In the stands, the club’s support has swollen and grown a life of its own.
A song about Portuguese striker Claudio Braga went viral on social media a few months ago.
It was written by fan, Calum MacKenzie, inspired by a success he’s never known before.
“It’s a tune, eh?” says the 26-year-old with a smile as he looks around Tynecastle. “It feels like the players are feeding off the stands and the energy.”
His song has been part of that.
To the tune of Queen’s Radio Gaga, Mackenzie wrote it at work, recorded it on a voice note and sent it to a Hearts supporters’ Whatsapp group.
Someone put it on social media and it made its way to the stands where mobile phone footage of fans belting it out has been watched more than five million times.
“Luckily enough we’re doing well and Claudio is a good player so it gets sung a lot more than I expected,” adds Mackenzie. “If we win the league now I’ll be taking the credit for it!”
Hearts fans are allowing themselves to think in those terms, albeit warily. However, McInnes will not be drawn on the possibility of lifting that trophy, but he is appreciative that they’re ‘disrupting’ Scottish football.
“We were a good story at the start – like good old Hearts are up there competing, and nobody really thought we could go this far,” he says.
“I think we’re starting to annoy a few people, which is understandable when there has been such a strong presence over the last 40 odd years for Rangers and Celtic.”
His side have two wins and a draw against Celtic in the league and two victories over Rangers, who they face at Ibrox this weekend.
Their record against the Old Firm is strong this season, but McInnes feels he can’t take his eye off the task in hand for one moment.
He adds: “I have to enjoy it more. If I was outside looking in and seeing a manager at the top of the league for nearly five months, I’d think how good must his life be!”
