I watched Hearts vs Rangers: Fans crowning new Gorgie 'Judas' spotted and ace makes one thing abundantly clear
Here are some of the key talking points from Hearts’ home clash with Rangers.
Tired, bruised and running on adrenalin, Hearts showed against Rangers they can roll with the many punches being thrown at them.
The highly-anticipated match-up saw the return of former Jambos boss Derek McInnes to Tynecastle for the first time since joining Rangers before this season began. Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland were missing through injury but following McInnes along the M8 only stoked further flames under this fixture. A loud home support greeted their ex-gaffer but soon Kevin Kelsy’s opener for Rangers brought down the temperature somewhat in proceedings.
Claudio Braga’s leveller after half-time whacked up the heating once more and Calvin Miller had Gorgie sweltering with Hearts’ second, after a siege that flummoxed their opposition. Olwethu Makhanya’s leveller brought a share of the spoils at 2-2 as attentions turn to Hibs at Hampden on Premier Sports Cup semi-final duty. I watched the match from the Tynecastle press box and here are three things I spotted.
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This was the overriding discussion point ahead of this one. There is some irony that the last Rangers meeting here, where the Jambos won 2-1, saw McInnes and co serenaded with dreams of the title abound. He returned as enemy number one, knowingly so, after leaving the club amid the aftermath of glory heartbreak. Colin Chisholm’s Hearts Song rendition the last time this fixture played out in Gorgie ranks amongst the loudest this writer has heard in a football stadium, before Wednesday night, as there are few things quite like a scorned football fan.
Shankland and Devlin’s arrival with the away team sparked a smattering of ferocious booing but the team walk-outs brought a Judas banner aimed at the former. McInnes then felt the brunt of booing and explicit heckling sandwiched between a rousing rendition of the song he once chanted along with. That noise and thunder seemed to have Rangers rattled to some extent but Hearts gifted them a way to quieten restless natives. Braga and Miller responses lifted the roof off the place before a ever-so-slightly more serene end to a dramatic night. Hearts fans made abundantly clear their feelings on the summer exits and it’s fair to say resentment still runs deep. McInnes made clear his love for his time at Hearts again post-match but some apparent tensions with successor Vrancken showed his game-head was firmly on. His side will be one Hearts hope to best like they did last season, when he was their leading man.
Alternate approach
There were square pegs in round holes as a necessity due to the injury situation in defence and midfield. Forward Rogers Mato was again at full-back although Jordi Altena had been restored to his natural right-back position. Perhaps most intriguingly, Calvin Miller was deployed as a number 10, with Vrancken possessing options like Sabri Guendouz for that area.
He opted for the winger with Josh McPake and Sabah Kerjota either side of him. The results were mixed early on, as while it did open up some shooting chances from the edge of Rangers’ box, the ability to drag players into uncomfortable wide positions looked gone. That said, if you give him enough, Miller will eventually score one.
It should also be an end to Braga playing in the number 10 role too after a performance arguably amongst his best as the main man up front. The Portuguese frontman left the likes of Emmanuel Fernandez for dead more than once, proving he is the club’s top marksman, as if there was any doubt. He netted a header against Motherwell and another here should provide his confidence with a sufficient boost. So, it was job done in terms of the goalscorers, but more tinkering will be needed after Mato was the latest to suffer the injury bug. Depth from the bench is beginning to diminish.
Derby ready?
This run of games Hearts find themselves in the midst of was well documented but they now arguably hit their most important of the lot. Hibs have not been in a good way this season and there’s two ways of looking at that from a Hearts perspective. Half empty, it adds pressure to an already charged match, half full and they have a huge chance to lay another heavy blow on their city rivals.
Vrancken’s options in defence and midfield are thin in the ground but in Marink Reedijk’s Hibs they face a side just as banged up, alongside their transition to his style of play coming with teething issues. Despite the issues and midweek schedule Hearts have had to juggle, they will arrive into derby battle as favourites.