Hearts and Hibs get credit for refusing to engage in Celtic-Rangers 'tit for tat'

The sight of a heaving stand full of away supporters makes the Edinburgh derby what you might call a proper derby. It is something Derek McInnes admired from afar, long before he became Hearts head coach in May this year. A disconnect between Celtic and Rangers led to away supporters being banned from derbies in Glasgow, and even the subsequent agreement for a four per cent away allocation hardly does the fixture justice.

That leaves Hibs and Hearts admired for their mutual understanding. Even if some seats are damaged by away supporters at Easter Road or Tynecastle Park, the clubs have an agreement not to punish the other by reducing ticket allocations. The result is an atmosphere which is difficult to better anywhere in Scottish football.

“I credit both clubs for that,” said McInnes ahead of his first derby as a manager in Leith. “We've seen in Glasgow with that tit-for-tat thing, but the fans make these types of games and that's what you want, so it's brilliant that both clubs recognise that. Obviously Hibs are the same when they come to Tynecastle. It'll really add to it. That's what you want. You don't need to dig too deep to get up for this one.

“As a supporter and as an employee of your club, we all know the importance of what it means to have support. It's the same three points as every other three points, but we're well aware of the goodwill and what you get for that, and the kind of kickback you can get from winning a derby game. That's the same worldwide.”

From the moment he set foot inside Tynecastle to take charge of Hearts, the derby’s importance was reinforced by people inside and outside the club. “Aye, there's people who've been here a long time. It's the way it should be,” he commented. “And the new lads that come in are told. Every day there's fans in the street, and when you're meeting them at events, it's like: ‘Just beat Hibs.’ It'll be the same at the other end. It's just the way it is. We've got to appreciate that. We've got to sense that. That's what it means to the supporters.”

Hearts won McInnes’ first derby at Tynecastle in October thanks to Craig Halkett’s 90th-minute winner. Mental preparations play a big part in negotiating the fixture successfully. “I thought long and hard about how my approach would be that week with the players, because you don't want complacency,” recalled McInnes. “You want to make sure they get what it's all about but, at the same time, you don't want to build it up so much that they forget to play and become too emotional - and start to lose the wherewithal and what we want from them in the game. Especially the newer players.

“We made it clear how important it was for everybody else, but I'm not asking the players to be any extra motivated or work any harder just because it's Hibs. That would be an indictment that we don't work harder in other games. Every game we've just tried to treat the same, and we said that. But in the eyes of the supporters, the players will know that this is more than just another game.

“I think you've always got to sense what the supporters want for their team. It's something that we spoke about. They want you to play with intent. You want to play with aggression, a controlled aggression, but you want to make sure that you chase lost causes. You see people working hard. I think we've got that. I'm not asking them to do that just because it's a derby game. I think that's part of what we are.

“I think what the derby game needs is cool heads as well as everything else I've just said. Every game needs that intent and that controlled aggression. You need to play in the gear that you need to play in. You can't work through the gears as the game goes on. You've got to be ready. From the first minute, you've got to be ready to be in the gear that you need to play in. We will be ready.”

Hearts will arrive as Scottish Premiership leaders, 16 points ahead of Hibs, while the home team will sense the chance to dent any title aspirations their rivals may be building. “We're going into the game in a good place. I know the old adage that the form goes out the window in these games. I understand that, but Hibs are a good side,” noted McInnes. “They're a capable team. They've not lost too many games this season. We're in good form.

“When you're driving into a game you're feeling confident. Your players are feeling confident about their work. Once the game starts that really won't count for anything. You've just got to deal with the game. Like I said, although the league table suggests there's a lot between us in terms of points, in the actual game when we went head-to-head with them, there wasn't a lot in it. We've got to be honest with that. We need to be as good as we can be to get a result.”