Steven Naismith opens up on Hearts situation - 'I don’t want to just be a survivor'

The Tynecastle boss has come under criticism for the club’s fanbase but in a bullish interview, he is desperate to be successful despite not needing travails of management

In a game already chock full of people concerned with self-preservation, Steven Naismith has taken a bolder, long-term approach.

“I think in Scottish football there’s loads of survivors. People looking to survive year to year and that’s a collective – that’s everyone not making the right decisions to give us the best chance of development,” opined the Hearts manager. “But I don’t want to just be a survivor. So I put my head above the parapet and say ‘no I’m willing to give this a shot’. I believe in it. I’ve hopefully had the playing career to back that up and now it’s about trying to do it as a coach.”

There is already a section of the Hearts support which wishes he hadn’t bothered. Just 11 games into the Premiership season, with the side sitting fourth and looking forward to a Viaplay Cup semi-final shindig at Hampden on Sunday, and critics have already called for a cull. But having come through tough times in his playing career, Naismith believes he has the resolve to turn the mood around.

Steven Naismith will hope to guide Hearts to the Viaplay Cup final on Sunday.

“We’re definitely in an era where everything is a must-win and if you don’t win by tomorrow it’s not good enough,” continued the Hearts manager. “But that’s the way it is and you just need to have a calmness to understand it. Opinions are massive on social media now and every week there’s another one doing the rounds. All I can do is continue to work hard, continue to see progression and hopefully, and this is the bigger picture for me, the whole club moves forward

“The worst thing that is going to happen is I'm going to get sacked, I'll move on and everyone will move on. I'm pretty calm with that. I've been battered as a player, I've been battered as a coach. It is part and parcel, it's not right and not right the way people are on social media but that is a wider thing. I'm tough enough to deal with it. I've been there before and came back from it. The two injuries are the two biggest things I've come back from. Everybody wrote me off at Rangers when I was coming back, everybody wrote me off in my first year at Everton and I came back. That gives me confidence.”

An animated manager who goes through the wringer every matchday, the anguish, the frustration, the pride and the ecstasy are all evident in his body language. But leading his men out at the national stadium will be a new experience. Facing the team who netted two late, late goals at Ibrox last weekend to inflict a 2-1 defeat, it is a job that comes with pressure. Yet, after playing against and for the Gorgie club, he is well-versed on the expectations and demands. Even if he hadn’t been, a quick bit of research ahead of stepping into the role in the summer, made things clear.

“I spoke to loads of managers I have worked with, a load of coaches about it all,” explained Naismith. “The overwhelming first reaction to it when talking about clubs where you might start was 'oofft, that's a big club'. But I could easily have retired, put my feet up and enjoyed life but I really believe I can make a difference here. I really believe we have got good people here. I believe the club is going in the right direction. The one part that is the hardest part is the demand and the expectation which is right there from day one.

Naismith took some of the heat away with his team winning 1-0 during the week against Livingston.

“Inevitably there are going to be mistakes made, by players, us, everybody. If we are better after those mistakes then that's going to be better long term. But this is the closest I've ever felt to when I was a player. I've managed to coach at the national team and that’s a great level but you are a support act there. You are somebody who is helping and doing all you can. There is value in that but I really believe through my experiences, through the people I have worked with I can do something. The biggest thing for me in Scottish football is we are way behind England. Loads of that is down to money but some of it is not. I think we can do things better. If we can do that then we can have a better club long term which hopefully brings success.”

Aside from cash, Naismith says there are inroads to be made in every area, “from coaches to players. If you are in a very small environment and you think 'I'm doing a brilliant job'. What is that brilliant in the wider scale of football? It might not even be average”. He continued: “I've been fortunate that I've been at clubs who had that and built it. We can do so much more, it is about driving people to be better. The board wants that, the fans want that, we've got a good group of players who want that. As a collective I think we can definitely get there.”

Better at a club like Hearts means consistently high finishes in the league and regular European – but it also suggests trophies. They have a shot at moving a step closer to collecting silverware on Sunday, when they face Rangers with a place in the Viaplay Cup final at stake. To do that they will need to make history, with a first win over the Ibrox side at the national stadium, in a cup competition they have not won in 60 years. “Yeah, that means trophies and challenging at the top of the table,” added Naismith. “I knew that when I came as a player, I know it now. It is whether time allows and whether, within that time, we have enough progression that people buy into it. That is what will define me as being the head coach at Hearts.”

That is what could, ultimately, be the difference between simply surviving and thriving.