BILLY BROWN, Hearts assistant manager, has sought to unsettle Hibernian ahead of tonight's Scottish League Cup quarter-final by insisting that the pressure is on Pat Fenlon's side.
Brown, the assistant manager at Easter Road until last summer, believes that the respective strength of the squads makes Hibs favourites to reach the last four.
Brown pointed to the signing of James Collins for £200,000 as a sign of Hibs' superior resources and feels that the Leith club should be looking to finish as high as third in the SPFL Premiership, rather than settling for their current seventh place."There's always pressure in these games but I don't think we're under as much as our opponents," said Brown. "With the number of players signed by Hibs over the last 18 months to two years there are big expectations. To pay £200,000 for a player is some outlay.
"The club have provided finance to have a team there and I'd think the supporters will be expecting at least a victory against us and maybe more after that. With the pool they've got you'd be expecting to be up there in the top three or four. They still might be able to do that but they had a poor result [against Aberdeen] and didn't play well."
With Celtic and Rangers out, this is one of the most open League Cup competitions in years but Brown insisted that, unlike Hibs, there is no onus on Hearts to progress. "I think the expectations of [Hibs] and the supporters are higher than where they are at the moment. I think the fans would be expecting to win a trophy and this is their best chance. The League Cup is up for grabs and our fans want to win it as well but we've got a young team. I don't think Hibs have got many young players playing. All in all I think they'd see themselves as big favourites."
Brown was adamant there is no lingering bitterness about not having his contract at Easter Road extended but claimed that he "didn't deserve" to be let go. "What happened at Hibs, shouldn't have," he said. "I didn't deserve that but you are only bitter about it for a wee while. Bitterness is a waste of emotion. I got over that and have met Pat since. Leaving Hibs, I've ended up back where I should be. So really, I don't have any problem. Pat has a job to do, I have a job to do and life goes on."
James McPake, the Hibernian captain, laughed off Brown's claims that all the pressure was on the hosts. "I can remember him saying when he was here that the pressure was all on Hearts," said McPake. "If that's a plan to get into minds, fair enough, but I've got a more on my mind than listening to people say there is pressure on me. I don't think there is more pressure on us than there is on them. Their fans want them to win as much as our fans want them to win. It's a strange one saying all the pressure is on us."
McPake also questioned Brown's claim that Hibs spent £200,000 on Collins. "Has he seen the club's accounts? Did we spend £200,000 on a player? I'm not so sure."
And on Brown's comments that Hibs had not fulfilled their potential in recent times, McPake added: "If we were underachieving he was here as well [at that time] so he must be part of that. I said last season we should be challenging at the top and looking to finish second.
"If I didn't believe it there would be no point me turning up. Are we underachieving by not finishing in the top six? Yes. We came mightily close to it last season and it was our primary aim. We didn't make it. This season we're through the first round of games so let's see where we are at the end of the season."
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