As we’ve been discussing here for most of the week, tomorrow’s Edinburgh derby at Easter Road is one of the toughest to call in quite a few years.
Both Hearts and Hibs have endured up-and-down starts to the season, with their form ranging from quite impressive to downright awful.
I can’t really comment on the sort of football that Hibs have been playing this season as I’ve hardly seen them, but our own team have worryingly gone off the boil in recent weeks, both in terms of their results and performances.
Despite looking slightly toothless in the final third of the field all season due to the well-publicised striking problems at the club, Hearts were playing good football in the early stages of Csaba Laszlo’s reign as manager, with players like Michael Stewart and Andy Driver looking as though they could really come on leaps and bounds if they could keep it up.
For me Stewart remains key to how Hearts function as a team, particularly in an attacking sense. Perhaps in a similar way to Gary Mackay during his playing days, it does seem as though when Stewart plays well so do Hearts, and it was little coincidence that when Kilmarnock were able to bully him out of the game in the recent match at Tynecastle, the Rugby Park side were able to become the first visitors of the season to record a victory there.
Hearts fans will be hoping that Stewart’s slight dip in form is temporary, as last season he also started the campaign well before flagging badly to the point where most fans would happily have driven him back down to Easter Road in the summer!
For Hearts to truly flourish though, they need two things: 1) a positive result in the derby, which will give them some fresh impetus and perhaps a nice little jolt of confidence that can have them playing above themselves until the January transfer window is upon us, where they can hopefully acquire 2) a quality defensive midfield player who can help to protect the likes of Stewart in the centre of the park. This latter point is absolutely critical if they want to achieve anything this season.
Sunday could well see the return of long-time injury victim Bruno Aguiar, who is rumoured to be earmarked for a starting slot in the side. Quite where he’ll be deployed is anyone’s guess of course, but if Hearts continue to play the 4-4-1-1 that they’ve tended to adopt for most of the season, he’ll either be in the centre of midfield or just in front. It’s difficult to tell really as I’d say he’s got some similarities to Stewart – hopefully it will be the case that they can still play in the same side to good effect though.
Andy Driver could also return for the derby which would be a welcome boost. He’s perhaps not the greatest player we’ve ever had, but he gives Hearts some much-needed pace and width when he plays – without that they can be extremely one-paced, with the Killie game being a good case in point there. Driver also has a decent eye for goal.
As for up front, again it’s a tough call as to who’ll actually get the nod there. Most fans think it’s about time that Jamie Mole was dropped, but perhaps Csaba will see this as the perfect opportunity for him to make a name for himself with the fans – and I suppose he’d have a point there, even if I don’t really believe in the preferential treatment that players can achieve above their stations simply because they score in a derby.
New signing Mike Tullberg is at the time of writing being rumoured to be struggling for fitness, so it could be one or two up there from Mole, Nade and Ksanavicius. Out of those I’d definitely go with Nade, because even if he isn’t the fittest, at least he has something about him that can give the opposition something to think about. The other two have been largely ineffectual this season, especially given the amount of time that they’ve been afforded to prove themselves.
Can Hearts win? Of course they can, but equally they could get a doing if things don’t start particularly well. Derek Riordan has always been a thorn in our side in this fixture and he’s reportedly been looking good since his return to Easter Road. Therefore someone is going to have to keep a watchful eye on him all afternoon to make sure that the door is kept firmly shut at the back.
Whatever happens, it’s bound to be another frantic 90 minutes of Edinburgh derby action………time will tell if it’s Hearts’ fans who’ll be doing the smiling afterwards….
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I can predict Stewart will have a difficult game actually – you’re spot on when you say that when he plays well, Hearts play well. Trouble is, other teams have noticed that too – which is why he’s been kept very quiet in the last two games (which we were beaten in!). Reading some of Mr Potatohead’s comments today, it seems he’s figured it out too. Aguiar (if he plays) may well then turn out to be the ace in the hole for us. Mole needs to be dropped, and Tullberg needs to score, so I can therefore see them both playing a part tomorrow… hopefully to get a goal or three to make them into heroes. It’s going to be fun…
Apparently the team has been announced…no Tullberg, Mole on his own in attack with Aguiar just behind….hmm….PS spot on with the Mr Potato Head comparison – that guy’s weight’s spiralled well out of control lately!
Mole up front on his own.. Hmmm I suspect no goals for hearts will be the outcome here… I am thoroughly disappointed.
…and that’s before the match even starts!
True. I have a feeling Riordan is going to score too. It just seems to make sense he will. On the transfer front in January I think we can look forward to no activity and if any it will be Kaunas players. I honestly have serious misgivings about this season. The team is average at best and is unlikely to be strengthened due to the huge debt.
Oh no not Mole upfront! I might be wrong, but this could be an Elliot in the making. He does work hard but the whole point is that he is suppose to score and he isn’t, which will play havoc with his confidence, mixed in with heavy dose of pressure of being first choice. Although, it would be interesting to see if Aguiar could be the backup that is needed. I hope Driver can put in a shift, but we’ll have to see about that. I do think that Riodran will score, but so will we, hopefully… I think Csaba was right in his death rant, they need to keep level headed, not start kicking long balls or wrestling their oponents (see if Stewart can keep his cool?!:) ) and if they do (keep cool) we might have a chance to get this. Fingers crossed!
I said it before, let the Finn play the last 20 min and see if he cannot make a difference…
By the way, Dalien I hope you’re wrong, I do not need another year like last year… it’s not good for my lines!
Also, is anyone else baffled by the Hearts website inability to change last year?s ‘dugout’ page? I do think it is time for an update; there is nothing about the (Romanov) Frail era worth remembering, quite the opposite. Hope these kinds of mishaps aren?t pointing towards other oversights… like lack of goal scorers…
I hope I’m wrong too sir!
Hope that’s a prophetic slip – ScandinavianJambo isn’t a “sir”… 🙂
can’t imagine THAT comment from Dalien would be good for the lady’s lines either, particularly those on the forehead!
Indeed one isn’t getting any younger :)!
For some reason I read it as the other SJ… That’ll teach me to read things properly… Sorry other SJ…
Great game for the neutral today and Nade could have finished it foir you at the end but all in all a great advert for Scottish football. I thought Driver was good as I usually do !
Brilliant game – best in years.
Aye… a real humdinger, and if Bruno and Driver continue to play like that, and Nade finally remembers where he put those goalscoring boots, we’ll be ‘reet (as they say down here).