Derek McInnes believes former club Hearts are “absolutely title contenders” and admits he still feels a sense of “guilt” over his summer departure to Rangers.
McInnes returns to Tynecastle on Wednesday evening looking to keep pace with Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership. It will be his first match back in Edinburgh since leaving Hearts to take charge at Ibrox.
The Rangers manager guided the Jambos to the brink of a first league title in 66 years last season, eventually falling just short in a remarkable campaign. While he speaks proudly of his achievements in Gorgie, McInnes is under no illusions about the reception he can expect from the home support.
“Well, the hope would be that you get on to the pitch and clap the fans and there’s an acknowledgement both ways, but that’s not going to happen,” McInnes said.
“I totally understand it, though. I loved my time at Hearts, I need to say that. It was only a short time, but I thought my Hearts team were a breath of fresh air for Scottish football last season.
“I really enjoyed what we managed to achieve. It shows what can be done despite not having the huge financial muscle of Rangers and Celtic to compete with, and I was proud of what we did there.”
Despite Hearts’ impressive campaign, McInnes believes his side deserved more, arguing that several key refereeing decisions went against them during the title run-in.
“Taking a team who finished in the bottom six and getting to 80 points, I just felt a real injustice at the end of it all. So I understand it’s not going to be great for me [on Wednesday], but I get it.”
Hearts remain a formidable force at Tynecastle, having gone unbeaten at home in the league since April 2025. McInnes was instrumental in building that record, overseeing an undefeated home campaign during his final season in charge and helping lay the foundations for a side he now believes are genuine challengers for the title.
