Heart of Midlothian

Image source, SNS

"They could have beaten us in all three games."

Derek McInnes needs no reminding of the threat Motherwell pose as he bids to inch Hearts closer to the title with victory at Fir Park on Saturday.

While Jens Berthel Askou's impressive Steelmen have yet to beat the Tynecastle side in three attempts this season, they've provided plenty of problems.

Motherwell led 3-0 in Gorgie back in August before the hosts mounted an incredible comeback in the final 25 minutes to salvage a point.

Then came a goalless stalemate at Fir Park in November, before Hearts needed another Tynecastle rescue when the sides met again last month, the visitors eventually losing 3-1 after spurning chances to burnish their lead.

"They carved us open a few times," McInnes said of that encounter.

"But they're a team who constantly test your organisation throughout the game, and they can make little subtle tweaks and little different ways of playing that can maybe test your organisation.

"I'm not the only opposition manager to sit before you play Motherwell and say how well they've done.

"They're a good team, well coached, they're a confident team, they look like a team who enjoy playing and what they've been asked to do."

Hearts forwards Claudio Braga and Lawrence Shankland and Motherwell attacking duo Elijah Just and Tawanda Maswanhise were the four candidates for PFA Scotland's Premiership player of the year award.

Braga was the eventual winner but McInnes thinks his opponents don't get enough credit for the individual quality throughout their side.

"I think they've also got very good players," he said.

"I sometimes think that gets left behind, it's all about how well coached they are and how they play, the style, but they've actually got really good individual players as well.

"I know you've said they've been problematic, and they have, but they've been problematic for most teams. But we have to be honest, they could have beaten us in all three games.

"But we've managed to do our job well enough for long enough in all the games to pick up points against them.

"And this game will be tough again for loads of reasons.

"You have to be so on point when you're out of possession, because if you're not, they're the type of team that can punish you.

"And that's what happens when you're up against good teams and well-coached teams."

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou insists not finishing fourth in the Scottish Premiership would be as big a disappointment for his club as it would be for Hearts if they don't win the title.

The Dane insists his side are focused on the "massive" achievement of securing fourth place and European football next season, and are not interested in being "kingmakers" or getting in the way of other clubs' ambitions.

Victory over Derek McInnes' men on Saturday evening would almost certainly mean Hibernian could not catch the Fir Park side in the race to secure a European place, and would be Motherwell's latest say in the title race after recently beating Rangers at Ibrox.

"I know there's been a lot of talk about now we play against teams who have a lot of pressure on them and they can win the title," Askou said.

"We're also in for a big thing for us.

"It will be an equally big disappointment for us as it is for Hearts if they don't finish on top now after they've been there for so long, we've been in this position for so long, we're so close.

"It is a massive achievement for us if we can keep this position in the league, and especially by securing it, winning against possibly the coming champions either on Saturday or the next game.

"We beat another title contender a few weeks back and now it's an opportunity to do that again. We cannot wait to give our best."

Despite their recent Ibrox triumph and posing a challenge to Hearts' title bid, Askou has no interest in being the supposed kingmakers in the title race.

"It's about us, I've said that many times," he said.

"We're not dreaming of becoming kingmakers or in this for getting in the way of other people.

"We want to leave as many teams under us and behind us in the league table to end up in a position where we achieve something massive and that is massive for us if we can.

"On top of a very interesting, exciting and developing season for us as a club, to also clinch a position and hang on to a position and end in a position that gives us some extra journeys after the summer."

Image source, SNS

Derek McInnes has been speaking to the media before Hearts' crucial Premiership trip to face Motherwell on Saturday.

Here are the key lines:

• Hearts have quickly moved on from the "feelgood factor" of Monday night's "big win" over Rangers: "As soon as you have your shower after the game, it just about Motherwell."

• McInnes insists no one should question the mentality of his players as they bid to complete a stunning title win. "I think anybody who actually questions the mentality now hasn't been watching us," he says. "Regardless of how this season plays out, you don't, at Hearts, get to 76 points with three games to go if you've not got a good mentality because there's pressures at this club you need to deal with. There's an insistence on winning games here and an expectation, so the players have answered that time and again".

