Don’t let the split hit the fans
Hearts deserve 50/50 share for Hampden semi
AS soon as the balls came out the hat after the win at Cappielow, you knew what was coming next.
A Scottish Cup semi-final tickets row. Hearts have already made it clear they want half of Hampden – and they’re bang on.
It would be a disgrace if there is anything other than a 50/50 split. Don’t give me this stuff about the difference in fanbase between Hearts and Rangers and numbers of season tickets and so on.
Hearts will sell out their allocation in jig time – and that means they should have an equal split.
Sharing the stadium should be the starting point for all semis and finals. If a club can’t sell all their tickets then they go to the other club. Simple as that.
Certainly more simple than Morton made it the other night, mind you. The game went pretty much exactly as I thought it would. I knew Morton would put up a heck of a fight.
It was a brilliant tie as well. I love the old-fashioned grounds and the old-fashioned cup atmospheres.
Morton deserved credit and they had their chances. I just felt they ran out of steam a bit towards the end and Hearts’ quality came through.
It was a win-at-all-costs game and Hearts got the job done. You can’t ask for more than that. Unlike the semi-final draw.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one whose immediate reaction couldn’t be printed in a family newspaper. This is no slight against Aberdeen but most Jambos would have been praying to pull them out the hat.
And Dons fans would have been thinking exactly the same. We’ll scrap it out and let the Old Firm sort out the other semi.
After Aberdeen, Hearts supporters might have even been fairly happy to have another crack at Celtic, given the way they’ve had the better of Brendan Rodgers’ side in recent times.
But to get Rangers? That was the one most folk wanted to avoid if they are being honest. Rangers are a different animal this season and they are the side to beat in this competition.
But let’s flip it the other way. At least Hearts know exactly how not to play against Rangers.
The 5-0 defeat a couple of weeks ago will still be fresh in the minds going to Hampden, as will the other couple of defeats earlier in the campaign.
Those results should be used as motivation though. The squad should be thinking they owe Rangers one. It’s funny, I thought Hearts performed better in the match they got hit for five than in the other defeats.
They shot themselves in the foot with the goals conceded but the way they bounced back in the derby and then against Celtic proved to me they got it out of their system.
This semi-final clash is a chance to redeem themselves against Rangers – and the rewards are huge.
There’s no point having a petted lip about the draw. If you are going to win the Scottish Cup, the chances are you are going to have to beat one of the Glasgow clubs along the way – if not both.
When we did it in 2012 we took care of Celtic in the last four and then Hibs in the final.
We did it the hard way and that’s just the way it is more often than not. It’s a tough draw but it’s always a huge opportunity.
Is Hearts’ name on the Cup? Who knows. But there are some great stories in that dressing room. None more so than Craig Gordon. I was delighted to see him back in Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad – but not surprised.
It’s a strange situation for Hearts to have two keepers in the national set up but I don’t think it would have been a tough call for Clarke.
Craig has only had a few games since coming back from injury but you can see he still has the quality. Even at Morton he made a couple of crucial saves.
They were ones you’d expect him to make – as you would if it was Zander Clark in there – but there is absolutely no question marks over Craig’s ability and experience benefiting the squad. I would have both booked on the plane for Germany right this minute – and Lawrence Shankland needs to be alongside them. Like Craig, it’s no shock to see Shanks in the Scotland squad. And he has already done enough for me to guarantee his place at the Euros. Scotland are not exactly well off for strikers at the moment and Shankland brings a different dimension. He’s the most natural scorer we have, for starters. I’m a Lyndon Dykes fan and he has been a superb servant. But if there’s a one-on-one chance through on goal, I know who my money would be on to stick it away. It’s the guy who has been doing it in maroon all season.