Barry Robson reckons all the pressure is on Hearts on Saturday. But I’ll tell you what; if the Jambos can use that tension to focus their game and send Robson and Aberdeen back up the road empty handed then it’ll be the Dons whose legs might just get that bit heavier going into the final two matches.
This is a red letter day in the battle for third place. And that letter is P - for pressure, pounds, prizes, pride and psychology. It’s what the race to be best of the rest - and the extra millions that comes with that - should be all about. It’s great for the Scottish game and I can understand Robson’s gamesmanship but it might actually suit Hearts on Saturday knowing they have to win.
I’m a big fan of Barry. I played against him two decades ago when he was at Caley Thistle and thought he was a right good player then. But it was when I was lucky enough to get a Scotland call-up in 2011 and got to see how he works first hand that I was really impressed.
He wouldn’t accept anything less than the best - no matter if it was a possession drill in training or the game itself. He put demands on his team mates about standards because his were impeccable. That was before we played Cyprus in a Nicosia friendly and a few days before the game I was in a one v one against him in a box where you could use the players on the outside as your team mates.
It was only a minute at a time but trying to get the ball off Barry made it feel like an hour. He absolutely tore me a new one. I didn’t even touch the ball. I’m not at all surprised to see how well his Aberdeen side are doing. He had a winner’s streak that made him a bit of a nippy sweetie on the park and that won’t change in the dug out.
But Steven Naismith is cut from the same cloth and that’s another reason this weekend’s clash is so intriguing. It’s two young managers, two winners who will have their players going at each other just like they would have if they were on the pitch.
It’s got all the makings of an absolute cracker and I just wish it was live on TV because it would have pulled in massive numbers. I said last month the TV choices were a joke and I stand by that. These are two huge clubs steeped in history with brilliant fanbases and there’s probably nothing better outside the Old Firm or Edinburgh derby.
We all know the prize is guaranteed Euro group stage football which could bring in £5m. Hearts players got a taste of that this season and will be desperate to go and have another crack at it. Aberdeen players likewise because they’d have watched Hearts go up against Fiorentina and Istanbul and thought ‘I want a bit of that’.
I got a taste of it with Hearts 12 years ago and it’s such a unique experience, the travelling, the hype, the different cultures and stadiums. It’s unbelievable. Hearts are at home, Tynecastle will be rocking. They need to use that energy to smother Aberdeen.
Unfortunately you just never know what Hearts team is going to turn up right now. Even against St Mirren on Saturday they showed both their good side and their bad. The inconsistency has killed them this year. So Naismith has to make sure they all turn up on Saturday. No passengers.
Powderpuff at Pittodrie in the 3-0 defeat two months ago they need to be tenacious at Tynecastle like they were in January when they dumped the Dons 5-0.
I’d urge every Hearts player to embrace the occasion, the build-up and what’s at stake. From getting up in the morning, meeting up with their team mates and walking into Tynecastle they have to have their heads on the game.
Then it’s about engaging with the crowd, starting the game right and making sure they are bang on the money. One man who will hopefully be involved is Peter Haring. I’m so glad Hearts have appealed his red card after deciding not to challenge Alex Cochrane’s against Celtic.
I had plenty to say on that one last week and this one is every bit as galling. If not worse. It’s maybe a yellow card but it’s not a bad tackle. It’s not a goalscoring opportunity. He’s just trying to stop St Mirren breaking.
I cannot understand how a trained referee - and two others in the VAR room - can come to that conclusion? It’s becoming a mockery. We need to get back to players being allowed to make tackles because right now too many will be wondering if they can go in for a 50/50.
Hearts were bang on to appeal. If they end up getting an extra game then there’ll be outroar. But surely common sense will see the red card binned and Haring lining up for Saturday’s do or die shot at third.
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