Hearts and 'Hammer of Hibs' legend adamant Neil Critchley has right 'mannerisms' to win Edinburgh derby bow

John Robertson previews the upcoming Edinburgh derby, on October 24, 2024, in Glasgow | SNS Group

John Robertson insists Hearts boss Neil Critchley has displayed all the right type of attributes to secure an Edinburgh Derby victory at the first time of asking - but the Jambos legend reckons some old-school inspiration could help him a long way in this fixture.

The Englishman is eyeing the perfect start to the Tynecastle tenure by securing a third consecutive win in the space of a week when he takes his side to Easter Road on Sunday and there is no one better placed to advise the new head coach on the importance of the match against Hibs than ‘The Hammer’, Robertson.

Robbo - who scored 27 derby goals throughout the 80s and 90s - likes what he’s heard from Critchley so far, but reckons having someone experienced who knows the magnitude of the fixture and what it means to supporters like new assistant coach Liam Fox in his corner will be “hugely beneficial” for him.

Hearts' Blair Spittal celebrates with teammates after scoring to make it 2-0 during a UEFA Conference League League Phase MD2 against Omonia Nicosia | SNS Group

“Just keep winning!” Robbo replied when asked what advice he would give to Critchley heading into his first Edinburgh Derby. “Like most Hearts fans he's come in and you're looking to see what he's going to do. And what really impressed me was his manner and his calmness. He didn't look too over-excited. He's not come out and said we're going to play like Jürgen Klopp, heavy metal rock.

“Look at Liverpool, the boy Slot's come in. I'm a Liverpool fan. You hear Slot speaking and think OK, he's nice and calm. Not the biggest name, but look what he's done. 11 wins out of 12, unbelievable. Neil’s come in and he's just been very matter-of-fact about it. This is what I'm here to do, I'm here to get results, develop players, take the team forward. I really, really like his mannerisms. I thought he spoke very well last week.

“He's not defined what style of play he wants. And you can't because he might look and think, well I'm going to play this full press or drop off. But he might not have the players to play that. Stendal tried to play the full press and go one for one at the back, but didn't have the players to play it so he struggled.  So what he's done is he's come in very measured, he's come in very calm and he'll take his time now.

“I think Liam Fox will be hugely beneficial for him at the moment. When you come to the derby games, it's different. When I think back to the 80s, Hearts have always prepared completely differently for the derby games than any other match. From the Monday onwards, it's not to do with the training. It's more a mental aspect of the game and a technical aspect of the game. How the game's going to be played, 99% of the time, how it will pan out. But you've got to be prepared to do this, do this and this.

“I remember in the build up, Alex MacDonald would talk about the fans in the street. He talked about the people in the shops, people in the bars and restaurants, how it affects them. How you can't let them down and he had an incredibly successful period at the time in derbies. It was unbelievable.

“So Neil's going to have to try and get that in. Foxy's quite a quiet lad as well, he's very measured, very methodical. He knows his stuff. Neil’s not daft, he'll have managed in derby games and he'll be involved as a coach over the years in derby games. He'll understand what it means, but this will be a big test for him because it's a massive derby.

“I'm not sure it's a Blackpool vs Morecambe or a QPR vs Leyton Orient thing. It's going to be fiery, he's going to be in there at the deep end. But he's got the calmness to be able to deal with it. He’s got to get his players up for it and let them know exactly what it means to the fans - but also keep them calm.”

The majority of Hearts fans were underwhelmed by Critchley’s appointment as Steven Naismith’s replacement earlier this month, but he has managed to record impressive back-to-back victories over St Mirren domestically and Omonia Nicosia in the Europa Conference League in just a couple of days.

WATCH THE LATEST EPISODE OF THE ‘HEARTS DIGEST’ PODCAST PREVIEWING THE EDINBURGH DERBY HERE

However, when it comes to derby day preparation and getting players in the correct mindset, while also ensuring they don’t get too wound up, Robertson revealed “one of the best” individuals at doing so will be watching on from the stands this weekend.

“Gary Locke had the perfect example of it” Robbo stated. “Enough in him to get the players wound up for the derby game, but enough to also say you’ve got to calm yourself a wee bit as well and not get involved. Sometimes that was a classic do as I say, not as I do for Gary! But he talked about it, you’re going to run out there, you’re going to see 4,000, 5,000 Hearts fans in a bank of marron to the right.

“They’ve come down here expecting to win, not hoping to win. Expecting to win. He tried to put that message over to the players, so I think Neil will understand that aspect.”

*John Robertson was a guests on The Warm-Up, the essential William Hill SPFL preview show. Watch the exclusive Edinburgh Derby episode on YouTube.