Hearts’ Claudio Braga looks dejected

I know what you’re thinking so there’s no need to say it.

As a matter of fact, I have a Rangers supporting mate who has been texting me every morning since the weekend before he starts his work. He must get out of bed at 5:30am and reach for his mobile.

‘Are you alright Ryan? When you get up this morning, try to have a good day!’.

I finally texted him back for the first time today and told him where to shove his phone and reminded him that Hearts are still top of the league.

But, yes, I knew it was coming after what went on last weekend.

Having predicted in this column a week ago that Hearts were effectively two wins away from wrapping up the title before the split, it’s fair to say I was holding my head in my hands on Sunday when my old side left two points behind at Livingston.

It’s all good craic and that’s the way it’s meant to be.

But I don’t mind admitting, I’m absolutely s****** myself at thought of what comes next when Motherwell pitch up at Tynecastle on Saturday. And there’s still four days to go before kick-off!

Look, I stand by what I said. If Hearts had won in West Lothian on Sunday and followed that up with another three points this weekend, then the league would have been as good as done and dusted.

And, even though they failed to get the job done against Livi, I’m still strangely confident that they’ll get there in the end and claim their place in the history books. I’m just not sure any more of exactly how it will happen.

I’m also struggling to get my head around how theft let things slip after Claudio Braga headed them into a 2-1 lead. At that point, I fully expected Hearts to kick on and to score another couple and make it all very comfortable.

Lawrence Shankland attempts a shot(Image: Getty Images)

I should have known better. Of course I should have. Absolutely nothing about this is going to be comfortable from here on in for any of the three sides at the top.

And you know what? It’s brilliant just to sit back and watch even if we’re all seeing our anxiety levels go through the roof.

Honestly, I have this vision of a wee guy sitting behind the controls of a helicopter somewhere in the country on the last day of the season with the trophy strapped into the back seat and an engraver on board.

They don’t know where they’ll end up or which name to carve on the plinth.

And that’s the way I think it’s all destined to end now that the post split fixtures are out and we all know what the run-in looks like.

Hand on heart, I wish the SPFL had gone down a different route. How good would it have been if the curtain came down on the season with an Edinburgh derby and an Old Firm showdown on the final day?

But I’m guessing, even if the guys running the game would have gone for it, the cops would never have allowed it. And, yes, I get their point. Albeit reluctantly.

So now we know that Hearts will have to go to Celtic Park on the last day instead and the very thought of that one is enough to send a shiver down the spine already.

But what Derek McInnes and the players need to do now is to make sure they’re going there to win it because, as things stand, they are on the brink of greatness.

When you sign for the club you are actively encouraged to learn about its history and obviously a huge part of that is learning about the Hearts team that went to fight for the country in the first World War with the McCrae’s Battalion.

They had been at the top of the league when the call came. And they will never ever be forgotten for their sacrifices.

But, in decades from now, this current side might be being mentioned in the same breath.

If they go on to win this title they’ll be getting wheeled out at Tynecastle in 30 or 40 years from now in much the same way that Celtic have celebrated the Lisbon Lions since 1967.

That’s what is on the line here.

Maybe that played a part in what went on at Livingston on Sunday because these boys are only human. They understand what’s at stake.

So after fighting back from behind to go 2-1 up, yes, maybe the realisation of what they are trying to achieve started to take a toll. Whatever happened, they stopped doing the things that had got them back into the game and, by the end, I was relieved just to see them getting out of there with a point.

And you know the truth? I don’t know if that was because the players were feeling the pressure or if it was because I was struggling to deal with it purely as a fan.

It’s impossible to know either way because we are all entering uncharted territories. And it’s the same thing for Celtic and Rangers.

Scottish football simply hasn’t experienced a title fight like this one and there’s no way of knowing how people react when the heat is on.

What I do hope is that the Hearts boys have had some talks behind the scenes since Sunday afternoon. They have to get their heads straight and accept that they can’t allow any more repeats of that slip up.

I’ve already made the mistake of getting too far ahead of myself and the weekend results have thrown a spanner in my works.

Rangers were nearly pegged back to 3-3 when Dundee United hit the post at Ibrox on Saturday. They went straight up the pitch to make it 4-2 instead. These margins are just too tight to call.

Celtic, too, were fortunate to get in and out of Dundee with a narrow late win so everyone in the country is on edge right now.

Hearts simply have to focus on Motherwell this Saturday and find a way to win the match. Then we’ll see how the cards lie for the other two before the post split fixtures begin.

I still believe Hearts are going to do it. I’m confident they will. But I’ve resigned myself to the fact that it’s going to be a lot less straightforward and much more stressful than I was hoping for this time just one week ago.