How McInnes had made Hearts 'different animal'

Derek McInnes has turned Hearts into a "completely different animal" and should have nothing to fear against Celtic as the Edinburgh club attempt to close in on their first league title in 60 years.

The Tynecastle outfit are three points clear at the top of the table with three games to go and have already beaten Rangers to effectively knock the Glasgow club out of the title race.

They travel to Celtic on the final day but could, depending on results in the next two games, already be champions.

Hearts came from a goal down on Monday to defeat Rangers 2-1, and fan Liam Corbett of the This is My Story podcast says he was never worried about facing Danny Rohl's side.

"I genuinely never ever felt that Rangers would come to Tynecastle and beat Hearts," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Hearts are a completely different animal now under Derek McInnes at home. I watched the Celtic game on Sunday and thought if we're on our game, there's nothing there that I'm genuinely terrified of.

"And they'll have watched the first half on Monday and gone: 'Wait a minute, neither of these two teams is catching us.'"

Hearts boss McInnes was named manager of the year after an impressive first season in Gorgie.

And Corbett says his post-match comments on Monday showed exactly why he has been so successful.

He added: "I think what really summed up why Derek McInnes was the PFA manager of the year is that after the game, he came out and said it was a terrible first half - nothing like us, nowhere near what we're supposed to be, levels below what we were.

"He said he asked the players: 'Do you want to be champions? Do you want to show everybody that you're top of the league? Go out and put it right, because that wasn't good enough.'"