Derek McInnes Admits ‘Guilt’ Over Leaving Hearts Before Tynecastle Return

• Rangers manager Derek McInnes says he feels “guilt” over leaving Hearts and expects no warm welcome when he returns to Tynecastle on Wednesday.
• Hearts led the Scottish Premiership for most of last season before losing 3-1 at Celtic Park on the final day, minutes away from a first top-flight title in 66 years.
• McInnes still believes “a few contentious decisions” cost Hearts the title and calls the current Hearts side “absolutely title contenders”.

“That’s Not Going to Happen”

Derek McInnes knows what is coming. The Rangers manager returns to Tynecastle on Wednesday for the first time after leaving Hearts for Ibrox in the summer, and he is not expecting applause. “Well, the hope would be that you get on to the pitch and clap the fans and there’s an acknowledgement both ways, but that’s not going to happen,” he said.

He understands why. McInnes, 55, took a team that finished in the bottom six the season before and turned it into a side that led the Scottish Premiership for most of the campaign. Hearts finished on 80 points. They lost the title at Celtic Park on the last day, 3-1, after coming within minutes of a first top-flight championship in 66 years.

A Decision Made in a Fragile Close Season

McInnes did not describe the weeks after that defeat in tidy terms. “At the time, at Hearts, we were hurting last season,” he said. “It was almost as if we were in mourning. That seems a bit exaggerated, but that’s how it felt.” The squad leaned on each other. “We were all kind of clinging to each other in the first part of the close season. It’s a time when we felt we should all be sticking together. So I kind of feel the guilt that I had a decision to make, whether I stayed or whether I left.”

He chose to leave, and Hearts fans had already been through something similar. Captain and leading scorer Lawrence Shankland had announced his move to Ibrox first. McInnes remembers his own reaction when that call came. “I remember how I felt then, how I felt a bit let down, a bit flat with the whole thing,” he said. “For me to make a similar move a couple of weeks later, I understood that.”

Shankland and midfielder Cammy Devlin also made the move along the M8, but both will miss the game through injury.

Injustice, Penalties and a Touchline Ban

McInnes has not softened his view of how last season ended. “I think taking a team who finished in the bottom six and getting to 80 points, I just felt a real injustice at the end of it all,” he said. He also believes the margin was decided by referees. “I wanted to be a manager that won a title outwith the Old Firm. But for a few contentious decisions going against us, I think we would have won it.”

That grievance has a history. McInnes called Celtic’s late penalty award at Motherwell, which gave them a 3-2 win in their penultimate fixture, “disgusting”. The comment earned him a touchline ban, which he served as Rangers manager.

Hearts Without Him

McInnes was generous about the club he left. He called Hearts “really well-run”, said he is proud of what he achieved there, and believes they are “absolutely title contenders” this season under new head coach Wouter Vrancken. “I loved my time at Hearts, I need to say that,” he said. “It was only a short time, but I thought my Hearts team were a breath of fresh air for Scottish football last season.”

The table gives the game an edge. Rangers sit four points behind leaders Celtic, with Hearts a further four back. Kick-off is at 8pm on Wednesday, and McInnes has made his peace with the noise that will greet him. “The treatment I get is what it is, and you could say I deserve it, but nothing will change how I felt about my time at Hearts.”

WRITTEN BY

Jarrod

Jarrod Partridge is the Founder of Futbol Chronicle and an accredited journalist with over 30 years of experience following international football. A member of the AIPS International Sports Press Association, Jarrod has covered matches at stadiums around the world, bringing first-hand insight to every match report, player profile, and tactical analysis he writes.

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