Wouter Vrancken senses what Hearts must conqueror at Stenhousemuir in 'dangerous' Premier Sports Cup tie
The Hearts boss has been looking ahead to Friday’s cup tie with Stenhousemuir.
Wouter Vrancken insists his Hearts side must conquer any excuses put before them in their Premier Sports Cup quarter-final with Stenhousemuir.
The Belgian head coach is aiming to take the Jambos to Hampden by defeating the Championship table-toppers on Friday night at Ochilview. It will be no easy task against Marvin Bartley’s undefeated side, who play on a plastic pitch that fellow top-flight Motherwell struggled to deal with in the last 16s. There will be no alibi for shifting blame elsewhere for Hearts away to part-time opposition and they enter the game as favourites.
With Rangers and Celtic facing off on Sunday and no teams currently in the Premiership’s top six still in the competition, the draw has opened up for Hearts as they plot a first triumph in this competition since the 62/63 season, well over 60 years ago. In an old-school setting under the lights against an in-form foe, Vrancken will not underestimate Stenhousemuir, and is well aware of the perils such matches can bring.
Wouter Vrancken on Hearts vs Stenhousemuir
“I think for a reason they are top of the league, there is a reason for this,” explained Vrancken. “It's not just falling out of the air. It's not just luck. It's because they do good things and they're playing with a lot of energy. And in their organisation also, they're really stable.
“I think their organisation-wise, and the way they want to press and put their block and these moments, they're for sure maybe better than some Premiership teams. So they have a lot of quality there and they show a lot of team effort there. We know their strengths and their weaknesses. So it's all about their putting it on the pitch and showing that we can cope with this and that we can put our own game into place and try to go to the next round.
“I saw the stadium and stuff. You have to tell them and show them the circumstances, that's for sure, but I always tell them that it's no excuse. Or I expect for the players that it's all about preparation, mentally, physically, technically. It's all about preparation.
“So you have to prepare yourself, that you're there full with the energy, like normal, and you can live from excuses, or you challenge them and conquer them. So I don't want to hear them or myself making this as an excuse. It's always dangerous, such a game.”
With such a lengthy wait between this season and Hearts’ last League Cup triumph, Vrancken is keen for glory, but so much needs to happen for that to become reality. He leans on a saying from his native Belgium to explain his thinking.
How will Hearts approach match vs Stenhousemuir?
“It would mean a lot, of course,” said the head coach on taking Hearts to Hampden. “In a competition like a cup, then you always want to try to get as far as possible. And when you can play in the national stadium, it's always a good experience and something to look forward to. But I don't look forward like this too fast.
“In Belgium, we say when you look too far ahead, then you stumble on the things in front of your feet. It can be like a little stone or just a carpet you can stumble on. But when you look in front of your feet and you step over the stone, you step on the carpet like this and you keep stepping and you get over those little things, then you will get where you have to be. So I'm more like this kind of person.”
There will be an all or nothing feel to the game that could go the distance to extra-time or penalties. Motherwell found out the hard way what going 120 minutes is like against Stenhousemuir upon their elimination after an additional half-hour. Sticking to the game plan will be key for Hearts according to the head coach.
“It's all about how you start the game, how you handle the game, how you cope with the pressure or block, what they do, what solutions we take to keep the ball or to try to get our own moments,” added Vrancken. “When the quality is there, then it makes it easier. When you go too much in their game, then you make it difficult for yourself. It's a balance. Like we discussed now before training, when you go and do other things and try to have too many touches or too much through the centre, for example, then you can make it a difficult game.”
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