OPINION

How Derek McInnes continued to feed Hearts fans’ excitement.

Monday night regulars at the Tynecastle Arms may have had to double-check the day of the week to ensure that it was, indeed, Monday. By 6 p.m., the pub was already busy.

Not quite matchday busy, but certainly much busier than a typical Monday evening in Gorgie. While some Heart of Midlothian fans were enjoying an early school night libation, others were lined up outside the Gorgie Suite at Tynecastle Park, waiting for the doors to open at 6.30pm. They would be open early.

Fans wanted to make sure they had a front row seat for an evening with Derek McInnesin the newest Foundation of Hearts ’90 minutes with…’ event, which sold out in less than 10 minutes (with Tony Bloom) to follow next month).

Around 500 people would throng the room beneath the Gorgie Stand to hear the new Hearts head coach, including club veteran Jim Jefferies. When McInnes entered the room, there was tremendous applause.

Some people stood to applause. He quickly pointed out that he had yet to win a game. Even before the evening, opinions on McInnes and his hiring as head coach had shifted from mixed when it became clear that he was a strong candidate to succeed Neil Critchley to significantly more positive. For those in the room on Monday evening, this only grew.

Across the interview section and Q&A session with those in attendance, McInnes offered insight, didn’t hold back in giving his opinion and provided some humour along the way.

Reflecting on some of the fan reaction to this post explaining why Derek McInnes was the ideal guy for the position, naysayers identified two threads.

One was the assumption that he wouldn’t work with a football director, and the other was the playing style. He mentioned both after being named head coach and provided additional information on Monday evening.

Let us start with the first point. He discussed how he works with Graeme Jones and how the club’s sports director frees up his time by not becoming too engaged in transfer discussions. And further knowledge into Jamestown Analytics and how he might have a say in future solutions, assuming they reach a certain standard, as Stuart Findlay did.

The other strand, that of playing style, may have resonated more with those in the room. There has been an upsurge in frustration with a club that plays possession-based football, which allows opposing teams to come to Gorgie, sit in, and let Hearts have the ball.

Alan Meikle stated, “Del had me at ‘the goals are up the other end of the park, there’s nae point passing it aboot sideways!'” McInnes’ vision for his Hearts team is consistent with what many fans expect to see at Tynecastle Park every other week. A team that moves forward. A team that utilises wingers. A squad that puts the ball into the box. A team with pace. A team with physicality. A team that runs.

When he discussed what he believes Hearts should be, the audience responded positively, eager for Saturday and the Premier Sports Cup to arrive.

The man in the dugout seemed to grasp what Hearts are about on the pitch. A manager who understands it. However, caution should be exercised. Hearts need to recruit more of that speed and physicality. And progress will not be linear.

The current roster includes players recruited by five different managers, with Craig Halkett becoming his sixth new manager as he enters his seventh season. There was a danger that fans would like what they heard to the point that they would jump out on Foundation Plaza, thinking Hearts were going to win the league.

There were queries on the floor that hinted at such accomplishment. McInnes, understandably, tempered such expectations. Walking first, then sprinting.

Even so, the short-term goal is ambitious. Europe has cutlery. At the end of the event, just before 9 p.m., one line was heard or read several times: ‘Proper Hearts management’.

It is impossible to quantify a ‘Proper Hearts Manager’. It’s more about sensation. That mood pervaded the room on Monday night. McInnes exuded confidence, experience, and self-assurance, as well as a grasp of what is necessary at Hearts, all while expressing his surprise and enthusiasm at landing such a position.

Despite not playing a game, he continues to win over supporters. The real business begins on Saturday, when the genuine judgements will be made.

However, the excitement and anticipation around the season are palpable and at their highest level in a long time in EH11.

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