A war of words, a battle of bletherings, the verbal volleys or a hotbed of haverings?

Call it what you like, Robbie Neilson won't be involving himself in any of it. Actions speak louder than words on the battlegrounds of professional football, after all.

Along with trusted old nuggets like 'we set our stall out early doors' and 'it's a game of two halves', the oft-trotted out 'we'll do our talking on the pitch' is up there in the pantheon of great clichés of the roon' ba' game.

Neilson's Hearts have certainly done that this season. Tonight at Ibrox, the Edinburgh side have the opportunity to extend their advantage over distant rivals Rangers at the top of the SPFL Championship to a whopping 16 points.

The pre-match ponderings and pontificatings have been relentless. Many, including Hearts's latest signing, Genero Zeefuick, have suggested that if Hearts win then they may as well tie the maroon ribbons on to the title trophy and drop it into the reception at Tynecastle tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, Fraser Aird, the Rangers midfielder, reckons it is the Glasgow club who still have the better players and are the better side despite wheezing on well behind their opponents from the other end of the M8.

Talk is cheap, of course, and Neilson prefers to deal in the currency of hard work, dedication and organisation. These are the attributes that have helped Hearts to remain unbeaten in the league this season while forging a commanding 13-point advantage at the summit. For a rookie head coach, it's been quite an impact.

With his softly spoken delivery, which often has the assembled scribblers leaning in and straining their ears as if they are trying to fathom out the curious noises coming from the next door neighbours, Neilson's lack of volume does not mean there is a lack of authority.

The fact that Hearts have stamped their authority on the championship race speaks, well, volumes for the effectiveness of the current regime. For Neilson, tonight will be a case of more of the same as his side aim for a third, and possibly decisive, victory over Rangers in the league this season. And should Rangers win, and the inevitable cries of burst bubbles and predictions of second half of the campaign slumps pour forth, Neilson will not be distracted from his main objective.

"The game isn't won in the papers, it's won on the training ground and on the pitch," said the 34-year-old as he kept a safe distance from all the pre-match posturings that tend to go on in the build-up to big matches. "We don't need to pay any attention to it (Aird's comments). We don't need to look at other teams or listen to what they're saying. All season, we've focused on ourselves and let other people do the talking. We've done all our talking on the pitch so far - and we'll do it again at Ibrox.

"There is no need for us to say we're going to do this or that, or to start talking about what other teams will do. I don't see it as sniping. People are entitled to their opinion. They can say what they want. We could quite easily come out and say something back. But we don't need to. Go and do it on the pitch, that's where it counts.

"I want to win against Rangers. We want to go there and win, as we do every game. I expect it to be a tough game. It is two teams of, probably, SPL standard coming together, two teams both desperate to win. The implications are that, if we do win it, we get another three points. It's another step towards the title. But it would be no means over. There will still be 15 games left. That's 45 points. Win or lose, we've still got a good cushion."

That cushion has been built up thanks to unwavering consistency. A brace of wins over Rangers and five goal romps over Dumbarton and Cowdenbeath have bolstered the title assault but the hard-earned, roll-up-the sleeves 1-0 victories that have been winkled out against the likes of Alloa Athletic, Livingston and Raith Rovers have been equally as important. It's been a real team effort. "On their day, Rangers, Hearts and Hibs can beat each other," said Neilson. "But the crucial thing has been the consistency for us. We've consistently won games away from home at difficult venues and overcome teams at home as well. Any team can beat one of their rivals on the day. The biggest thing is how you follow that up, and by going to Dumbarton and Cowdenbeath and picking up points. The guys come in and work hard every day, they train two or three sessions a day if needed. We're dedicated to the point where the players are in here every Sunday morning, watching videos of the opposition so we know what to expect, whether we're playing Rangers on Friday night or Dumbarton away on a Saturday afternoon. We prepare the same way, we train the same, we do analysis the same, everything is the same. That's important so the players realise three points is just as precious against, say, Cowdenbeath as it is against Rangers. We are doing very well but there is still a long way to go. Medals aren't handed out in January, they're kept until May. At the end of the season, the league will tell you who is the best team. End of story."

Neilson, the quiet man who continues to make a big noise, will be hoping to add another chapter to this on-going success story at Ibrox tonight.

ENDS