Hearts must handle high expectation, says Levein
EVERY new arrival at Hearts is given a tour of Tynecastle and a stark warning about the demands that come with pulling on the club’s famous maroon jersey.
‘We tell them: “It may be quiet just now but it’s fantastic when we are doing well. But at other times you need big b***s to play here”,’ says manager Craig Levein.
If Levein’s summer recruits did not get that message immediately, it will have been rammed home by Saturday evening.
Despite remaining unbeaten and five points clear at the top of the Premiership, boos rang out at the end of a 0-0 draw at home to newly-promoted — but high-flying — Livingston last Saturday.
When Levein poked his head into the dressing room afterwards, he admits he saw ‘an altercation’ taking place among his players.
To the Hearts boss, that suggests he has a group who are up to the task of shouldering the burden at a club where he feels the demands are comparable to those at Celtic and Rangers.
‘Was I disappointed by the reaction at full-time on Saturday? Listen, I’ve been here a long, long time and I know what happens when you do not win at Tynecastle,’ said Levein.
‘It (the booing) is a measure of the expectation levels of the fans and at this club.
‘I’ve heard people in the past talk about the Old Firm and players being able to handle the pressure there, but it’s a similar type of thing here.
‘After the match, I opened the door to the changing room and there was a little bit of an altercation going on, so I just shut the door and left them to it.
‘There were a few people having a go at each other. It was just frustration — and the fans shared that frustration about not getting a result.
‘In almost every game this season, we’ve managed to get in front and that makes the opposition do something different.
‘I thought we were particularly wasteful, but Livingston defended really well and I have to give credit to them for that.’
Should Levein’s side beat Motherwell in tonight’s Betfred Cup quarter-final at Tynecastle, it would be something to cheer even the hardest-to-please Hearts fan.
It would be the club’s first semi-final since they lost to Inverness Caley Thistle on penalties at Easter Road in the League Cup in 2014.
Levein said: ‘It’s been a while since the club’s last semi-final.
‘But we are playing well, we are competitive, we have home advantage and the carrot is big. We will be doing our absolute best to get to the semi-final.
‘We’re better equipped than last season (to win silverware) but how well equipped are we? When it comes to a one-off match, anything can happen...’
Celtic have won the last six domestic trophies but are currently on their worst start to a league season for 20 years. Does that give the rest of the quarter-finalists hope of claiming silverware for themselves?
‘It’s early in the season and anybody that doesn’t think Celtic will be involved in the title race is mistaken,’ countered Levein.
‘They have enjoyed a fabulous couple of seasons under Brendan Rodgers and I’m sure — as much as they have lost Moussa Dembele before the window closed and didn’t get another striker in — that Brendan will want to keep his reputation exactly where it is, which is as high as it could possibly be.
‘I’m not worried too much about whether Celtic can recover their form, but I’m sure they will.’
Tonight’s opposite number Stephen Robinson, meanwhile, has called on Motherwell to rediscover the ‘nasty’ side to their game that saw them reach both domestic cup finals last season.
‘It’s been a tough start to the season but I’ve been reiterating this week we need to get back to what we were doing. We need that nasty streak back,’ he said.
‘We need to be a team people aren’t happy to play against.
‘Perhaps, in the last few weeks, we’ve become a bit easier to play against and a bit easier on the eye.
‘I want people to stand up and be counted, who need to win football matches.’