The message from McInnes has been clear all season – ‘judge us after two rounds of fixtures’. The campaign has now reached that stage.
And if this is to be Hearts’ Judgement Day, Baningime’s red card somehow helped their cause for salvation.
Going into this game, they were the heavy favourites. St Mirren are circling the drain, an injury crisis in midfield having ripped the heart out of Stephen Robinson’s League Cup winners.
But being expected to win is not something Hearts have always been comfortable with. In their only blip in form this season, they were held by St Mirren, Dundee United, Motherwell and Kilmarnock, and lost to a struggling Aberdeen side.
Those were all games – Motherwell away aside, perhaps – that Hearts would have targeted wins from.
But, instead, it is in games against the Old Firm in which they have shone.
Not since 1960 had they won three consecutive games against their Glasgow rivals. They won the league that season.
They’re currently on a run of four, with Celtic at home on the horizon.
It could be those encounters that make the difference, but it is one such as the triumphs over Dundee and St Mirren that suggest they won’t fall away.
Twice they were a man down, twice they continued to fight and claim wins.
“Talk about statement results,” pundit Allan Preston said on Sportsound. “This is a statement result for Hearts. Down to 10 men since the 15th minute and they deserved to win by more.”
If there is such a thing as a statement draw, Hearts have managed that, too. Trailing 3-0 to Motherwell in late August, it seemed McInnes’ bubble was about to burst. Instead, they came back to draw 3-3.
They couldn’t manage the same feat against Hibernian in the Edinburgh derby just after Christmas, but they were a Raphael Sallinger super save away from a point.
Gordon Ramsay has appeared to throw more shade at new son-in-law Adam Peaty’s parentsCredit: instagram/hollyramsayAdam and Holly married late last monthCredit: SplashAdam’s parents didn’t go to the wedding after mum Caroline was bannedCredit: UnknownThe TV chef also took aim at Adam’s parents during his wedding speechCredit: Getty
Holly and Adamtied the knotat Bath Abbey on December 27, in a star-studded ceremony.
Gordon then commented: “Beautiful love you both Dad @hollyramsaypeaty @adamramsaypeaty.”
Fan picked up on him using “Dad for both of them”, thinking this was aimed at Adam’s estranged parents.
One fuming follower wrote: “You can’t help yourself , can you?”
Another added: “You have to keep making it upsetting for Adam’s parents. You made the wedding day a circus and you are determined to to make his family suffer shame on you.”
WEDDING SPEECH BACKLASH
The fresh backlash came after Gordon made a striking speech and told the couple how his wife Tana “will be a good mum to them both”.
It came when the TV chef gushed at how beautiful Holly looked and told Adam he was a “lucky man”, adding: “Look at Tana and that’s what you have to look forward to.”
In a chat with BritishVogue, content creator Holly spoke about a photo showing her and Adam at the ceremony and appeared to reinforce her support for his words.
She said: “Listening to dad’s speech, looking around the room and feeling overwhelmed with the love and the happiness on our guests’ faces.”
A source close to the Peaty family told the Daily Mail at the time: “Caroline can’t believe Gordon brought their family troubles up his speech. It is outrageous and very hurtful.
“By him saying Tana will be a good mum to them both makes Caroline sound like a bad mum. It was a cruel dig at her.
“She has always done her best for all her children. She is a very good mum.”
Adam’s feud with mum Caroline exploded In November after she was not invited to Holly’s hen do and then banned from the wedding.
Since the ceremony, swimmerAdam has revealed his name change– tweaking his surname to Ramsay Peaty – in what appeared to be another snub.
Gordon made reference to Adam’s family drama in his father of the bride speechCredit: Tim Stewart
Motherwell right-back and Scotland cap Stephen O’Donnell recently said it was incumbent on all Scottish players to give national manager Steve Clarke “a headache” in the run-up to the World Cup.
Findlay and Halkett are two such players but Findlay has the advantage of having worked with Clarke at Kilmarnock.
He is also one cap better off than his club-mate, having made his sole international appearance in a 6-0 win over San Marino in 2019 under Clarke.
The national team head coach is fiercely loyal to players who have served him well and Grant Hanley, Jack Hendry, Scott McKenna, Souttar and Kieran Tierney would all appear to be ahead of Findlay in the queue.
“There’s a few lads maybe on the outside of that just looking in at the minute,” McInnes added. “Going into big tournaments, there’s always maybe one or two casualties for injury and you just never know.
“If you’re playing for a team at the top of the league then there’s always significant players within that. But likes are Stuart and Craig Halkett, Stephen Kingsley, Harry Milne, these boys, you just never know.”
And Findlay added: “Every professional football player, until the day they retire, wants to play for their country. It’s the highest honour you can get in a game.
“I know the manager well and there’s no surprise to me how well he’s done. As a Scotland supporter, I trust him implicitly to pick the squad that he thinks is the best.
“For me, the biggest thing for me this season was doing well at Hearts. Of course, it’d be a massive bonus and it’d be great to be involved in.”
Fergus McCann and Ann Budge played a major role in turning round the financial fortunes of their respective Scottish Premiership clubs, Celtic and Hearts
Former Celtic chief executive Fergus McCann and ex-Hearts chair Ann Budge have been named in the New Year Honours.
Lisbon Lion Jim Craig, New Seekers singer Eve Graham, leading forensic scientist Prof Lorna Dawson and former UK defence minister Adam Ingram are also among those who have been recognised.
They have been joined by others including the chief executive of the Royal Edinburgh Botanic Garden, the chief constable of Police Scotland, a heritage kiltmaker and the founders of an island college.
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander congratulated the recipients and said the annual list was “packed with local heroes”.
Fergus McCann, who has been made an CBE for services to the economy and to charity, had a controlling stake in Celtic for five years from 1994.
