Levein admits trying to ‘push Hibs over edge’
CRAIG LEVEIN admits he deliberately set out to antagonise Hibs in the hope his words will push them over the edge tonight. Hearts’ one-goal victory over Neil Lennon’s side in the William Hill Scottish Cup in January led to the Tynecastle boss claiming the ‘natural order’ had been restored in the Edinburgh derby. With the Leith men previously undefeated in nine matches in the fixture, it brought a stinging rebuke from Lennon, who also pointed to his side’s superior position in the league. With the
BELIEVED to have remained dormant for the past 350 million years or so, anyone contemplating a brisk walk up Arthur’s Seat this evening should have no concerns beyond the chilled early spring air.
In Craig Levein’s view, though, any thrill seekers seeking molten hot entertainment need only gaze down from the summit of the capital’s great landmark for their every wish to be granted.
Nine points behind their city rivals, a trip across town for a makeshift Hearts side is just about as precarious as it gets.
If they have something to fear, however, it’s fair to say their manager hides it well.
Completely open about how his remarks over ‘natural order’ being restored at Tynecastle in January were a naked attempt to rile Hibs to the point of distraction, Levein, it’s fair to say, is only too content to fan the flames.
‘You are always just sitting below the volcano exploding,’ he stated. ‘It’s who can control that the best. So I hope they are really uptight about it. That’s the way it goes.’
How he missed lobbing such verbal grenades across the city during his spell as director of football.
There were weeks, many of them under Ian Cathro’s watch, when wild horses wouldn’t have dragged Levein back into the dugout.
But there’s something about these derbies, especially under the lights, which sends the blood coursing around the body. To ask him if he missed being front and centre stage on such occasions is to waste your breath.
‘Yeah, it was hard,’ said Levein. ‘Particularly in this game, to distance yourself from those feelings. It was actually even more frustrating.’
Few can attest to the capital derby’s addictive qualities quite like the 53-year-old.
In 22 such games spanning the ’80s and ’90s, Hearts remarkably remained undefeated. He played in all but one of them. In this context, then, his comments regarding his side’s historical domination of the game stand up to scrutiny.
‘I don’t know if it means more as a player,’ he mused. ‘But as a player you can run and exhaust yourself and get rid of emotions by tiring yourself out. And you have the opportunity to do something in the match.
‘As a manager, it’s more frustrating. Yes, you can do something in the match to affect what happens but it is not the same as directly having an input. But it is the closest you can get to the excitement you get as a player leading up to a game. As a manager, that’s quite similar.’
Yet to take his first meaningful steps in the professional game as Hearts were embarking on that gargantuan unbeaten run, Neil Lennon’s ignorance of it would be entirely understandable.
But Levein knew what he was doing. Asked if he expected such a fallout from such a remark, his grin conveyed more than any words could ever hope to.
‘Of course not,’ he laughed. ‘When Neil says he doesn’t know what it means, I am just trying to explain it to him. For me, in this fixture, it is normal that we come out on top.’
These are the factors which distinguish this match from all the others.
On a humdrum week, no one has the time or the energy for such gamesmanship and mind games. Yet the Hearts manager will gladly make an exception when Hibs are next on the card.
‘I think it’s important for our supporters,’ he explained. ‘This game stands out on the calendar. I don’t think there will be any other fixture that the fans will look at and say: “When are we playing Celtic away?” or “When are we playing St Johnstone at home?”
‘People look for the fixture and plan things round about it because they want to be there. I like it. It’s a good feeling. The whole excitement leading up to it, the pressure on the day. It’s exciting.’
From Hearts’ perspective, it’s also proving to be immensely challenging. With the help of an injection, Christophe Berra should make it. Despite a hamstring niggle, John Souttar has a decent chance.
But with Demetri Mitchell and David Milinkovic out, the visitors’ left-hand side has been decimated.
Accordingly, there is no need for Levein to manufacture a siege mentality. That’s simply the situation his side are in.
‘In the last year, I think we’ve had two snapped Achilles, two cruciates, four meniscus tears and a lateral reconstruction with Rory Currie,’ he grimaced.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it. The medical team are baffled by it, as well.
‘I always look at these things and assume that whoever isn’t available was going to have a bad game anyway.
‘I think: “Oh good, he’s not fit because he was going to be rubbish anyway”. That’s my mindset. Then it doesn’t matter if someone is missing.’
The appetiser to Britain’s ‘rivals’ weekend, Edinburgh’s contribution could be viewed by outsiders as a gentle start to proceedings.
Without any question, many hold the theory that the fact it will take place in the home city of Scottish rugby and in front of less than half the number who’ll cram into Ibrox on Sunday diminishes both the stakes and the passion on both sides. It is one Levein is happy to bulldoze.
‘It’s just more people,’ he said of the Old Firm clash. ‘That’s all it is.
‘When I was up at Dundee (United), it was crazy at derby matches. Here it’s the same. It is just people.
‘The difference with the Old Firm is that the crowd is bigger.
‘You try telling a Dundee United supporter that a Celtic supporter loves his club more. That’s just not true.
‘All that happens is that the Old Firm game is big and attracts more interest but it is the same feelings. This is the same. This derby match means the same.’
It goes without saying, however, that there is as much chance of Rangers being permitted to host Celtic on a Friday night than, well, Arthur’s Seat erupting over the weekend.
For all the parallels Levein makes between the encounters at opposite ends of the M8, the reputation of Edinburgh’s offering is not quite as spicy. Which is not to say it can’t hiss and bite on occasion.
‘I like night-time games,’ he continued. ‘I have always liked them. As a player, I liked playing football under the lights. I felt it was a different atmosphere.
‘Because of the nature of this game, I think it will be even better.’