SFSA BLUE PLAQUES LAUNCH FIND OUT MORE
Date: 31st January 2026
Mr McInnes promises to enjoy it a wee bit more…
Donald C Stewart
A sketchy and humorous look at the outpourings of the great, the good and the not so good of Scottish fitba’ by Donald C Stewart. Readers are warned that if they take this seriously then therapy is available – just let us know where you find it so we can pass it on to others…
Reports have emerged of a dour boss in Scottish football: and it’s no even Steve Clarke!
You would think taking a team from being relegation fodder, recently just promoted back and launching them to the summit of the Premiership would be enough.
You would think having a four-point lead over 2nd placed Rangers with a drawn top-of-the-table clash which was a Sunday afternoon treat – and confirmed, once more, they are serious contenders – would be sufficient.
You would think that the feel-good factor in Gorgie would be quite the salve for your tortured brain and body forcing itself into work each day.
EVEN when he himself has admitted, if he were watching on and saw somebody sitting atop the Premiership over a four-month period his first thoughts would be how easy is this guy’s job?
And yet Derek McInnes admitted, prior to the clash with Celtic, that he needs to “enjoy it a bit more.”
The it, of course, is the fact that his Heart of Midlothian team are atop the Premiership four points ahead of Rangers and he has beaten off the Premiership managerial ship of Russell Martin, Brendan Rodgers and Wilfried Nancy, and came close to quadruple down with the visit of Celtic under St. Martin of O’Neill.
But Derek McInnes is struggling to enjoy it all.
Who can blame him?
Most folk looking on from the sidelines are wishing that Hearts will do the greatest thing of this century – win the league.
Truth be told, we are all sitting watching the renaissance under St. Martin of O’Neill and Celtic who are beginning to mount their big challenge while Rangers under Danny Rohl look solid and if they are not an inspiring choice to win the league, they are at least a steady threat to both Celtic and Hearts.
It makes for an intriguing year as we head towards the end of the season.
Will it end with Celtic or Hearts or Rangers with sufficient steam in their locomotive to charge towards the siding of a Premiership title?
For the first time in years prior to the weekend match between Celtic and Hearts, the chat was about whether Celtic could recover if they lost because the Tynecastle team would be nine points ahead and there would have to be three losses in Hearts’ games over the next 14 or so games for them to be caught by the Parkhead side. Could Celtic go unbeaten for the rest of the season? If McInnes lost the remaining Old Firm games, who else would take points of Hearts?
Had Celtic won, the pressure would have been on Hearts and whether they would have a meltdown prior to getting to the last furlong or two. Now of course Rangers are 2nd and we can look forward soon, to chat about their challenge taking over form Celtic… as long as all three keep winning. All of a sudden it seems old fashioned thinking the Old Firm are going to win everything that comes their way.
Cups have gone to St Johnstone, St Mirren and Aberdeen, and we have seen not a renaissance of lower premiership clubs but at least a challenge being mounted – see Falkirk in a variety of different places.
But maybe McInnes is right – he hasnae won a cup yet.
Mebbe the dourness is founded in fact – he needs tae “keep the heid” in case they fail to win the league and it all comes crashing down.
And four months – hardly a season, is it?
I mean what’s the likelihood of them maintaining their title challenge? Unlikely? Should he no just chuck it now?
As McInnes admits that he would wonder how good life must be for any manager who had four months at the top of the league and that he is going to try and enjoy it a wee bit more, there are 11 other bosses, not least the one currently sitting in Livingston who not just envy the position he’s in but wish it were them.
And that’s a scary thought – people wishing they couldnae enjoy being tap o the table! Lighten up Derek, c’moan…
Posted in: Fan's Blog, Latest News
Tags: Hearts, oor Donald, Scotland