SEAN CLARE, the Hearts midfielder, is adamant candid talks in the aftermath of their meek stalemate against Ross County will ensure the club's lofty standards are met for the remainder of the campaign.
The capital club's first Premiership outing at Tynecastle fell woefully flat a fortnight ago, with Craig Levein's side lucky to escape with a 0-0 draw following Brian Graham's late penalty miss.
The seething Gorgie faithful made their displeasure known at full time and, amid a run of just two league wins in their last 16 outings dating back to last season, early scrutiny was placed on the manager.
However, Clare insists the players readily took responsibility for the failure and pulled no punches in their discussions in the dressing room once Levein had taken his leave.
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“We had a few words and everyone took it on the chin,” said the 22-year-old. "It wasn't a heated discussion - it was more like a few home truths. There was no need to shout and scream because, when it’s a team discussion, that doesn't help anyone. Everyone spoke their mind, said things clearly and then we left. I'm sure everyone thought about it when they went home.
“The manager was involved to start with then he let us speak and it was more of an open discussion with everyone. I think that helped.
“It's not fair if just the manager just speaks because, ultimately, we are the players on the pitch and need to take responsibility. It was a good discussion and we moved on."
The response six days later was palpable, with Hearts turning in a fine showing to defeat Motherwell 2-1 in the last-16 of the Betfred Cup. With a benchmark set, Clare expects another positive showing against champions Celtic tomorrow.
“I think we proved a point. We proved we are a lot better than that [County] game. We showed that, as a team, we are working towards something good. We’ve set a benchmark now.”
While a Champions League exit against CFR Cluj and an unconvincing extra-time triumph over Dunfermline in the Betfred Cup brought criticism of Celtic, Neil Lennon's team were impressive in defeating AIK Stockholm 2-0 in the Europa League on Thursday.
Moreover, they have scored 12 goals in their two Premiership wins not lost a league match at home to Hearts since 2007.
Clare, however, is fearless ahead of the trip to Parkhead and reckons Hearts' can draw inspiration from running their opponents so close in May's Scottish Cup final defeat.
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Clare added: “I wouldn’t say it’s daunting. They didn’t score five or six in their most recent games so, although they are a very good side, we feel like we are too. We can’t let them play how they want to play otherwise they will be very effective but it’s down to us to stop them.
“It’s a good match-up and our last few games have been really close. They’ve pipped us at the end but we’re looking to give them one back.
“We can take belief from the cup final. We played really well that day and were unlucky to lose. I felt we were in control until they scored their first. We were making them do what we wanted them to do.
“It just shows the quality in their team that they had two good chances and put both away but we can learn from that. We need to limit them as much as we can, as well as being a threat ourselves going forward.”
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