Lee Johnson showed the kind of ruthlessness Hibernian lacked in the last league derby when he condemned his players after a timid 3-0 defeat.

Johnson didn’t miss the target at the turn of the year when he said in his astonishing post-match interviews that he was ‘sick to death of the mediocrity’ and admitted that he had to get rid of the ‘dead wood’.

His mood would not have been much different just weeks later when they were dumped out of the Scottish Cup by their city rivals by the same scoreline.

Despite a recent four-game losing run putting their top six hopes in jeopardy ahead of tomorrow’s visit of a Hearts side in crisis, Johnson insists the atmosphere around the club is night and day compared to that period.

And he hopes his confidence in the squad is proved right with a first win in the derby since Boxing Day 2019.

Speaking about his rant back on January 2, the Hibs manager said: “Well I think we have got a way better culture now than we had then.

“It was as important to get players out as it was to get players in, not because they were bad lads, but because there was a bit of a malaise around the building.

“That’s not there anymore.

“I was just being honest with everyone. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t said to the players.

“It’s still there, do you know what I mean? We still need to improve, we still need more pitch personality.

“But we got it, didn’t we? I suppose the proof was in the pudding.

READ MORE: Lee Johnson ignoring negativity and targeting third place for Hibs

“Had the next set of performances been poor then there would have been an argument.

“Sometimes in management you have to be a little bit controversial and strong because it’s what you believe.

“It wasn’t aimed at anyone in particular, it was just to say: ‘We need to liven up here, it’s not enough to just go out and be mediocre’. It’s as simple as that.

“And we haven’t been since then.

“We’re far from finished. There’s no way I am finished in terms of the building phase and what I expect.

“And that’s why we need these little boosters, these big wins but little boosters over the course of the season, just to keep the positivity as strong as it can possibly be.”

Preparation for today’s game has been made more difficult after Steven Naismith replaced Robbie Neilson in the Hearts dugout earlier this week as the Gorgie side look to arrest a run of five straight losses.

Johnson, whose team are only one point clear of seventh place Livingston, can only second guess how the former Scotland striker will set up his team but insists how the opposition line-up is only a small part of his preparation.

Johnson, whose team are targeting their first win in ten derby games, said: “What you think you know the opposition is going to do is difficult, but we also know a little bit because we have people that we know and they’ll be the same. 

“In football that happens, I think we know what to expect. 

“More importantly, we know the individuals that are available for selection and their strengths and weaknesses and we’ll try and impose ourselves on the opposition whoever that is. 

“Normally the dial on the opposition is 85 per cent where we concentrate on ourselves and 15 on the opposition, sometimes we tweak it. 

“Lads don’t want to hear too much about opposition, they would much rather hear about themselves and how their attributes can come out in the game.”

Johnson, meanwhile, plans to get in touch with former Hearts team-mate Neilson once the dust has settled on the decision to sack him.

Asked if he had messaged Neilson, Johnson replied: “Of course, I would. On a human level.

“Robbie Neilson, as you know, is a friend from my playing days. I haven’t messaged him yet but I will – when it dies down.

“In a week, ten days or two weeks, when the phone goes quiet, knowing from my own experience, that’s the time when you can have some real depth to the conversation.”