This time, Hearts v Hibs is far more than just bragging rights and three points

Amid fan unrest and struggling league form, a draw may suit both capital clubs

The Boxing Day gloves are off in the capital. Christmas dinner has barely digested and yet we have another meal to tuck into, an Edinburgh derby with a lot riding on it.

This is a fixture that always matters for supporters of Hearts and Hibs. Yet this encounter takes on particular significance because of where these two clubs find themselves in the Premiership table. Hearts sit tenth, two points off bottom spot, while Hibs are two points better off in eighth. Given the Jambos romped to third place last season and the Hibees have aspirations of being a top-six side at least, they are both grossly underachieving.

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It means that come 12.30pm on Thursday, those inside Tynecastle Park will be a mixture of excited and nervous. Both teams come into the derby after important victories amid relegation concerns, but given the perilous nature of where they find themselves in the table, a setback in Gorgie will not help. Especially amid the backdrop of fan unrest.

Both Hearts and Hibs have found the going tough this season.Both Hearts and Hibs have found the going tough this season.
Both Hearts and Hibs have found the going tough this season. | SNS Group

This could be a derby when both sets of fans call for their boards to be sacked. Hearts and Hibs supporters have not been shy recently in letting their respective hierarchies know that the current predicaments are nowhere near good enough. Granted, Hibs owner Ian Gordon, chief executive Ben Kensell and sporting director Malky Mackay have been spared public criticism in the past few weeks by dint of victories over Motherwell, Ross County and Aberdeen, but just last week Hearts owner Ann Budge was politely told where to go during the European exit against Petrocub, with chants of “Heart of Midlothian, we’re in the wrong hands” directed at the current board.

Beating St Johnstone 2-1 on Sunday lifted Hearts off bottom spot and at least quelled the cacophony of boos that rang around against the Moldovan minnows last Thursday. There was a noticeable gap behind the goal at the Gorgie Road end, with prominent fan group Gorgie Ultras deciding to boycott the match. Head coach Neil Critchley called for unity afterwards. “We need the supporters,” was his message.

Critchley only set foot inside Tynecastle in October. If the man from Crewe did not 100 per cent comprehend the magnitude of the job back then, then he certainly does now. Despite taking 14 league points since his appointment - only Celtic, Rangers and St Mirren have more during the same period - the club operates under a cloud of pent-up frustration.

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Recruitment in the summer window was largely unsuccessful, with left-back James Penrice and playmaker Blair Spittal the only tangible success stories. The squad lacks pace, creativity and goals - especially with talisman Lawrence Shankland only having netted three times. Hearts’ inability to source another striker last summer was a bad error. Such flaws are likely to be addressed next month with the help of Jamestown Analytics, with Critchley then able to use more than just an inherited squad. Hearts have been hobbling towards January for some time.

Hearts head coach Neil Critchley has called on the fans to stay united.Hearts head coach Neil Critchley has called on the fans to stay united.
Hearts head coach Neil Critchley has called on the fans to stay united. | SNS Group

Critchley’s Hibs counterpart David Gray has frankly done exceptionally well to make it this far. Given a vote of confidence in early November after a terrible defeat and performance against St Mirren that left them bottom with just one victory to their name, Hibs have rallied. Spared the axe after a 4-1 defeat at Dundee, a crazy 3-3 draw earned by a 96th-minute equaliser against Aberdeen has acted as a catalyst. Hibs have only lost once since - against Celtic - and have clambered out of the relegation places.

Appointed in the summer, Gray’s callowness as a head coach always made him vulnerable to a poor start. A lot of his good work has been undermined by individual mistakes - be it the concession of late goals or red cards - but one thing was always apparent: the players are behind him. That allowed the Hibs directors, under massive pressure themselves, to stick by him last month. Last Saturday’s 3-1 win at Pittodrie was Hibs’ best performance of the season and Gray deserves credit for changing his shape to a back three and getting more out of enigmatic players such as Rocky Bushiri and Elie Youan.

Nevertheless, both Hibs and Hearts are fragile. Both ownerships are laden with cash but that counts for nothing right now. Neither team has been able to put together a tangible run of wins and given the congested nature of the bottom six, with bottom-placed St Johnstone and Dundee in seventh separated by just five points, even one defeat can suck a side back into the mire. Conversely, it does not take much to pull away from the relegation swamp. By 2.30pm on Thursday afternoon, both teams will have played 19 Premiership matches, the halfway point of the season. One could be thinking of top six, the other could be fearing a proper battle against the drop.

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To the victors some serious spoils, then. Three points, bragging rights, breathing space, silencing dissenters and a big pint of confidence. Derbies have the power to change narratives, to reignite seasons. The opposite can be said for whoever comes out on the wrong side.

The Hearts hierarchy have come under increasing pressure recently.The Hearts hierarchy have come under increasing pressure recently.
The Hearts hierarchy have come under increasing pressure recently. | SNS Group

With home advantage, Hearts are favourites with the oddsmen. Hibs have not won in Gorgie since 2019, when Martin Boyle - back to something near his best against Aberdeen - scored twice in a 2-0 win on Boxing Day. That season, Hearts ended up being relegated under Daniel Stendel when the Covid-19 pandemic ended the season early. A repeat of five years ago does not bear thinking about for those of a maroon persuasion.

When these two met back in October at Easter Road, schoolboy James Wilson pounced to level for Hearts after Mykola Kukharevich put Hibs in front. Perhaps both teams might just shake on a draw just now, desperate not to face the consequences of defeat.

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