• With two draws and a defeat, Motherwell have been "problematic" for Hearts this season and McInnes admits: "We have to be honest, in all three games they could have beaten us."

• The Steelmen "constantly test your organisation" and McInnes adds: "They look like a team who enjoy playing and what they've been asked to do. But they've also got very good players. I sometimes think that gets left behind. It's all about how well-coached they are and how they play, the style."

• On whether victory at Fir Park would be a huge step towards the title, which Hearts could clinch as early as Wednesday, McInnes says: "Who knows how big a step it is. It's just three points. We can't get obsessed with all the different connotations and what happens there if we win that one and they win that one. It's not our thinking, I have no time for that. The message to the players is just concentrate and try to win a game against Motherwell."

• Cammy Devlin and Harry Milne are "quietly getting there" after injury and could be available for Saturday. Craig Gordon is back in light training.

• McInnes pays tribute to his players and staff after winning his second manager of the year award: "For any manager at any level, any club, you still need good support round about you. I've had that. My relationship with Graeme Jones and the board have helped that. But the relationship with the players has been way more than that. It's been so strong from the start and I think the players have deserved it. They're the biggest driver for any individual awards."

• With a three-point lead and just three games to go, the Hearts squad remain "pretty relaxed" and McInnes says: "We have conversations that aren't about the games and the season. It's just normal conversations you would try and have to keep that as normal as possible."

• On how he's coping with the title pressure and expectation, McInnes admits he enjoys the wins and how "everybody feels at the end, because I do feel that responsibility" while admitting he finds it difficult to switch off.

Image source, SNS

Hearts head coach Derek McInnes has been named the Premiership manager of the season.

The 54-year-old picks up his second individual accolade of the campaign, having been voted SPFL manager of the season at the PFA Scotland awards on Sunday.

McInnes' side are on course for their first top-flight title in 66 years, sitting three points clear at the top of the table with just three games to go.

"I'm grateful for the award, but it's the collective effort of our players and staff that make it possible," said McInnes.

"I'm so proud of what the lads have given us this season.

"We've had a great season up to now, but there's still a job to be done and we intend to devote all our energy and focus to that. We'll all do our utmost to finish the season on a high."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Hearts are now in a position that no-one thought they would be in at this stage of the season.

They now know that victories in their next three matches - and probably just the next two - will make them Scottish top-flight champions for the first time since 1960.

That statement alone is just nuts.

Back in 1960 the Scottish top flight looked very different. There were 18 teams in what was then called Scottish League Division One.

Only 34 matches were played, with each team playing every other twice.That season Hearts won 23 of their 34 matches and lost only three times - to Kilmarnock and Motherwell on the road, with a solitary home defeat against St Mirren the only blemish at Tynecastle.

Back in those days there were only two points for a win, and their final total of 54 gave them a four-point advantage over second-placed Kilmarnock.

The manager at the time was the legendary Tommy Walker. Born in Livingston, he played nearly 250 games and scored over 100 goals for the club before taking on the manager's job in 1951, a role he held for 15 years.

Oh, how managers today would wish to stay in a job for that long.

But Hearts fans cannot get too far ahead of themselves. There is still work to be done to complete the job.

Motherwell have arguably been the most problematic opponents for Hearts this season. Some may forget that they ripped Hearts apart for an hour at the start of the season before a stunning fightback snatched a point.

The outcome of Saturday night's game may well determine exactly what will be required when Falkirk come to Tynecastle next week for the final home match of the season.

One thing is for sure: there will be nerves, tension and probably a few sleepless nights for Hearts fans. Praying that their dreams will come true, they don't have long to wait before they find out.

Image source, SNS

Former Hearts defender Christophe Berra believes Hearts are "in the driving seat" heading into the last three games of the Premiership season.

The Tynecastle club are three points above Celtic in second place, with nine points still to play for.

Berra, who came through the youth ranks at Hearts, thinks head coach Derek McInnes deserves a huge amount of credit for what he is on the cusp of achieving with his team.

"People think management is all about tactics, but it's about getting the players to play for you," Berra told BBC Scotland. "Derek's done that. The players will run through a brick wall for him. The character in the squad has been unbelievable.

"We're in the driving seat. The players will know that, the manager will know that. With three games to go, I think it's an amazing position to be in - and one the players are going to grasp."

