Peter Haring doesn’t just hope to make the Europa League group stages – he’s convinced Hearts belong there.The big Austrian is determined to lead the Jambos to the promised land on Thursday night as they bid to overturn Zurich’s 2-1 play-off first leg deficit at Tynecastle. And once they get there, the fans favourite aims to stay.
Scottish clubs outside the Old Firm have a brutal record in the Europa League, with none of our sides making the group stages since the tournament was revamped from the old UEFA Cup 12 years ago. Meanwhile we’ve had to watch Irish outfits like Shamrock Rovers and Dundalk mix it with the big boys, along with clubs from so-called minnow nations like Albania, Macedonia and Belarus. Haring knows it’s about time for a club from beyond Glasgow in this country to join the party and he is adamant it should be Hearts.
Aberdeen were the last one to get to a group stage, when they competed in the round robin stage of the UEFA Cup back in 2008. But the midfielder knows the Gorgie men have a huge opportunity to make it this time around – and he’s out to make his mark.
Haring said: “Should Hearts be in the Europa League? Definitely. There has been clubs playing in that competition that are not the size of Hearts. I said it before when I signed for Hearts that playing in the Europa League was a big big target.
“That’s where the club want to be and that’s the next step for us as a team. To be there regularly.”
Hearts have European football guaranteed until Christmas regardless of what happens in Edinburgh on Thursday. The Europa Conference League is a handy safety net for the Jambos that will give punters the chance to dig out the passports and the clubs to pocket a right few quid.
But Haring isn’t interested in the Consolation Cup. He wants the big prize and he knows this is one of the biggest matches in the club’s recent – and sometimes turbulent – history. Is he bothered what competition his side are in?
Haring hit back and said: “Yes, of course. Does it matter to teams if it is the Europa League or Champions League? Well, yes, it does matter. You want to compete with the best teams possible.
“If we have the chance to qualify for the Europa League then that is obviously the target we want to achieve. We all know how big this game is for our club.
“Obviously it’s always disappointing to lose a game like Celtic. But all eyes on Thursday now, can’t wait for that game.
“For us it’s an opportunity to achieve something big with the club and get the club back where everyone thinks Hearts should be. We as players want to be there as well. It’s just an opportunity to do something special for the club.”
Haring is ready for the date with destiny and he’s convinced his side are in good shape. Boss Robbie Neilson took the bold move to dig out the cotton wool at the weekend at Celtic Park and although his men went down, it looked to be a smart move.
The likes of Craig Gordon, Stephen Kingsley, Cammy Devlin, Barrie McKay and Lawrence Shankland all either got the day off or only came on to stretch the legs.
Neilson made seven changes from the Zurich first leg but his stand ins produced an admirable display to show the strength in depth and keep the big guns fresh for their shot at the big time.
Haring said: “As always Celtic was a really really tough game. One of the toughest places I’ve always been – and it’s always like that. But I think we dug in and defended really well and stuck to our game plan.
“Overall we caused them problems and asked some questions and overall it’s been a really good performance, especially defensively. I felt with a bit of luck we could have taken something out of the game.”
No harm done, now it’s all about Thursday. Haring said: “Were there positives to take in to Zurich? Yes, 100 percent Especially with the changes we made against Celtic.
“All the boys who haven’t played as much recently were all outstanding. They worked their socks off for the team and overall we have to take the positives from the game. It has to give us confidence for Thursday. Definitely.
“We actually started the first half well. They scored with their first real opportunity and mentally that is really hard, when you start well and they score with their first real chance. But the way we reacted after that was really good.
“You don’t want to concede straight away again and we did really well to limit their chances. Second half we came out really good and had a period when they couldn’t really get out of their half. Then in the end, with two men sent off, it’s almost impossible to get a late goal.”
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