Spl Latest... Collins Wants Hungry Hibs To Open Up Double-Figure Gap On Edinburgh Rivals
HIBS boss John Collins last night tipped Hearts to climb the table and push for a UEFA Cup place.
Collins reckons the Jambos will recover from a poor start - but only after his men increase the gap over their Edinburgh rivals to 10 points on Sunday.
Fourth-placed Hibs are seven points clear but Collins knows the Gorgie men are dangerous opponents having watched them beat Celtic in the CIS Cup at Parkhead.
He said: "I enjoyed the CIS Cup game and Hearts did well. They will be delighted with the result and their performance.
"Hearts have shown against both Rangers and Celtic this season how well they can play and on their day they are a handful and can get results.
"I am sure Hearts will be one of the teams fighting for a European spot at the end of the season as they have a big squad.
"We want to put as much distance between ourselves and Hearts as possible and we have an opportunity to move 10 points clear with a win.
"Ten points would be a significant lead at this stage of the campaign but our main objective is to win."
That gap would have been even bigger had Hibs not lost their last two games to Motherwell and St Mirren.
Collins is desperate to bounce back and last night denied his side had discipline problems.
Midfielder Dean Shiels was sent off against Saints for a lunge at Franco Miranda and became the third Hibee to see red in 11 SPL outings this season.
Felipe Morais took an early bath at Motherwell and Clayton Donaldson saw red against Falkirk.
Collins wants his players to show controlled aggression on the pitch and believes his men are paying a harsh penalty for going to ground and committing themselves to tackles too early.
He said: "We have had three red cards this season that could just as easily have been yellows. My players have shown no dissent or petulance and I have told the players to make sure they stay on their feet longer.
"They can't afford to dive in on their backside and must learn to stay on their feet.
"When players go down there is a risk they will slide and their body and momentum takes them forward. Sometimes sliding tackles can look worse than they are.
"I always tell my players to be committed in the tackle and to show controlled aggression and go in to try to win the ball.
"The rules of the game have changed now - not just for us but for everybody.
"When players go to ground and are sliding towards a ball that is going away from them and they miss it by a millimetre there is a chance they will get a red card and that is a harsh penalty.
"No other sport gives out such a harsh penalty for a mistimed tackle when the difference in timing could be as little as a hundredth of a second."
Collins has a reputation for playing good football but would happily win ugly at Easter Road on Sunday.
He said: "We know what to expect from a derby game and I am sure it will be a high-tempo match with lots of commitment but we will be looking to play our normal game.
"We also want to play well and more often than not if you get the performance right the result tends to follow.
"That is not always the case and I would take an ugly victory.
"I would never be completely satisfied if my team had played average and won the match but I would take it.
"That is not what I am after though as you must always strive to win with a good performance.
"If you do not strive for both of these elements at a football club you will never achieve real success over a long period.
"We were a little bit off the pace all over the pitch against St Mirren. We had a blip but overall the players have been great.
"The players know the demands, they know they didn't play well last week and hopefully we can put it right on Sunday."