While there is no doubt it has been an outstanding season for Hearts, it has also been a poor one for the Old Firm, particularly Rangers, who were all but knocked out of the title race with their defeat at Hearts on Monday.

Celtic, who have had three managers this term, have lost eight games in a season for the first time since the 1999-2000 campaign.

But Berra is pleased to see Hearts finally challenging the dominance of the Glasgow sides.

"We're used to Celtic being 10, 15 or even 20 points ahead and having the title wrapped up by now," he added. "Celtic and Rangers have not hit the levels they have previously, and Hearts have upped theirs.

"It's brought worldwide attention, which can only be good for the game. I think the majority of people outside the Old Firm want to see Hearts win it.

"It needs change. To do it two or three years in a row is a different challenge, but to break that Old Firm dominance would be incredible."

Image source, SNS

Derek McInnes has turned Hearts into a "completely different animal" and should have nothing to fear against Celtic as the Edinburgh club attempt to close in on their first league title in 60 years.

The Tynecastle outfit are three points clear at the top of the table with three games to go and have already beaten Rangers to effectively knock the Glasgow club out of the title race.

They travel to Celtic on the final day but could, depending on results in the next two games, already be champions.

Hearts came from a goal down on Monday to defeat Rangers 2-1, and fan Liam Corbett of the This is My Story podcast says he was never worried about facing Danny Rohl's side.

"I genuinely never ever felt that Rangers would come to Tynecastle and beat Hearts," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Hearts are a completely different animal now under Derek McInnes at home. I watched the Celtic game on Sunday and thought if we're on our game, there's nothing there that I'm genuinely terrified of.

"And they'll have watched the first half on Monday and gone: 'Wait a minute, neither of these two teams is catching us.'"

Hearts boss McInnes was named manager of the year after an impressive first season in Gorgie.

And Corbett says his post-match comments on Monday showed exactly why he has been so successful.

He added: "I think what really summed up why Derek McInnes was the PFA manager of the year is that after the game, he came out and said it was a terrible first half - nothing like us, nowhere near what we're supposed to be, levels below what we were.

"He said he asked the players: 'Do you want to be champions? Do you want to show everybody that you're top of the league? Go out and put it right, because that wasn't good enough.'"

Celtic have put Marc Leonard firmly on their summer radar and will continue to monitor the 24-year-old midfielder in his final three games of the season on loan to title rivals Heart of Midlothian from Birmingham City. (Daily Record), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Image source, SNS

Image source, SNS

Claudio Braga cannot believe the "crazy" position Hearts have put themselves in after Monday's magnificent fightback win against Rangers put them one step closer to a stunning title triumph.

Derek McInnes' side are three points clear of Celtic and seven clear of Rangers with three matches to play, starting with a trip to Motherwell on Saturday.

"It's three games to go, it's kind of crazy," the PFA player of the year said.

"We were all in the locker room [after beating Rangers], everybody was looking at each other, like 'it's three games to go and we are still top of the league'.

"It's not even easy to describe it with words, I'm not going to lie. It's just a crazy feeling."

There was a party atmosphere at Tynecastle after Monday's win and they now have a club-record high points tally of 76

"It's hard, I'm not going to lie, but we try to be as professional as we can," Braga said, when asked about containing excitement levels.

"It's been a long time that people [outside the dressing room] have been saying that maybe this could be possible.

"We've already had that [outside noise] and through the championship we have just taken it game by game. We dealt with Rangers, and now it's Motherwell, and that's it. We don't care about Falkirk or Celtic for now, and hopefully we win that game, and then we go for the next one."

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Max Stryjek - Kilmarnock

A clean sheet for the keeper who underwent heart surgery earlier in the season - a remarkable story.

Findlay Curtis - Kilmarnock

Kilmarnock manager Neil McCann put him at right-back and it proved a masterstroke as Curtis scored when Killie blew Dundee United away.

Craig Halkett - Hearts

A giant performance from the Hearts centre-back in a seismic victory against title rivals Rangers.

Ryan Astley - Dundee

Solid showing as Dundee earned a clean sheet and a vital three points.

Stephen Kingsley - Hearts

Great reactions to grab that vital Hearts equaliser.

