GAME OF 2 HAUFS
But he hinted that the Edinburgh showdown might extend to the dugout on Boxing Day.
The new Hearts boss will go head to head with Hibs’ Jack
Ross for a second season on the bounce after his Barnsley side beat Sunderland to promotion last term.
Cryptically he revealed the pair had never shared a postmatch drink or chat at either Oakwell or the Stadium of Light – and that it was more by design rather than accident.
This time, however, he insists his door will be open and the wine uncorked after their high-stakes showdown – although it will be up to Ross to make the first move.
The German said: “Sunderland had the best team in our league last year but we got promoted with Barnsley. The first game we lost and the second was a draw.
“But did we have a drink afterwards? No. It’s a tradition in England just like here – but no.
“They were emotional games, a little bit.
“But I cannot say I don’t like him, I don’t know if he likes me or doesn’t like me. In those two games, though, we didn’t do it.
“This time the good thing is I can stay in my office and wait!
“And there will be a nice bottle of wine for when he comes.”
The 45-year-old had his first experience of a Tynecastle full house last Wednesday in their 2- 0 defeat to Celtic.
He loved the atmosphere and knows it will be turned up a notch come Thursday.
But he still takes solace from the fact that win or lose, the growling enmity rarely makes it as far as the street the way it does back home.
He said: “In Germany derbies are a little bit more dangerous – there’s a lot of police. There is more fighting off the pitch than there is on the pitch.
“The biggest derby for me was Hannover against Eintracht Braunschweig. You need to be careful before this game starts.
“My impression from 20 months of working in the UK is that the relationship between the fans is really close in the stadium.
“In Germany when you are not winning or not playing good you can get supporters coming to the training ground and shouting, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ They will stop your bus.
“It doesn’t happen every time but the main focus is not so much on the game, it is more on everything around the game.
“Here, I get the feeling this is the most important game ever – even though every game is important to us right now.
“I have experience of derbies in Germany but my feeling after less than two weeks here is that it’s so much more in Scotland.”
English may be Stendel’s third language but the charismatic coach strives to get his points across with passion and precision.
And he admits his desperation to communicate more is fuelling his energetic use of the technical area in games.
He said: “I didn’t really know much about Scottish football but people told me that it has passion and emotion and would be a good fit with my personality and the way I want to play football.
“This is the reason why I started as a kid to play football and this is what got me up every morning. If I had no passion I wouldn’t do it.
“Sometimes it gets me into trouble but I think in the future I would not do the same.
“I have a feeling the players need to see me like this.
“We’ve not had enough training time yet to change a lot of the things I want.
“I won’t be afraid to show what I’m like as a person and what I want from my team is to show the same passion – to work hard and never give up.
“Maybe I need to do it a little bit more.
“My English is okay but sometimes I miss some words even though I try very hard to get it right.
“I was like that as a player as well. I was not the best but I worked from being a youth player to playing in the Bundesliga and it was mentality that took me to this position.
“We say in Germany that hard work beats talent and it’s a big part of my mindset.
“I know we need some players to make a difference on the pitch and this is the job of the manager.”
Despite the defeat to Celtic in midweek, Stendel saw signs that he was already bringing a support with him that just days earlier had been at their lowest ebb in his first game in charge.
He said: “I heard before I came here about the atmosphere, how close the stands were to the pitch and how enthusiastic the fans are.
“Our 1- 0 defeat last Saturday against St Johnstone was not what we were expecting – and not what the fans were expecting.
“I expected more patience for the players to change things but it was not so easy.
“I could see the players trying to change things but it wasn’t really working. Then the emotions from the stands were not so positive and that made it harder.
“On Wednesday, against
Celtic, the expectations were different.
“You can see what power we can get when we play at Tynecastle when our support is so loud.
“It’s really good – except when I want to talk to our players and they cannot hear me! But it’s better that than just a few thousand people in the stadium.
“I like to train teams with good supports and that was a big reason behind me signing with
Hearts.”