Alan Stubbs, the Hibernian head coach, has blamed a hectic summer for the huge gap between his new-look side and runaway Championship leaders Hearts.
The Leith outfit sit a massive 19 points behind their rivals ahead of tomorrow's Edinburgh derby at Tynecastle with Stubbs' team unable to match Hearts' remarkable consistency since both teams dropped from the top flight.
Stubbs added nine new players since being named as Terry Butcher's successor in late June and reckons Hibs' stuttering form at the start of the season was down to the fact that he had so little time to mould his new squad.
"When you look at coming from last season to this season, they've [Hearts] been prepared for that for a long time," he said. "They knew to a certain extent that it was going to happen and they put things in place. They've been able to hit the ground running from the beginning of the season.
"That's not the only reason. They've got some good players, which is one of the biggest reasons. But maybe because of what's gone on here, we've really been playing catch-up a little bit. It was a very hectic summer. That, I feel, probably played a part in our early-season form."
Stubbs' side have begun to show signs of consistency, winning five of their last six and scoring 17 goals in the process. The 4-0 demolition of Rangers last weekend has given them real momentum as they look to notch up a first win over their rivals in the third derby of the campaign.
Hearts emerged narrow victors in August and the Gorgie side needed a stunning injury-time effort from Alim Ozturk to preserve their unbeaten record in October. But Hearts youngster Sam Nicholson has revealed that the upturn in Leith has caused little concern across town.
"We didn't really watch the Hibs-Rangers game, we were on the way to Livingston at the time," he said. "We saw an improved Hibs team in the last derby game. We know what we can do but we know what they can do as well. But we're not really checking if Hibs are improving. We have to just be professional about the whole season."
Nicholson believes the Jambos' dressing room die-hards will stand them in good stead to again put Hibs to the sword. Nicholson was a derby-day regular in the crowd as a young fan, while the likes of Brad McKay, Callum Paterson and Billy King also have maroon in their blood.
"The derby is a massive game for the boys. All the players know what it means," said Nicholson. "It means a lot to the players as well. We all want to win it."
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