Hearts boss Ian Cathro wants to balance fire with cool heads in Edinburgh Derby
Last updated 9th Feb 2017
Hearts boss Ian Cathro hopes his team's new mature approach will keep them balanced under pressure against Hibs.
The Gorgie head coach is preparing for his first duel with capital foes Hibs at Tynecastle on Sunday.
The William Hill Scottish Cup clash will present the Easter Road holders with their first chance to rub their rivals' faces in last season's long-awaited cup success. Hibs beat Rangers 3-2 in last season's final at Hampden Park.
Cathro knows that is only bound to ramp up the derby tensions, but he is not worried.
The rookie boss packed his side with experienced campaigners over January, with the likes of 37-year-old Aaron Hughes, Slovenia right-back Andraz Struna and Greek international Alex Tziolis among nine new players signed last month.
And he believes those older heads will help keep Hearts' noses clean.
He said: We now have players that I don't have to worry about them getting carried away.
That was part of the reasons why we wanted to address the balance of the squad. We brought in more 'grown ups' who have different experiences from different places around the world.
That might not be Edinburgh derbies but games which are similar to it. That was important, so I don't consider (the atmosphere) one of my concerns.''
But Cathro accepts his side will need to match Neil Lennon's team in the passion stakes if they are to emerge victorious.
Asked if he was looking for his players to show cool heads this weekend, he replied: Yeah - but a bit of fire too. It's important to be balanced, to make good decisions, to want to win.
The day is different, the build up is different and the feeling in the stadium is different because it is a special game.
We appreciate that, we feel it. What we need to do is make sure we feed off the energy in the ground, make sure the players give the fans a reason to lift the noise levels up.
But inside of that we need to make the right decisions and we need to play well.''
Cathro has previous derby experience following his spell working under first Steve McLaren and then Rafael Benitez at Newcastle last season.
He will certainly hope he does not suffer the same kind of bad luck as the Magpies, who have not beaten their Tyne-Wear adversaries Sunderland since August 2011.
But he believes the lessons learned at St James' Park will come in handy this weekend.
Those games weren't particularly friendly come match time,'' he said.That's a very, very real derby.
I don't know where all these games rank. I know that's often a talking point but the most important thing is that this game is the special one for this city.
There is a tremendous history of all the rivalry and key matches down the years, which feeds into it even more.
It's something which excites all of us. We feel how the fans feel. It's not something we will hide away from.''
Hearts delivered just two wins in their first eight games under Cathro but successive three-goal wins over Rangers and Motherwell have given the former Valencia assistant boss breathing space.
The pressure, however, could be cranked up yet again should they fail to see off Hibs.
But Cathro insists he and his team are thriving on the challenge awaiting them.
He said: That's what we want. I want players here who want pressure, who want the responsibility of delivering something that people will remember, that fans will talk about, brag about and cherish.
We want these days, big moments and we look forward to stepping up and delivering on it.''