Exclusive:Hearts pre-season plans confirmed as management issue a message to fans
Premiership title race is the priority but club must look ahead
Hearts have confirmed plans for a pre-season training camp in Spain to prepare for European ties this summer. Players, coaches and staff will head to a base near Alicante for a week ahead of possible Champions League qualifying ties should they finish this season as Premiership champions.
“We are going out to Spain. We will have five or six days here and then we go on 29 June for seven days,” Derek McInnes, the Hearts head coach, told the Edinburgh News. The Gorgie club are three points clear of Celtic and four ahead of Rangers at the top of the league with four fixtures remaining. Some of their pre-season schedule will depend on where they finish in the table and what European commitments they have, but the Spanish camp is now booked.
The club will look into possibly arranging friendly matches during the trip, but all focus right now is on pushing for their first Scottish league title in 66 years. Rangers visit Tynecastle Park on Monday for a potentially-pivotal match in the race to be crowned champions. McInnes has a message for supporters feeling nervous ahead of the season’s climax as he encouraged them to think positively.
“As a manager, I know how responsible you are for different areas of the club,” he said. “My biggest responsiblity is to try and get the first team to win. I’m well aware of the weight of responsibility on us. Every game becomes more and more vital in the supporters’ eyes. A lot of supporters, similar to a lot of people in Scotland, thought that we might not be able to sustain this and keep it going. I think that’s understandable.
“Now, I don’t think there will be a supporter out there who doesn’t think we can win it. All supporters will actually brace themselves for disappointment sometimes, whether it’s Hearts or other clubs. I don’t want that. I want us to try to be positive. Hopefully, we can reflect together on a magnificent campaign come the end of the season.
“Of course there are nerves, but there is also excitement and pride at where we are. I’ve got to think a bit more clinically but emotion is such a big part of football. I would never try to take that away from anybody because you need to play with that emotion. You also need to be laser-focused and calm with the job at hand. That’s our job as coaches and players.
“You speak to players individually but there is a recurring message before every game about backing ourselves and being confident with our work. I’ve always felt it’s our job to get a player physically right for games, so that they know on a Saturday they can deal with the game. Mentally, the must also be right and in a good place themselves. Then, tactically, we need to be right.
“If a player goes onto the pitch knowing they’ve had a good week’s work and they feel good about themselves with clear instructions, that clarity of message is important. A lot of the other stuff that is said about games isn’t really that important, although it’s understandable. What is important is concentrating on your individual performance.”