Rather than just friendlies, in Scotland, pre-season intensifies with the start of the Scottish League Cup group stage - do you prefer that to just playing friendlies?
I don’t like seeing Hearts play in the League Cup group stage as it usually means that we haven’t qualified for European football the previous campaign! In Scotland, the top 4 or 5 sides are exempt from this round as the chances are that they have qualifying rounds to take place in, which more often than not sees an upset from a side in a lesser known nation.
That said, if we find ourselves in it, I quite enjoy it as there’s 5 different seedings and it usually means you play sides all across the SPFL
ADpyramid and get to travel to lower league clubs and their grounds. It also helps the ecosystem and provides a cash boost with usually hundreds - if not thousands - of supporters descending on provincial towns and giving their coffers a boost and help build for the season ahead.
Whilst it gives top flight clubs the chance to test out formations and different personnel, there’s also the jeopardy element involved as there could be a lower league upset on the cards. That actually happened to ourselves back in August 2017, when ex Newcastle United assistant Ian Cathro was sacked after we were defeated by Peterhead and then lost a penalty shoot-out to Dunfermline after a draw in the 90 minutes preceding, meaning we were knocked out the League Cup.
In the first four, Hearts have scored four goals in each, are fans optimistic from what they’ve seen so far?
You can’t ask for anything more – 4 games, 4 victories and 4 goals scored in each game, with just the 1 goal conceded overall. Like I said before, as it’s lower-league opposition that we have found ourselves up against, meaning we shouldn’t get carried away but this is Hearts supporters we are talking about – perhaps the most reactionary set of fans in Scotland!
I think the most pleasing aspect for supporters, has been a return to a revered ‘traditional style’ of football in that we have reverted to ‘big, physical Hearts’ with an emphasis of getting the ball forward quickly, with pace in the wide areas. It’s a style of football which is somewhat seen as old fashioned in modern football, with Pep Guardiola inspired possession based football, with centre halves seemingly being the play makers being in vogue.
The real question now for supporters down in Gorgie, is whether we can continue to play this brand of football consistency against better opposition in the league campaign.
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Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty ImagesFormer Sunderland target Derek McInnes was appointed Hearts manager for the new season. How did this go down with fans?
It’s fair to say that initially, the fan reaction to his appointment was mixed. Following the dismissal of former boss Neil Critchley and the link up of Brighton owner Tony Bloom and his Jamestown Analytics, which has revolutionised the Seagulls signing policy over the last decade, a lot of supporters hoped for somewhat of a ‘hipster’ appointment. Someone left field and came with no fear of trying to close the gap on Celtic and Rangers, the traditional big two in Scotland.
McInnes had famously turned down the job at the Stadium of Light, as well as Rangers but it’s fair to say both clubs were going through tricky periods at those times. It was believed that McInnes wouldn’t want to work in a Head Coach set up and he famously only ever seemed to sign players from the British isles, which contradicts everything that Hearts are embracing here at the club.
One of the important things for a supporter, and Sunderland fans will understand when I say this, is that you want people ‘who get the club’. Meaning that they take the time to learn the history, speak to supporters and understand what is expected at the club. There’s been a number of interviews already whereby you can tell he is absolutely delighted to be our boss and is steadfast in his belief that he will bring success, as he feels he is well backed on and off the pitch.
Hearts finished outside of the top six last season, what are the expectations for this season?
If you ever find yourself in the company of a Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen supporter, I will be sorry for you as it would be a night-long debate between the trio as to which club is the third biggest in Scotland after the Old Firm, and you won’t be able to get a word in edgeways!
The reality is that all 3 of these clubs aim to finish 3rd every season but very seldom do you ever have a situation whereby a club consistently finishes ‘best of the rest’ in the league, without Celtic and Rangers.
Most supporters are targeting 3rd again this season due to the fact that Hibs and Aberdeen will have European football and it’s traditionally difficult for Scottish sides and their squad sizes to juggle multiple competitions, and win consistently.
We’re hoping that happens again this season for our immediate rivals and we take full advantage.
That said, if Hearts managed to do what Aberdeen did last season and finish 5th whilst lifting then Scottish Cup, many supporters will take that.
We last lifted the Scottish Cup trophy in 2012 and the League Cup in 1962, so our trophy cabinet would do with more silverware being added.
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Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty ImagesOf course, this match is in tribute to the excellent career of Craig Gordon at Hearts, how much you summarise both of his spells with the club?
I could honestly write a university length dissertation on Craig’s impact on Hearts as well as my love for the man!
He’s played 330 games for Hearts, with his debut being all the back in October 2002 – which is almost 23 years ago. Just an utterly mental statistic when you consider at the age of 42, he’s endured 3 different potential career-threatening injuries and having a 2 year break from the game, after breaking the British transfer fee record for a goalkeeper.
Then you add in his 82 Scotland caps, the honours he won at Celtic and also playing in the Premier League with Sunderland, and regularly being told his save versus Bolton is arguably the greatest ever in Premier League history.
The funny thing is, there’s plenty of Hearts supporters I know that have always had a soft spot for Sunderland ever since his move there in 2007, myself included – although I managed to play on the hallowed Stadium of Light before Craig in 2001 in an under 10s match at half-time!
