Hearts would have watched the Betfred Cup semi-finals and taken away two massive incentives.
Firstly, they should see they can go right back into the higher echelons of top-flight and challenge for honours.
Secondly, they can also believe they can get back above Hibs to being top dogs in Edinburgh whilst setting their sights on taking Aberdeen’s recent mantle of being the closest challengers to the Old Firm.
Looking at the two Betfred semi-finals at Hampden, tying them together with the Scottish Cup Final defeat to Celtic in December and adding their own semi-final victory over Hibs, that’s the proof trophies are there to be won.
It’s certainly a good bit of banter when you see Hibs getting beaten. I was on my social media platform and you see all the Hearts fans jumping onto the bandwagon as soon as it happened.
Listen, I played for St Johnstone and they are a right good club. I have many friends there and my head is completely with Hearts anyway.
So, also considering the stick I get from Hibs fans, I was quite glad when I saw wee Craig Conway, who is a good friend of mine in any case, score as well to make sure St Johnstone went through.
Livingston are also into the Final deservedly after a great run of form, but seeing those two are contesting the showpiece occasion next month only confirms that Hearts can get back up there and be doing it regularly with the size of the club.
It just shows you. Hibs were favourites to win the Betfred while Hearts are in the Championship and didn’t.
They were favourites to win the Scottish Cup semi against Hearts and didn’t. It flips so quickly.
Edinburgh has been a bit of a yo-yo in recent years. Both teams have had spells out of the top flight and, although I’m talking about taking a bit of stick off Hibs supporters and not crying that they lost at Hampden, I would genuinely like to see them both up there battling in the Premiership for the sake of Scottish football. I mean that.
There’s nothing better than derbies and both of them going at each other while flying. That’s what we need.
To be fair to Jack Ross, he’s doing a good job in the main, even though the weekend was a big disappointment for Hibs.
We want them both pushing, although, obviously, with Hearts getting the better of the argument and winning the games.
In fairness, the powers that be in Scottish football should be making changes to ensure the top teams like Hearts and Hibs and Dundee United and Dundee are facing each other once a season in a bigger league for something different.
If ever there was a chance to do it, it’s now, but that’s a discussion for another week.
As it stands, I’d imagine Hearts believe they can put the right things in place to go straight back up and really have a crack at it.
The simple fact Robbie Neilson was brought back shows this was not a quick fix designed only to get them back up.
Robbie has gone up from the Championship in the past and had Hearts challenging at the top end. He understands the club, he knows what is expected, it was the right appointment and he brings a much-needed stability.
Behind closed doors, he’ll be confident of winning the league, but I think they also need to be preparing to have right good go at it next season and whilst laying the building blocks for the next five or 10 years.
As I’ve said, Hearts should be top end of the Premiership and there’s no reason they shouldn’t be doing what the Dons have been doing for the guts of 10 years.
Derek McInnes has been in the job long term at Pittodrie and he’s had them consistently up there near the top of the table and making Finals and semi-finals. That’s what Robbie needs to emulate and it can be done.
No-one will take anything for granted this term and the home defeat to Raith Rovers last weekend was a timely reminder.
Hearts are expected to win games week-in and week-out and that can cause a bit of slackness now and again.
Any taking an eye off the ball can be costly. That may or not have been the case against Rovers, but I’d expect them to recover and kick on again and I’ve noted strengthening is being done this month.
Listen, Hearts made mistakes during last season and were caught flat footed when the wheels came off. They should never have been in the situation they ended up in and I’m not sure they dealt with it properly afterwards.
But it’s gone and it’s time to look forward with excitement in their case. Hearts should be pitching at the top end of the top-flight and they should be playing in semi-finals and Finals every season.
What we have witnessed over the past few days only strengthens my belief that can happen in the immediate years to come, staring next term.