The Parkhead team were hours from bankruptcy when the Stirling-born Canadian businessman paid off its debts.
He later oversaw the rebuilding of Celtic Park, funded in part by a share issue, and stabilised the Glasgow club’s finances.
In 2016 he told BBC Scotland: “I had a responsibility to the supporters to make sure their money wasn’t wasted.”
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Jim Craig was a member of the Celtic team which became the first British side to lift the European Cup
Budge, who becomes an OBE, performed a similar rescue act at Hearts.
But working alongside the Foundation of Hearts she put up £2.5m of her own money and has since made it the largest fan-owned club in the UK.
The businesswoman, who also delivered a new main stand and introduced a living wage for staff, stood down as chair earlier this month with Hearts top of the Scottish Premiership.
Jim Craig, who becomes an OBE, is best known as a member of the legendary 1967 Celtic team which became the first British side to lift the European Cup.
The defender – who later enjoyed a career as a dentist – also won seven league titles, four Scottish Cups and three league cups.
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Eve Graham (left) with fellow members of The New Seekers in August 1971 (left to right) Lyn Paul, Marty Kristian, Peter Doyle and Paul Layton
Eve Graham – who has also been awarded an OBE – and the New Seekers enjoyed international success with tracks like I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing.
The band also represented Britain at the 1972 Eurovision Song Contest.
At the height of the band’s success, the Perth and Kinross-based singer toured Europe and the US.
She even performed at President Richard Nixon’s inauguration ball in 1973.
PA
During the course of her career, Prof Lorna Dawson has advised on more than 150 cases and written more than 100 expert witness reports, both in the UK and abroad
Prof Lorna Dawson, head of the Centre for Forensic Soil Science at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen, said she was “delighted and humbled” to be given a damehood.
The expert has spent more than three decades researching soil and plant interactions with a particular interest in how this can be used in the criminal justice system.
Prof Dawson has given evidence in some of Scotland’s highest-profile murder cases.
The mother-of-three said: “This honour recognises the power of scientific innovation, partnership, and how forensic soil science can support justice on a national and global scale.
“I thank in particular my family for supporting me, and the many people in organisations I have worked with to help establish forensic soil science as an accepted and invaluable discipline across the world.”
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh /PA Wire
Simon Milne is the second regius keeper to be awarded a knighthood in the 355-year history of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Meanwhile, the Royal Edinburgh Botanic Garden’s chief executive said it was an “immense honour” to have been awarded a knighthood as he prepares to retire.
Simon Milne, whose formal title is regius keeper, has been recognised for his services to botany, conservation and horticulture.
In January the former Royal Marine Commando told BBC Scotland he was “devastated” after Storm Éowyn felled the tallest tree in Edinburgh – 166 years after it was planted during a visit by Queen Victoria’s eldest son, Albert.
Sir Simon said his interest in plants dates to the 1970s when his uncle brought back seeds from the Far East and he volunteered on a local nature reserve.
He said: “On reflection, these early experiences inspired my lifelong curiosity in nature and commitment to conservation.
“Receiving this award as I prepare to retire from such an extraordinary community is deeply meaningful.”
The only other regius keeper to have received a knighthood since the garden’s inception in 1670 was Sir Isaac Bayley Balfour.
He was named in the 1920 civilian war honours list for “services in connection with the war”.
This included persuading the War Office of the benefits of using sphagnum moss for wound dressings.
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Former UK government minister Adam Ingram was a Labour MP from 1987 to 2010
Elsewhere, Adam Ingram, former Labour MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow, received a knighthood for parliamentary and political service.
Sir Adam served as Northern Ireland security minister from 1997-2001 and as armed forces minister from 2001-2007.
When he stood down from that post in 2007, he had been the longest-serving defence minister in the history of the Ministry of Defence.
Labour MP for Oxford East, Dr Anneliese Dodds, has also been recognised.
The Aberdeen-born politician has been made a dame.
Other Scots honoured in the list include Lady Rae, a senior judge and lawyer, who has been made a CBE for services to the law, charity and education in Scotland.
Prof Sue Rigby, principal of Edinburgh Napier University, becomes a CBE for services to higher education.
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Jo Farrell has led Police Scotland – which replaced the country’s old eight-force model – since October 2023
Scotland’s top police officer said she was “honoured and grateful” to receive the King’s Police Medal (KPM).
Chief Constable Jo Farrell, a former head of Durham Constabulary, has led Police Scotland since 2023.
The force’s Chief Supt Stevie Dolan and retired Assistant Chief Constable Andy Freeburn will also receive the KPM.
Farrell said: “These honours are recognition of the skill and hard work of officers and staff who deliver for communities and keep Scotland safe.”
Marion Foster, founder of the College of Master Kilt Tailors, has been made an MBE for services to Scottish craftsmanship.
She said: “When I received the letter, I was stunned, it brought tears to my eyes, and I kept re-reading it.
“It was confidential so I have had to keep the news to myself.”
Macaulay College
Roland Engebretsen and Rebecca Lindsay have been awarded MBEs
Roland Engebretsen and Rebecca Lindsay, the co-founders of Macaulay College, near Stornoway in Lewis, have both been awarded MBEs for services to education, social inclusion and to people with additional support needs.
The artists and educators set up their college on Mr Engebretsen’s grandfather’s farm in 2010.
Adults with additional support needs are offered the chance to work on the farm and look after animals including goats, sheep, ponies and chickens.
Engebretsen said he was initially suspicious of the letter informing him of his honour when it dropped through the letterbox.
“It was a very official looking letter. I assumed I was in trouble,” he said.
“I’m glad it wasn’t. It was a lovely surprise.”
Rebecca Lindsay she was “totally overwhelmed” to find out.