The word that accurately sums up my feelings as well as countless other Jambos, is that I’m extremely ‘proud’ of Craig. He’s been a great ambassador of all 3 clubs that he’s played for and I doubt you’ll find any of his teammates or previous staff that he’s worked with, had a bad word to say about him. That’s testament to a character who is probably the most resilient I can think of in the modern era.
There’s no doubt he will go down as one of Hearts’ all time greats and I just hope that if this season is his last, he can go out in style with a trophy win – ideally the Scottish Cup in May 2026, when he’s 43 years young.
The club convinced captain and top goal scorer Lawrence Shankland to stay with the club this summer, how crucial is he to any success you’ll have?
There’s an argument to be made that Shankland is the best striker in the Scottish top flight when he’s firing on all cylinders.
He scored 68 goals over 3 seasons for us, which is just shy of 23 goals each campaign and something you cannot grumble at for your main striker.
The issue he had last season, was that his direct goal return was so low – owing to the fact he played deeper in a number 10 role – that a lot of opposition fans remarked that his prowess in front of goal was gone.
I disagreed with a few of my mates and was delighted he committed to the club for the next 3 seasons, when I expected him to end up heading to the west of Scotland and join Rangers.
Derek McInnes sees the value in playing Shankland as a traditional number 9 and also ensured he retained the captaincy at the club, which I feel will really boost his confidence going into this campaign, as he said his ambition is to reach 100 goals for Hearts as soon as possible. Given he’s got 2 goals already in 3 games, I’d back him to make a large dent in the 30 required goals by the end of the season.
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Photo by Paul Devlin/SNS Group via Getty ImagesHearts have already been quite active in the transfer window, which of your new players have stood out so far?
The transfer business that Hearts have carried out so far have all been relatively positive but there’s been 2 players that have captured attention so far.
Firstly, Portuguese forward Cláudio Braga was signed from Norwegian 2nd flight side Aalesund for a rumoured fee close to £500k, which is a lot in terms of an outlay for Hearts but he’s fared well in his 4 appearances so far as he’s notched in 3 goals. He’s very much a player that would have been competing with Lee Trundle on Soccer Am’s Showboat section 15 years ago with his flashy tricks and skills, but he has a high work rate and doesn’t mind tracking back defensively. A word of warning though, if he does manage to score against Regis Le Bris’ side, he does have a Poundland version of Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous ‘Siu’ celebration.
The other player worth highlighting is another with a questionable goal celebration – a Spiderman web style – in Greek winger, Alexandros Kyziridis.
Kyzi, as he’s affectionalty known, joined from Slovakian top-flight side Michalovce, and is somewhat of an old school winger, that plays on the opposite flank. Whilst favouring his right foot, he’s been playing on the left and looks to commit and take on defenders in a 1v1, whilst retaining width doing so. If it’s Trai Hume that’s lining up on Saturday, he’ll get a good test versus a guy who has been tipped to be the best of our transfer window additions.
Is there a particular style of play McInnes has tried to implement so far?
As aforementioned, it’s been a bit of an old school and ‘back to basics’ approach from McInnes but he’s actually lined up with a number of different formations including a 3-4-3 and 4-4-2, so it’s hard to know what is going to be his preferred style as he previously said he wants to play with wingers and 2 strikers.
Yet, to some fans, we have some strong depth at centre half, with our options available and so you can understand why we’ve lined up with that.
Regardless of formation, it’s about attacking with pace and look to also have a physical presence, especially at set pieces. We have employed our first-ever set-piece coach this summer in Ross Grant, and we’ve scored from a set piece in every game, which adds a different arsenal in our attack.
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Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty ImagesIt will be difficult to guess the starting XI, but aside from the above-mentioned players, who do you think can cause Sunderland problems?
I’d imagine that whoever lines up at centre half for us – perhaps Craig Halkett and Frankie Kent – and 6’4 utility player, and another new signing, Oisin McEntee, will cause problems at set pieces. It will be a throwback to League 1 days with the amount of physicality you’ll have to deal with!
One final player I’d like to call out and draw Sunderland supporters attention to is 18-year-old striker James Wilson. He made his real breakout last season and performed so well that he earned a call up to the Scottish Mens National Side and is in fact, the nation’s youngest ever appearance holder.
He’s a bit of a modern day forward in that he can play across the front 3 and is simply just getting better with the more first team experience he gains.
I know there’s been a concentrated effort in signing young players and taking them to Tyne and Wear, and he’s someone you’d imagine your recruitment team are well aware of. If you’re impressed with what you see in Wilson’s performance, then feel free to use your Premier League billions and give us £10 million pounds our way for his signature!
Lastly for a bit of fun, what do you think the final score will be?
Testimonials are always meant to be a bit of fun and a high scoring game, but I do believe both sides will take it seriously enough in their efforts ahead of our respective league campaigns.
That said, I know Craig Gordon is struggling for fitness following a neck spasm related injury, so he may not last very long, so it’s only fair we get an early penalty and Craig gets the chance to score his first ever goal!
I’ll take 2-2, which means the fans get to see some goals and both managers are happy to escape defeats, and avoiding bringing the lads in for running sessions on Sunday!
All the best for the season ahead Mackems, and I really hope you’ll have a memorable first campaign back in the top flight!
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