GAME’S GONE SOFT!
Underhand tactics are forbidden now but Levein expects Hearts to fight hard
HEARTS manager Craig Levein has promised that his side will go out ‘all guns blazing’ when he reacquaints himself with the Edinburgh derby on Tuesday night. However, his instructions prior to the televised Hibernian showdown will not involve encouraging his players to indulge in the kind of underhand gamesmanship that was prevalent during his days on the pitch.
‘When I played in these matches, whoever got the first three or four low blows in usually won the game,’ remarked Levein, who has only lost six of his 52 derbies as a Hearts player and manager.
‘Now it’s kind of sterile, believe it or not.
‘You can’t do anything off the ball, you used to be able to get away with loads of stuff. Now you have to play by the rules because the cameras can spot you.’
A commanding centre-half in his heyday, Levein (right) would not have shirked going toe-to-toe with whatever came his way against Hibs.
However, football has evolved since he was part of the memorable Hearts side that enjoyed a 22-game unbeaten run against their rivals.
Any off-the-ball incident is invariably caught by the television cameras, with players running the risk of facing retrospective Scottish FA punishment.
And what was once construed as a good, honest full-blooded tackle is now regarded as a sending-off offence.
‘Things are different. I’m probably a bit different as well,’ said Levein.
‘Players are not as tough as they used to be but that’s been gradually taken out of the game going away back to (former UEFA and FIFA administrator) Michel Platini’s influence on football.
‘I just mean the physicality of the game has changed enormously and because of that, the mental side is going to follow.
‘It’s all changed. And because the game has changed, the way they are refereed has changed and the game has become cleaner and less physical.’
Make no mistake though, Levein will make sure his players are in their Hibs counterparts’ faces on Tuesday evening as they look to claim derby bragging rights for the first time in over three years.
Neil Lennon’s side are unbeaten in the last seven capital showdowns.
February’s Scottish Cup defeat to Hibs under Ian Cathro’s reign was particularly sore for the Hearts supporters, the Tynecastle side passively collapsing to a 3-1 defeat. Levein added: ‘We haven’t had the better of the derbies in recent years, so for me it’s all guns blazing to turn that round. ‘At this moment in time that’s what’s required to win this match. We need to play with our foot to the floor. ‘Neil has done a really good job. He got them up, they’re playing really good football, they’ve got some good Scottish Premiership players and they’ve proved that. ‘The occasion won’t faze Neil either. He’s been involved in Old Firm matches. Both of us have been through enough derbies to know what it’s all about.’ In his role as director of football, first during Robbie Neilson’s stint as head coach then Cathro, Levein admits he has not been immune to the frustrations of failing to beat Hibs recently.
‘Losing doesn’t feel any less sore when you’re sitting upstairs,’ he added.
‘The frustrating thing was I couldn’t do an awful lot about it. At least now I have some influence on how we play.
‘It wasn’t the foremost thought in my mind when I came back but it is something I missed, and in particular I missed having an influence when we were losing matches.
‘I can go and put my head on the pillow now in the knowledge that it was me who made a mess of it if we lose.’
Asked about the derby games that stand out as a player, Levein said: ‘As a player, I think the one where Fozzy [Wayne Foster] scored at Easter Road in the Scottish Cup (in 1994) was memorable.
‘We were terrible that day but I just remember the goal and the celebrations. That was a big victory for us.’