Last season, there was talk of a title charge heading into the first Hibs v Hearts encounter. Now the futures of Craig Levein and Paul Heckingbottom could rest on this match.
Hearts come into this game bottom of the league, whilst Hibs are ninth. Both sets of fans have something in common for a change, most people want their managers out.
It makes this Sunday’s Easter Road battle a bigger one than usual, but not for the right reasons.
Levein can’t see that his position is untenable
With fan protests calling for his head, surely that’s an indicator it’s time for Levein to go. They haven’t won in the league since March and have won just seven times in the league since October 2018.
A run to the Scottish Cup final papered over the cracks in Gorgie. The fact is, Hearts have underperformed every season under Levein’s reign.
Their current slide though has set them on a course with relegation unless things change. Levein has won 10 of the last 54 points available and has won just two of his last 18 league games.
That’s a win rate of 11%, less than half of Ian Cathro’s record, the man Levein sacked and replaced in the dugout.
It’s bonkers that he hasn’t gone yet, but now he has Hibs to contend with.
Heckingbottom and Hibs are on the slide too
Hibs aren’t doing much better under Heckingbottom. They’ve lost their last three games on the spin, turning in turgid performance after turgid performance so far this term.
After his opening seven Hibs matches, Heckingbottom had five wins and two draws, in the next 12 just two wins have been recorded. It’s utterly abysmal and it’s no wonder Hibs fans are losing the rag.
It’s never his fault either, which has annoyed fans further. Supporters and players have both been blamed for Hibs defeats, with Heckingbottom seemingly unwilling to admit fault.
Both Levein and Heckingbottom need this win. A draw isn’t good enough, as a defeat could end their managerial reigns. In Levein’s case though, even a convincing win might not be enough.
Hearts and Hibs are on a serious decline heading into Sunday’s match. The Edinburgh derby is supposed to be a showpiece match, but the forthcoming clash promises to be remembered for all the wrong reasons.