Hearts’ gamble has turned up trumps

Last spring, in the space of 28 sun-filled days, Hearts treated their fans to two derby wins over Hibernian.

The victories the first at Tynecastle, the second at Easter Road were flagstones in a remarkable six-game unbeaten run.

That included successes over Partick Thistle, Ross County and, most impressive of all, an emphatic 5-0 thumping of Kilmarnock.

Remarkable, because these results were achieved by a club in administration, forced by transfer embargo to field a team of kids. The average age of the starting eleven which thrashed KiIlie was just 21.9 years old. Three were teenagers.

Yet these events were to be merely the build-up for the drama to follow in the second half of 2014. A spell of bloodletting which, ultimately, was to be the catalyst for the far longer unbeaten sequence that has hoisted Hearts to the commanding lead of the Championship they currently enjoy.

On Monday, May 14, just 10 days after the Killie win, Gary Locke the young manager given universal credit for the part he played in what was the hardest season in the club’s history was shown the door.

It was a stunning piece of news, the first act of new owner, Anne Budge, in what was a blunt some said ruthless overhaul of the Tynecastle club. Out went Locke, his assistant Billy Brown and goalkeeping coach Alan Combe.

Soon to follow were high-profile players with Ryan Stevenson, Jamie MacDonald and Jamie Hamill all also dispensed with.

They didn’t know it then, but that was all part of a plan meticulously pieced together by Budge and her Director of Football, Craig Levein. In place of Locke was put Robbie Neilson who was given the title Head Coach, reporting to Levein.

It was an arrangement initially viewed with cynicism by the media. They saw the former Dundee United and Scotland boss as an arch-strategist, who would not only pull the strings but quite literally pick the team. Yet little by little, they, and any doubters in the support, were to be won over.

So much so in fact, that six months later, Budge would talk glowingly of Neilson as being a coach with a fantastic career ahead of him, who would inevitably move on to a bigger club. But how did he do it and how did the club transform its fortunes so spectacularly?

As Levein freely admitted, Neilson had been handpicked as a special project, a coach who could be developed and help add to the proud heritage Scotland has of producing top managers. From the outside, it wasn’t an obvious sell.

Never less than committed as a full-back for, among others, Hearts, Leicester City and Dundee United, Neilson would thunder into tackles against larger, heavier opponents with seemingly little concern for his well-being. Off the pitch, by contrast, he was quietly spoken and a slightly reticent figure.

Quickly though, Neilson impressed as a workaholic, both with a clear vision of what he wanted to do and the ability to get his message across. Players were put on treble sessions as fitness was made top priority.

Attention to detail became key and a flurry of new faces was brought in. Some like Neil Alexander, Morgaro Gomis and Prince Buaben offered proven SPL experience won at Rangers and Dundee United. Others, such as Osman Sow, Alim Ozturk, James Keatings and Soufian El Hassnaoui, offered potential to set alongside that of the talented young players already on the squad.

Sow was a particularly interesting pick-up. A Swedish striker of Senagalese descent, the 24-year-old arrived on a free from Crystal Palace where he had failed to make the breakthrough. In Scotland it was to be a different story, with his stoppage-time winner against Rangers at Ibrox the start of things to come.

With MacDonald, Hamill plus Stevenson all having quickly found new homes with Falkirk, Kilmarnock and Partick Thistle respectively, the success of the new faces was important. And when it was quickly followed by yet another derby success over Hibs, early momentum began to grow.

Then, just as Budge had showed her ruthless side, so Neilson took the chance to display his.

The importance, or lack of it, of the Petrofac Training Services Cup the Challenge Cup under new guise to Hearts’ season was made clear through the team selection for the away trip to Livingston. Ten changes were made. Five players were given debuts and three more made their first appearance when they came on as substitutes in the second half. The visitors crashed 4-1 but a host of young players were hardened off for the future.

And the Championship wins kept coming and coming. Initially quoted by the bookmakers as 4/1 shots to win the title behind Rangers, they are now, despite two dropped points in yesterday’s derby, 25/1 ON.

Defeat in other words is unthinkable.

A plot has been landed and Budge, Levein, Neilson and Co are already looking past their derby days to new targets to a 2016 spring spent in the Premiership.