Yang Hyun-Jun - Celtic

Celtic were not scintillating again, but Yang was a bright spark against 10-man Hibs.

Brad Spencer - Falkirk

The captain set the tone as his side once again got the better of Motherwell.

Aaron Tshibola - Kilmarnock

Great overall performance at the heart of the Killie midfield.

Joe Westley - Dundee

A big goal that takes the heat off any Dundee survival anxiety.

Kelechi Iheanacho - Celtic

He brought that scalpel-like sharpness in the Celtic penalty box that the defending champions sorely needed.

Lawrence Shankland - Hearts

The Hearts captain underlined his credentials as an inspirational leader once again with a goal of seismic proportions. His ability as a striker is clearly never in question, but even by his standards the left-foot finish to sink Rangers was outstanding.

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

I left Tynecastle on Monday night absolutely blown away by this man's performance. He had been available to Derek McInnes and Hearts all season, but only really made his mark after the January transfer window.

McInnes turns to him on the big occasions, and I was left in no doubt that he saved his best display of the season for the Rangers game.

That man is Colin Chisholm.

I still can't get that pre-match rendition of The Hearts Song out of my head - it's genuinely the best I can remember.

The whole Chisholm family should be proud of the atmosphere Colin helped generate for the team, and I have no doubt it played its part in securing the win.

It feels symbolic that the man who recorded the 1986 version of The Hearts Song has stepped back into the spotlight 40 years later. He is producing performances that, I hope, will help cement his legacy in Gorgie for generations to come.

It's a nervous time for all Jambos - especially my other half. We are due our firstborn any day now, and I half-joked last September that if Hearts won the league, we'd have to name the baby after some of the key figures who helped end the 66-year hoodoo.

I can't believe we are now just three games away from the prospect of a young Claudio (or Claudia) being the youngest Jambo at a title-winning parade in Gorgie.

Middle names still need to be negotiated, but there'll have to be a Shankland and a McInnes in there somewhere.

Like my impending fatherhood, being in this position in the league table is new territory for everyone at the club. Still, I believe we can see it through and come out triumphant.

It looks like a two-horse race between ourselves and Celtic now, so it is vital we keep doing what has brought us this far: taking it one game at a time.

I've no doubt Motherwell will be desperate to beat us on Saturday. They've got the on-loan Celtic defender Stephen Welsh, and he will be keen to do his part.

Add in Motherwell players riding the crest of a wave after being named in the PFA Premiership team of the year, and this has all the makings of a blockbuster in front of an ever-growing international TV audience.

I'm not entirely sure how McInnes should set us up for this one, but I trust him to turn things around in our favour if we fall behind for the fourth game in a row, and to use the bench to make an impact.

It cannot be overstated how important players like Blair Spittal, Pierre Landry Kabore and Sabah Kerjota are when they come on.

Like Colin Chisholm, their contributions can spur the team on at key moments. If we all pull together, I'm confident of another positive outcome come Saturday evening.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland said he could feel his team would eventually come out on top against Rangers once they made a key half-time change.

Head coach Derek McInnes introduced Blair Spittal at the break, which allowed the Hearts strikers more space in front of the Rangers defence.

Shankland said that with Rangers dominating and holding a one-goal advantage at the break, things needed to change.

"The first half became difficult," he told BBC Scotland. "Rangers got their goal and they got a bit of confidence and went on from that. It caused us a lot of problems, to be honest.

"We couldn't quite get our press right at the top end of the pitch and they were picking us off pretty easily. So we were just glad to get in at half-time and it was only 1-0.

"We managed to bring Blair on. It sorted the middle of the pitch for us. It allowed us to get a press at the top and I think that changed the game for us.

"Obviously, we started to nick things at that end of the pitch and then eventually you feel the momentum coming when you get the equaliser. It felt as if we were going to beat them and we were going to get the next one."

The victory takes Hearts seven points clear of Rangers, with three games left to play.

However, Shankland would not be drawn on whether it is now a straight shootout between the Tynecastle club and Celtic for the title.

"Not mathematically, Rangers are still in it," he added. "But it's going to be difficult. There's no denying that, of course. When you only have three games left, it's going to be difficult for them to get back.

