Hearts were second best against Hibs and that's unacceptable but DON'T tell me balance of power has swung - Ryan Stevenson

Sunday's derby defeat set off alarm bells for Hearts - but don’t for a second tell me the balance of power in Edinburgh has swung to Leith.

Hibs have been the better side in the fixture this season but fans claiming they are now the number one force in the city? Ridiculous. They need another four or five years of winning these games before they can even try to lay claim to the capital crown. History tells you Hearts have won 149 to Hibs’ 89. They’re miles behind us.

But I’ll tell you what, this was a wake up call. Hearts must ensure they get top six to guarantee another crack at the noisy neighbours - and a chance of securing that 150th derby win in their 150th anniversary season. That would deliver a reality check to those Hibees claiming they run the city now.

The manner of Sunday’s defeat was really worrying. Like the Boxing Day clash at Tynecastle, David Gray’s side showed a bigger appetite for the fight. That’s unforgivable. There’s a pattern developing too because Hearts have fallen well short in the big games this season.

Out of 11 matches against the top four sides - two against Celtic and three against Rangers, Hibs and Aberdeen - they have won NONE. That proves they’ve simply not been good enough and they’ve not got enough about them in the big games.

I actually thought Hearts controlled the first half on Sunday and were in a great position to go and win the game at half time. But it all fell apart after the interval. Straight from the start of the second half, you just felt Hibs were at it. They had that mindset that ‘if there's anybody going to win this, it's going to be us’.

Who do you blame for that? Listen, it’s right to question the tactical stuff about the press and the set-up of the team after the