CAPITAL CRUNCH

Levein and Heckingbottom both in dire need of derby win

THE unfinished National Monument on top of Calton Hill is known locally as ‘Edinburgh’s disgrace.’

Yet in a sporting sense, amid a horror start to the season at both Tynecastle and Easter Road, Heart of Midlothian are just pipping Hibernian to that description ahead of Sunday’s desolation derby meeting of two hapless old foes in Leith.

Hearts have not won in the league this season and are rooted to the foot of the table. Their last victory in the Premiership came way back in March when Aberdeen were defeated 2-1 in Gorgie.

Craig Levein’s record makes for grim reading; his five wins in 24 league matches is worse than his much-lampooned predecessor Ian Cathro’s five victories in 22 matches.

After eight excruciating months in charge, Cathro was finally put out of his misery when the flames of fury threatened to spread towards club owner Ann Budge.

Having previously stated Levein is not bulletproof, Budge is now under similar pressure to act.

After Saturday’s 3-2 loss to Motherwell, hundreds of Hearts fans gathered outside the main stand to demand the removal of Levein who, as director of football, is also responsible for the club’s unimpressive recruitment.

Chants of ‘Sack the Board’ — of which Levein is also a director — rang out at the weekend as a banner reading ‘Levein Out’ was unfurled. It required the intervention of police to stop a group of seething supporters storming inside the ground.

Against that backdrop of enmity, however, Levein played the role of Emperor Nero, fiddling while Rome burned. He stated: ‘We are six points off fourth. I don’t consider that to be a huge problem.’

Speaking to Hearts TV yesterday, Levein ordered his players to stand up and be counted at Easter Road.

‘We can’t feel sorry for ourselves next weekend,’ said Levein. ‘The game is too big for that. We need to just get our heads down and work away on the training ground and eliminate errors.

‘We just need to defend better and make less mistakes.’

Defeat at Easter Road on Sunday will surely spell the end of his second spell as Hearts boss.

But former Tynecastle winger Allan Preston believes his former team-mate should be removed before the derby because he looks incapable of motivating his players amid an unacceptable long-term run of poor form.

‘Two points is a pathetic effort from Hearts at the start of the season with the budget they’ve got and the fan base they have,’ said BBC Scotland analyst Preston.

‘Motherwell could have been out of sight in the first half. The 3-2 scoreline flattered Hearts.

‘There are some good players at Hearts but is Craig Levein capable of motivating them? It doesn’t look like it on that showing.

‘These fans have totally and utterly had enough. There are no better fans in Scottish football. They throw their money at this club and saved it from going out of existence and now something has to be done because this is simply not good enough.

‘They are clearly not happy with how things are going at the club. Ann Budge is sitting up in the directors’ box and she has to take notice of what’s going on.

‘I played with Craig, he was a team-mate of mine but this is not good enough. It’s a results-driven industry and the results have been really poor.

‘They lost the League Cup semi-final to Celtic at Murrayfield (in October 2018) and since then the wheels have come right off. They got to the Scottish Cup final last year but if they hadn’t (got there) with the draw they had, it would have been a real surprise. That possibly papered over the cracks.

‘Yes, they’ve had horrendous injuries to key players but Hearts should have a depth of squad that can control that — and the style of play is really poor. It’s not what you want to teach your kids.

‘The players also have to look at themselves. They are letting the fans and manager down. The punters are very, very frustrated.’

Yet nobody at Easter Road is laughing at the plight of Hearts. Amid a miserable run of one win in 11 league matches, the green half of the city dares not crow.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side are languishing near the foot of the table, scoring just four goals this season and conceding 13.

The former Barnsley boss upset the rank-and-file by claiming their anxiety is rubbing off on his team. Heckingbottom has also branded his team ‘pretty’ but ‘soft’ yet there are huge question marks over his recruitment.

For the last two matches, a section of the Hibs support have been chanting for him to go. A home defeat to Hearts on Sunday would crank the heat right up to boiling point.

‘It’s not looking too good for Edinburgh football right now,’ admitted Hibs legend Pat Stanton. ‘I would say both managers need a win on Sunday to calm their support down.

‘What’s gone wrong with Hibs this season?

‘One thing is that players have been brought to the club that nobody has seen play yet. Why are they not playing?

‘When Hibs were relegated a few years ago, there were players coming into Easter Road that quite honestly should never have been there.

‘I’m not saying it’s a direct replay of that time but there are comparisons to be drawn. But there’s nothing like a couple of results to get you back on the road again — and Sunday is a big, big derby.’

Heckingbottom claimed that he will learn a lot about his struggling players when they go into battle with Hearts, and the Hibs boss insists he can’t wait for kick-off on Sunday.

He told Hibs TV: ‘I’d play (a derby) every week. I enjoy the games. I enjoy the atmosphere of them. I think they are great. And, to be honest, I am pleased it’s the next one.

‘I am going to put it on the players and really question them. We are going to learn a lot about them.’