McGlynn well aware Hearts derby win is all-important

Published on Wednesday 8 August 2012 02:49

Hearts manager John McGlynn reckons he knows just how much victory over Edinburgh rivals Hibernian means to the Gorgie club’s fans.

McGlynn takes charge of his first derby as the permanent Hearts manager but he has been involved in several in the past in differing roles.

The 50-year-old was appointed manager at Tynecastle in June following a successful spell in charge of Raith but had previously spent a decade at Hearts as a coach and acted as caretaker manager on two occasions.

Hearts are unbeaten in their last 11 meetings with Hibs, 
including last season’s 5-1 Scottish Cup final success, and McGlynn told Hearts TV he learnt in that time just how important the derby fixture is to the fans of the club.

“I’ve had many of them 
[Edinburgh derbies] as youth team coach, reserve coach and caretaker,” he said. “I’m no stranger to them and as far as I can remember I have a reasonably good record in most of them. I understand what it means to the fans and we will certainly try to keep our unbeaten run going.”

McGlynn also suggested both sets of players could be feeling the weight of expectation at Easter Road on Sunday, but backed his side to get a positive result.

He said: “Does it put more pressure on Hibs that we have been winning them most of the time or more pressure on us to keep winning them?

“We are full of confidence so we have to make sure we are not complacent in any way, shape or form and that we go down there and are very professional and very determined and that is the way we intend the team to go out and play.”

Hearts go into the derby on the back of a 2-0 opening-day victory over St Johnstone, who finished the game with ten men after Gregory Tade was sent off during the first half.

McGlynn was happy with both the result and the performance and hopes the Hearts fans were equally as satisfied.

He said: “I’m pleased with the amount of chances we created, I think if the fans come to Tynecastle between now and the end of the season and we create that amount of chances, I imagine they will have been entertained.

“It is not the foregone conclusion that everyone would expect that when you play against ten men, you should then go and dominate the game.

“We weathered the storm and when we got back to using the ball simply and keeping the ball and stretching St Johnstone, things opened up and I still believe we were comfortable winners and stats would suggest that.”

Hibernian midfielder Paul Cairney believes the derby is now an even more important fixture following Sunday’s 3-0 defeat at Dundee United.

Cairney, who moved to Easter Road from Partick this summer, played at Tannadice as Pat Fenlon’s side succumbed to a defeat the Hibs manager later admitted was well deserved.

“Sunday was always going to be a massive game but it’s even bigger for us now,” said Cairney. “You don’t want to find yourself being left behind this early in the season so we have to bounce back for the fans and the gaffer.”

Dundee United had secured a hard-fought 2-2 draw in their Europa League qualifying first leg against Dynamo Moscow three days before their SPL curtain-raiser against Hibs.

Cairney felt the extra exertions required from United’s players could have played into the hands of Hibs but that was not to be the case.

He said: “You are always looking to get off to a good start, you don’t want to lose a goal that early. It was a real setback.

“I was delighted to be in the side but it is hard to enjoy a game like that, it was a hard shift in the middle of the park.

“We knew it was going to be a difficult game with a lot of people tipping them to finish second this season. But we thought the fact they were playing in the Europa League the Thursday night before might be a bit of an advantage to us.

“But United appeared to have come out of that game against Dynamo Moscow on a high. They created more chances than us while we were disappointed that we hardly made any.”

Taken from the Scotsman