"But I'm sure they'll know there's belief there until it's mathematically impossible.

"We just need to concentrate on Motherwell. Another difficult game. Obviously, a team that's got a lot of praise this season for the way they do things. So we'll prepare well for that and we'll look to go there and get a result."

We asked for your views after Hearts fought back to claim a monumental Scottish Premiership victory against Rangers.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Steven: Lawrence Shankland is priceless for Hearts. He is so important to how the team functions - a real class act. If he had been fit all season, he would have won player of the year, no question.

Norrie: I go to the games with my daughter and I can't fully express my appreciation for the memories the club is providing us with. Priceless!

Gordon: Tynecastle was the best I've seen it in my lifetime. It was an incredible advert for the game in our country. Unbeaten at home in the league and now with a fifth win against the Glasgow pair - the records these players have smashed this season are remarkable. They deserve to win the title.

Ronald: I am 85 and have experienced every high and low as a Hearts fan, but last night was off the scale. The noise was unbelievable. Can the title be won? Bet your bottom dollar.

George: The incredible impact of the Blair Spittal substitution cannot be overstated - he changed the game, was involved in both goals and nearly scored one himself but for a worldie save. I've been critical of Derek McInnes and his subs and formations, but this was a masterclass in game management.

Alison: So many people are waiting for us to bottle it, but we have come from behind and won our last three matches - that's what champions do. It's so close now. Can Motherwell do us and Scottish football a favour and take the day off? (Please!)

Captain Lawrence Shankland thundered Hearts to a huge victory over Rangers as the Scottish Premiership leaders restored their three-point advantage at the top and all but ended the Ibrox side's title hopes.

MATCH REPORT

HAVE YOUR SAY

Image source, SNS

Hearts manager Derek McInnes: "The way the players dug that out, the result, second half - magnificent. The two goals were magnificent. Lawrence comes up with the big moment. The finish is sublime, it's so pure, it's full of class and everything that he is.

"For half-an-hour, Rangers were way ahead of us. We were second best. Thankfully, it was only 1-0. There was a change of approach, there's a change of mindset that we had it all to do at half-time. It couldn't have come as quickly as it came for us. We needed a big half-time. Thankfully, we organised ourselves enough to get a bit more confidence in the game.

"We asked the players to show more responsibility. We're not top of the league without cause and we needed to start showing that we were the team at the top of the league.

"I don't think anybody could deny that, second half, we were the better team and very strong and showed a bit more like ourselves.

"The crowd were magnificent. The start of the game was pure theatre. What a noise it was."

Image source, SNS

Rangers' trip to Hearts is the Tynecastle club's most significant league match in four decades, says Ryan McGowan, but the former Jambo says the games will only get bigger if they see off their title rivals on Monday.

The Ibrox side travel to Gorgie knowing that defeat would almost certainly rule them out of contention for the Scottish Premiership crown.

Derek McInnes' side are currently level on points with Celtic at the summit but sit four points clear of Rangers with four fixtures remaining.

McGowan believes this might well be the biggest league occasion for his former side since the 1985-86 campaign, when Hearts were denied the Scottish top-flight title on goal difference by Celtic on the final day.

However, the Livingston centre-back also acknowledges that the magnitude of his old club's matches will only intensify after Monday.

"Is it the biggest league game that a Hearts supporter has had since, you know, that season no Hearts fan talks about? It probably is," McGowan said on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"But the situation Hearts are in just now, the next game is the biggest one. So, if they go and get a result on Monday, the following game is going to be bigger than the Rangers game. If they go and do that, the following game.

"So every game is just going to get compounded and compounded as they get possibly closer to winning the league."

Image source, FC Versailles

Versailles midfielder Tom Renaud is in Edinburgh and will attend Monday's match between Heart of Midlothian and Rangers as the 25-year-old moves closer to a summer move to the Edinburgh club. (Daily Record), external

Hearts are among the clubs interested in 20-year-old centre-back MJ Kamson-Kamara, who has spent the season on loan at Glentoran from Lincoln City. (News Letter), external

Adam Forrester, who is entering the final year of his contract, says he has yet to have discussions about his future with Hearts after the 21-year-old right-back helped St Johnstone win the Scottish Championship while on loan. (Edinburgh Evening News), external