I got a Hibs boss sacked and and now I want Hearts to be utterly merciless – Ryan Stevenson
I got Pat Fenlon sacked as Hibs boss. Correction, my Hearts team did. It’s just that I was the one lucky enough to score the goal in a 1-0 League Cup quarter final derby win at Easter Road back in 2011.
Nobody gave us a chance because we were bottom of the league. But we turned up and did a number on Hibs in their own backyard. Fenlon was under huge pressure going into the game. Two days later he was given his jotters.
You can probably tell where this is going… If I was heading across the city on Sunday morning I’d be going there wanting to get David Gray the tin tack. It’s a horrible thing to say. Brutal actually. It might not sound like it, but I like Gray. He comes across well and he’s extremely well thought of in coaching circles.
But you’ve got to be ruthless in this business. And there’s no doubt he’s under huge pressure. Forget everything else on Sunday - all Hearts players should want to do is win and put a nail in Hibs’ and Gray’s coffin.
I thoroughly expect them to get that win. Nothing about Hibs worries me. The only team that can beat Hearts on Sunday is themselves. The simply can’t get ahead of themselves after Saturday’s 4-0 thumping of St Mirren.
What a start that was for Neil Critchley. I made clear I had serious doubts about his appointment but that I would be 100 per cent behind him when the football started. Seeing him go back to basics and play two up front from the off absolutely won me over.
I’ve been banging the drum about two strikers all season. Tynecastle is just set up for teams to play with two strikers and be direct. It’s what I thrived off all my career - having someone to play with. Football is all about partnerships whether that’s in defence, midfield or up front.
I had Rudi Skacel beside