A 5-0 defeat at the hands of Celtic then a 4-2 thumping of Rangers, all in the space of three weeks: Hearts are nothing if not unpredictable.

If that caning at Celtic Park represented a nadir, it was also a turning point. Since then they have gone unbeaten, culminating in Saturday's surprise win over Rangers. The fallout from the Celtic defeat prompted significant soul-searching at Tynecastle. Christophe Berra, the club captain, believes it has proved a cathartic experience.

"Sometimes you learn more about your team in defeat than victory," said Berra, speaking at the launch of the Magnificent Seven' project, which will offer every primary three child in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Borders, the chance to claim a free Hearts replica shirt and a pair of match tickets for a game. "We had a few words in the changing room afterwards, but we had a meeting a couple of days later in the academy.

"We arranged it between ourselves. It was just a civilised talk and everyone had their say. Hopefully it was a step in the right direction. I think criticism is good for you. If you make mistakes, you've got to learn from them. It makes you stronger. All the boys have responded in the right way and we need to keep doing it if we are to challenge at the top of the league."

At Parkhead, Hearts looked every bit the club in crisis. Since then, they have shown more cohesion on and off the park en route to victories over Stirling Albion, Motherwell and then Rangers.

Berra emphasised the fundamentals of team-work which have helped turn them around. "After the defeat at Celtic Park, a lot of people realised what we needed to do to win games. Since then, against Stirling, Motherwell and Rangers we've come out fighting and worked for each other.

"If someone is not having a good game, then as long as they are giving 110% then they are doing the job for the team. When we got off to a good start on Saturday the fans got behind us and it was a great atmosphere.

"That drove the boys on.

A lot of it was down to all the boys working together. We got in their faces. At Parkhead, when we didn't have the ball, we didn't play or defend as a team. People said Rangers didn't play well, but we didn't allow them to play. It's no use doing it against Rangers, we have to do it against every team. Inverness on Saturday is a very difficult game, so we will have to be on top of our game again."

Hearts' patchy start to the season has left them eight points behind Celtic and seven behind Rangers, but Berra remains confident that they can claw their way back into contention.

"With the quality players we have, we can beat any team. I know it will be hard to challenge Celtic and Rangers but if you don't set high standards for yourself, you're never going to reach them."