road, the ground of their derby opponents.

But although there is so much at stake (when is that not the case in any derby, anywhere in the world), I still think there will be a lot of football played. Both teams like to get the ball on the deck and play through the midfield and that makes it entertaining football to watch. And the great thing about both sets of players is that they look fearless these days and play their football looking relaxed, with great self-belief and flair.

Neither is just grinding out results week after week, although both have shown tremendous bottle and the ability to battle and scrap for points, the fact that they have not been relying on victory by an odd goal or scraping 1-0 wins or low-scoring draws suggests there will be goals and it also underlines the right of both sides to be sitting where they are, at the hilt of the table, giving the Old Firm a decent run for their money.

Whatever happens, both teams can be rightfully proud of their season thus far. Maybe that's it, maybe it would be better if it was a draw. A defeat in a game that matters this much would be a poor reward for the start these teams have made to the campaign. They have forced everyone to sit up and take notice, they have made sure Edinburgh football is a talking point and they have done that by entertaining as well as accumulating points.

They have given Scottish football a shot in the arm and that's why this is such a compelling derby even for fans of other teams. On Saturday, they will not be playing purely for bragging rights. Their aims are so much bigger than that this term and those impact on everyone else, including the Old Firm. That's why, for once, even west coast football fans will be taking an interest in the outcome.

Taken from the Scotsman