Moira Gordon: Strength alone won't ensure a derby win

Published on Friday 1 April 2011 20:04

Hibs v Hearts Today, Sky Sports 4, Kick-off 12.45pm

It has long since served as a derby day irritant to Jambos. The notion that Hibs are Edinburgh's flair side while their Tynecastle rivals place a greater dependancy on physicality is one which irked Hearts and their fans even before John Collins compounded matters with his pub team jibe back in 2007.

The side with the better derby record, Hearts have used whatever means necessary to win the head-to-heads, sometimes out-muscling their opponents, sometimes out-playing them but more often than not, they have succeeded by combining both traits, according to Gorgie boss Jim Jefferies, who says it is now up to Hibs to prove they can do the same.

The capital sides meet up this afternoon with Hearts going for their fifth successive derby win. With two draws preceding that run, Hibs have not beaten their main rivals in almost two years. Defying popular perception, the only department where the Leith side enjoy the upper hand in these meetings is the crime count, with Hibs' red cards outnumbering Hearts' in the past five seasons. Jefferies is unbeaten in derbies in his second stint as manager and, while the Easter Road men mustered some aggression in the last two encounters, they failed to channel it correctly. That influenced Hibs boss Colin Calderwood's January recruitment drive and he has now added some muscle to the mix. But size isn't everything and stature is as much a confidence thing as a physical characteristic.

In Calderwood's first game in charge Derek Riordan was red-carded for a reckless challenge on Rudi Skacel. Ian Murray may have temporarily floored Ian Black in the New Year showdown but it was the diehard Jambo who ultimately left his opponents on the canvas, as he focused his desire for revenge on a winning performance. The midfielder's feistiness, movement and passing ability meant that despite his diminutive frame, he was impervious to strong-arm tactics. Tynecastle is no longer a land of giants thanks to players such as Black and Hearts can also point to David Templeton, Andy Driver and Suso Santana as players considered more tricksters than terminators.

Overall, it has been Hearts who have shown the greater steel when it mattered and the superior skill as a team, taking both the points and the plaudits. At New Year it was the strapping figure of 6ft 2in Kevin Kyle who nabbed the winner but Hearts were far from one dimensional that day, a fact rammed home by Jefferies in this week's build up.

He said: "We have not just won games on physical presence. You still have to play. We had a physical presence in the last game which I felt Hibs matched and they almost stole it when (Colin] Nish was through but that would have been harsh because they didn't play that day. The greater threat came from Hearts and they did fantastic to keep us out and it nearly paid off for them and they nearly got a point and they would have probably been delighted with that but then big Kevin came up. In fact we missed a sitter just prior to that from Gary Glen but they competed very well against us."

Since then Calderwood has added more bulk and height to his squad and is determined not to be out-fought or out-muscled this time.

But Jefferies said, pointedly: "Maybe this time they can handle that side of things even better because of the players they have brought in but they still need to play.

"We played that day [at New Year]. If it came down to just a physical battle then we came out on top because we had that in our players and maybe they were a bit more lightweight and a bit more tippy-tappy, which sometimes isn't enough in derbies. It's about getting the mix right between playing and making sure you have the physical strength to compete as well. I think all the lads Colin has brought in seem to have that [physical strength] but, whether they can play as well - we'll see about that."

The quality of football produced by Hearts in the past few fixtures has not lived up to the standards they set earlier in the campaign as they chalked up a sizeable and most probably unassailable gap between themselves and the other contenders for third place but the battling qualities were evident again in their last outing.

With the effect of injuries and suspensions, affecting them, Hearts could have been out of things against St Mirren but fought back from behind twice to eventually get the three points. "It should have been all over by half-time," admitted Jefferies, "but we put in a really good second-half performance. That was a good sign for me. Playing that badly, you get back to 1-1 and then lose another goal, it would have been easy for them to say ‘oh no, not again' but we got back in it and then we kept going and got the winner. I look at that as maybe a wee turning point."

Hearts are without long-term injury victims Lee Wallace and Calum Elliot, Eggert Jonsson and Adrian Mrowiec are suspended, and Suso and Kevin Kyle are doubtful.

There is a temptation to find a place in the squad for top scorer Kyle following his return to first-team training late this week as Jefferies ponders his selection.

Other players have heavy legs following international duty or niggling injuries but there will be no excuses in the Hearts camp.

Hibs will need to outdo their rivals' proven physical prowess if they want the bragging rights for a change and an opportunity to keep their dream of a top-six finish alive.

Booth

Palsson