Derek McInnes won't take 'foolish' Hearts approach in title race as key focus remains amid rising noise

Derek McInnes insists looking any further than what’s in front of Hearts right now would be ‘foolish’ as they enter seven defining Premiership matches.

The Jambos are top of the table by three points and travel to bottom side Livingston this weekend. A win there would take them one step closer to becoming the first side outside of Rangers and Celtic since Aberdeen in 1985 to win the Scottish top flight crown in what would be a historic triumph.

McInnes and co have had an international fortnight to recharge batteries and bring key stars back or close to full fitness ahead of facing the Lions and the six league matches after that, but Hearts still hold longer term objectives. Things like possible targets for the summer transfer window and future proofing certain areas is an ongoing process, not one that necessarily takes place solely in weeks without matches, so McInnes’ main aim is the here and now. Anything over and above that is not something he feels would be wise.

How are Hearts planning for the future?

“I think there's still too many variables for us like it is for a lot of teams,” McInnes told the Evening News. “Very few things are normally resolved in March so nothing really too unusual for us in that sense. We just keep working towards trying to finish the season strong and trying to be successful. There's been so many positives from the campaign already, but the time to really reflect is at the end of the season, not in March to be honest. It's just focusing on the job in hand.

“Obviously, things like forward planning and in terms of squad things, these things are always ongoing anyway, so you can still get on with future proofing and future planning of the squad and things like that and looking at potential targets. In terms of outcomes and all the rest of it, I think it's foolish to look too far ahead, to be honest.”

Two players who return to his ranks boosted by the international break are Islam Chesnokov and Pierre Landry Kabore. Chesnokov has worked his way to full match fitness since finally arriving in Gorgie from FC Tobol in his native Kazakhstan and played at international level for the first time since his move to Edinburgh. He shone across two games against Namibia and Comoros as part of the 2026 FIFA Series and won Player of the Tournament for his efforts during those matches.

Kabore meanwhile netted for Burkina Faso amid a thumping win over Guinea-Bissau as both players head back to Scotland with boosted morale. Chesnokov has scored the winner in a 1-0 victory over Falkirk since signing for Hearts while Kabore has four goals across 21 matches this campaign, and McInnes reckons the attacking duo will benefit from plaudits on the international scene.

What is Derek McInnes’ message on Hearts title bid?

“I haven't spoken to them but they played a couple of friendly games,” said McInnes. “Landry scores in the first game and Islam had an impact in the two games he played. I think it was good for Islam to go home and play in front of his own crowd and things like that. He was looking forward to. As he should do, should any player look forward to going away with internationals whether it's in a qualification group game or a friendly game.

“You're always hopeful that they come back in fine fettle because that's important. Sometimes players can go away with international duty and not be involved or on the back of some poor performances and you need to pick them up again. Obviously these two are coming back certainly in a positive frame of mind and that's great for us because we've got a lot to be getting on with ourselves.”

There is no hiding from where Hearts currently stand at the moment, which is on the precipice of greatness. It’s the best position a club outside of Rangers and Celtic have been in to win a title at this stage of the season for over four decades, and while talk could have been swatted away at the start of this season, everywhere you look now in Scottish football is packed with Jambos chatter. For McInnes, a level of perspective must remain, despite the increase in noise surrounding the club.

He knows how quickly football can change and there will be several twists to come with clashes against both sides of the Old Firm ahead, two battles with fourth-placed Motherwell, and an Edinburgh derby on the horizon too. That’s why he is ingraining an understanding of several points still remaining on the table for Hearts to collect, and they won’t fix something that isn’t broken in search of obtaining them.

“I think it's important to recognise there's still so many points to play for,” added McInnes. “We understand the difficulty of the situation. We understand how difficult it's been to keep ourselves at the top of the league for so long. To be there since September shows how much good work has been done. We understand that just concentrating on performance and trying to win games of football is the most important thing.

“We can't really start doing anything different all of a sudden and start getting distracted about chat and noise and all the rest of it. I think the team have shown great strength of character and a great mentality to deal with so many different outcomes. Whether we've been favourites in games, whether we've not been favourites in games, more often than not we'll come up with the right results and hence that's why we've been at the top of the league for so long. It's the business end of the season. There's still plenty of challenges ahead for us and it's important we just try and meet them head on.”

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