SERIES BUSINESS
Neilson: We speak about beating the Old Firm... we’ve done it before and it’s something we want to do more
ROBBIE NEILSON admits answering the Old Firm Midlothian question is the next step in Hearts’ aim to stay Scotland’s third force.
The Jambos manager believes tomorrow’s clash with Rangers at Tynecastle is another acid test for his side’s credentials and reckons they can deliver a first league win over the Light Blues since January 2020.
With a Europa Conference League tie at home to Serie A side Fiorentina also looming next Thursday, Neilson insists the focus is on three points.
That would pull the Gorgie men level on points with second-placed Rangers in the table and he’s adamant it can be achieved.
He said: “One of the things we speak about at the start of the season is beating the Old Firm, beating them in Edinburgh. It’s something we want to do more. We have done it before.
“The other side of it is also going to Glasgow and winning. These are big things and once you start doing them regularly, you become a more confident team.
“The games at Tynecastle are games that we have won before so there is that belief that we are going to go into the game and win. If we can do that, we can start taking it through to Glasgow, which is the next step again.”
An indifferent run of form from Rangers was also dismissed by Neilson, who reckons Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side are still as good as it gets when it comes to a Premiership test.
He added: “Like any team, you go up and down throughout the season.
“If you had said to me at the start of the season, when they played pre-season games against Union, they were flying and scoring goals and doing really well. Then you go through a wee dip and you go back up again. They’re still a very good team with a lot of good players.
“A couple of boys are out with injuries, similar to ourselves. Once they get all of them back, they will be really strong again.”
Neilson was also delighted to see keeper Craig Gordon first through the door to training yesterday morning despite giving him some leave of absence on the back of his heroics for Scotland against Ukraine and the arrival of a baby boy last weekend.
He said: “The mark of him is that he had the game the other night and his partner has just had a kid.
“We said to Craig to take a couple of days off but he turned up today at half nine to get ready for training because he wants to be ready for the weekend and he wants to keep himself going. He’s already talking about the European games. I didn’t even know Scotland had a game against Turkey in November.
“He was telling me he is getting ready for that because that will take him to 74 caps.
“Then the next ones are March and he’s getting ready for that. So he’s really driven to try to get as many caps as he can and keep playing for as long as he can. He’s a different player from what he was 15 years ago – more experienced, calmer and settled.
“As long as his body holds up, he will still be playing.”
The games at Tynecastle are ones we have won before so there’s belief
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