Hearts Star Braga Anticipates Hostile Reception for Former Manager McInnes

Hearts striker Claudio Braga anticipates a challenging atmosphere when his former manager Derek McInnes returns to Tynecastle with Rangers on Wednesday, viewing it as an inevitable outcome of McInnes' decision to leave the Edinburgh club four months prior.

McInnes guided Hearts to a strong league campaign last season, narrowly missing out on a Scottish title. However, he was subsequently headhunted by Rangers, his former club, to replace Danny Rohl. This move also saw key players Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin follow McInnes to Govan.

Braga stated that while the players who played under McInnes retain respect for him, he understands that the club's supporters might feel differently. "Of course, we shared the locker room with them and we know them personally. And I couldn’t just hate them just because they left the club. That’s what a football player professionally needs to do. That’s their choice. I just could never judge that," Braga said. He added, "But I believe it will be a strong atmosphere for them. That was their choice. So now, of course, they have the consequences. And they knew that, I think, when they left."

Despite the circumstances of the departure, Braga emphasized the strong bond formed during their successful season. "Personally, I really like Derek," he commented. "I have nothing bad to say about him, Shanks or Cammy. I shared one amazing year with them and really love them as people. So, of course, it will be good to face them, but I have nothing but love for them."

Hearts recently secured a crucial league victory against Motherwell, with Braga and Calvin Miller scoring. This win came amidst a significant injury list, which Braga suggested has fostered a resilient team spirit. "Every time you look, you just lose somebody. But in a way, if we go on a pitch like we did on Sunday and fight for each other, it doesn’t matter," he explained. "Of course, it’s hard when you see so many injuries and it’s hard to lose players that are used to playing every week. And then you just need to adapt, get a chemistry with new players. But at the same time, we can’t just have excuses."

Braga acknowledged the importance of bouncing back with the Motherwell victory after recent losses to Celtic and Trabzonspor. "Yeah, of course," he said. "Just bouncing back from these last two results, especially the one in the league, was important. We stuck together, fought as a family and I feel that matters a lot. Because playing good is going to happen, but some days you won’t. You need to play dirty and we fought as a family and we got the win."