Derek McInnes came close to admitting it when combing over the debris from an explosive and exhilarating Edinburgh derby, so let’s take things a step further and say what needs to be said.
The Hearts manager pointed out that his side now face a run of league fixtures comprising of Livingston at home, Dundee away and St Mirren back in Gorgie and expressed the hope they ‘can find some winning performances and go again’.
The truth is that nine points out of nine, inside that dressing room, has got to be nailed down as an absolute necessity. No matter what might be said in public.
That would banish the awfulness of their first 60 minutes in the weekend’s 3-2 loss at Easter Road, an outlier in an otherwise excellent campaign, to the mists of time. It would restore confidence in the wake of the alarming malfunctions throughout the team in Leith and the jaw-droppingly dismal defending at all three Hibs goals.
Crucially, when casting an eye to future prospects, it would also mean that, whatever happens with their closest rivals, they will almost certainly still be top of the Premiership table when Celtic come to town for what is shaping up to be another proper barnstormer of a game on January 25.
There’s no question McInnes’ players have the quality to bounce back with three straight victories. Livi and Dundee are bottom-feeders. Plain and simple.
Cammy Devlin celebrates with Lawrence Shankland after pulling another goal back for Hearts
Derek McInnes knows his side have to avoid any slip-ups across their next three fixtures
Kieron Bowie celebrates after putting Hibs three goals to the good shortly after the interval
St Mirren do have the ability to make things fiendishly hard for anyone, but beating them at home is an essential if you do have solid intentions of winning a title.
Again, that’s not something McInnes has quite confessed to, as yet, but he almost did in his post-derby address when stating that his side entered the weekend with big expectations and proclaiming that ‘it’s our intention to go and meet them’.
Hearts have the potential to look considerably different by the time that visit from Celtic rolls round. One test of McInnes’ managerial abilities will be to try to knit new talent into his team — while staying in the winning habit — before that date with destiny at Tynecastle beckons.
Islam Chesnokov is expected to check in from Kazakhstan this week. McInnes has been clear that he believes the 26-year-old will hit the ground running thanks to the levels in his game and the experience he has gleaned from international involvement.
With Chesnokov on the right and Alexandros Kyziridis on the left, where he made such an impression after being repositioned on Saturday, Hearts might well have something *really* special in the final third with captain Lawrence Shankland and Claudio Braga also on call.
A £500,000 deal is also understood to be close with RKC Waalwijk for right-back Jordi Altena. Defensively, that side was a big problem against Hibs. Michael Steinwender was really poor in failing to close down Nicky Cadden and stop his cross for Jamie McGrath to deliver a third-minute opener on the half-volley.
Shankland’s goal after 75 minutes kick-started a brave but ultimately unsuccessful fightback
Where Steinwender was when McGrath then crossed for substitute Josh Campbell, on for the injured Cadden, to make it 2-0 before the break is unknown. Certainly, Oisin McEntee didn’t cover himself in glory on that side of the pitch in being turned inside-out by McGrath.
Hearts need a bona-fide right-back and Altena has been given the green light by Jamestown Analytics’ mysterious mincing machine. With four goals and eight assists for the Dutch second tier side this term, the 22-year-old feels full of potential.
Others are almost certainly on the radar too. And McInnes sounds keen to see things done early in the window.
He made no bones about his disappointment over his side failing to do the basics at Easter Road. Hibs’ third goal, which saw Stuart Findlay smash a clearance off Josh Mulligan and pave the way for Kieron Bowie to score, was a shambles.
That Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin got it back to 3-2 before a incredible reaction save from home keeper Raphael Sallinger — with an outstretched right foot — denied Shankland a leveller in time added on does not hide the fact Hearts were terrible for most of this.
They deserved nothing, really. The only positive is that their late rally showed there really is a never-say-die spirit within the camp and a determination to get results. It has to be married with discipline and efficiency, though.
Scotland hopeful Bowie added another fine strike to his portfolio to the delight of the home fans
As for Hibs, they have a platform upon which to get their own campaign firing. They won’t be title winners, but, in a title race that has many twists and turns in store, they can certainly put a spanner in the works of the main protagonists if they play to their strengths. So can the likes of Motherwell, who almost tripped up Rangers on Saturday and play host to Celtic on Tuesday.
There’s still everything to play for where Hearts are concerned. The many low points from Easter Road need not remain a weight round the neck.
McInnes’ men just need to remember the hopelessness they felt an hour in to what looked like being a humiliation on their city rivals’ manor and make sure there’s no repeat.
They need to make sure that winning becomes a habit again and that they play host to Celtic at the end of next month with a lead, whether on goal difference or not, to defend and a sense of renewed momentum to maintain.
