Motherwell manager Graham Alexander is confident his players will revel in the Tynecastle atmosphere as they prepare for their top-four battle with Hearts.
Alexander’s side sit fourth in the cinch Premiership and beat Hearts at Fir Park in their most recent meeting after losing in Gorgie earlier in the season.
Tynecastle is viewed by many players as the ground with the best atmosphere in Scotland and Alexander believes his players will embrace their surroundings.
“I am obviously new to Scottish domestic football and have only seen the supporters this season, and I think all the supporters are passionate about their clubs,” he said.
“We have been to quite a few grounds this year and they have all been good atmospheres, and volatile and passionate.
“But I think that’s what is special about Scottish football, and UK football, the interaction from the supporters. It’s always full-on.
“When we are young kids we play lots of games of football and we always dream about playing in front of supporters and crowds and atmospheres and scoring goals and hearing the raw emotion of the supporters.
“That’s what all players want to do. Once you get there, you can’t go backwards and be afraid of it. You’ve got to say, ‘This is where I wanted to be, this is what I dreamt of when I was 10 years old’.
“I do believe our players do respond well in those conditions, those environments. I think we have that environment here at Fir Park and we have responded great to that.
“I like my players to show that sort of commitment and courage to just play the game regardless of the atmosphere.”
Alexander showed his own passion in midweek when getting sent off for disputing Liam Donnelly’s red card in a goalless draw with Hibernian, and he would appreciate finding out more about why Andrew Dallas showed him a red card.
“I don’t know what the repercussions are, I am waiting to hear,” the former Scotland international said. “It would be good to speak to someone about it if possible.
“I was shouting and I did swear. I pretty much shout and swear every game, and every training session possibly.
“I see every other manager shouting and swearing, not just in Scotland but all over the place. I’m 50 years old, I have sworn a lot in my life, for a lot of years.
“But I believe that I try to stay within the boundaries, I don’t ever accuse anybody of anything malicious. I doubt if the ref could hear me from where I was, to be honest.
“But I always try to look at myself as well and how I can do things better. That’s important. There are responsibilities as a manager, a professional, a player, so I do look at that as well.
“But I don’t believe I crossed the line to warrant a red card the other night. But we have to crack on, life’s not perfect.”
