Steven Naismith rejects unrest claims within Hearts hierarchy - 'it's very calm and very comfortable'

The Jambos boss accepts improvement in next cycle of fixtures is required but says success will not come overnight when trying to make such sweeping changes

Alan Forrest, centre, wants to go into the international break on the back of a victory.

There is a slight sense of repetition at Steven Naismith’s press conferences these days, as the fledgling Hearts manager is quizzed on the team’s performances and the buzz of fan discontent in the background.

On paper, Hearts appear to be sitting in decent enough position. Going into Saturday afternoon’s Premiership clash with Motherwell, having played 11 games and a full cycle of fixtures, the Jambos lie fifth in the table. They reached the semi-finals of the Viaplay Cup, losing to in-form Rangers last weekend, and reached the Europa Conference League play-off round, falling to PAOK. Yet there is a section of the Tynecastle support who have little faith in their manager. By his own admission, performances this season have been “inconsistent” and as each week passes, the 37-year-old – six months into his first senior management role – has to bat away questions about unrest. For every step his team have taken forward, they have matched it with backwards motions.

Naismith continues to call for patience. With some senior players still out injured, and new ones still settling into Scottish football and adapting to his demands, the former Scotland internationalist does not expect an instant turnaround. “This need for instant success ain’t happening,” Naismith said. “If somebody can name me a team that from one week then boom, that’s it and they’ve been successful team for the next ten years, it very rarely happens, if at all.”

Hearts manager Steven Naismith says patience is required when overhauling a club such as Hearts.

His words are unlikely to curry favour with the disgruntled element of his own support but Naismith is bullish enough to accept that. He has confidence he can win them over. After facing Celtic, Rangers twice and Hibs in recent fixtures, the next three matches – away at Motherwell, at home to St Johnstone and away to Kilmarnock – will tell Naismith how his players are taking on board his coaching and instructions.

“Inconsistent is probably the part that's screaming out the loudest to me,” Naismith responded when asked what his report card would look like at this stage of the season. “We've had good moments, at times we have had good results, we've had some good performances but not for the full 90 minutes. That is ultimately what has probably cost us a bit. The two games that are the biggest are probably Ibrox and the derby. Within those matches there were some really good performances, really good parts where you are in the lead, playing well and causing problems. Then for small things to happen, there are short periods of time where decision-making has cost us. That's the part we need to get better because we would be looking a bit better if we did cut that bit of the game out.

“There has got to be a lot more to come. I think in fits and starts you have seen it but with playing in Europe, with the change in personnel, with the injuries, it's not going to be plain sailing. Also, when you are asking the players to do some things that are different to what they have been before, mistakes are going to be made. There are times they don't do it because they forget or they are in the moment of the game and their focus is gone but over time there are elements of it we have seen from players.

"Hopefully by the time we get to the end of the season we have hopefully had a successful season but also that part of it has moved on and developed. For a club like Hearts, that's what has got to happen. The need for instant success, 'we've got to do this' is good and great but is that good enough to last and I don't think it is so. I think what we are doing is building everything so it gets to a point when everybody is available, everybody has been around the squad for a decent period of time then it is flowing much better than it has been in recent times.”

Hearts' Peter Haring (L), Kye Rowles and Stephen Kingsley during a training session ahead of facing Motherwell.

If Naismith is asking for time to implement wholescale change across the capital club, then it may fall on some deaf ears. Football supporters are notoriously impatient, but even more rational-minded individuals are questioning whether Hearts have progressed from where they found themselves in April, when Robbie Neilson was axed as manager and replaced by Naismith. The current boss, however, has not needed assurances from the club’s hierarchy.

“For sure, yes,” Naismith replied when asked if there was patience within the club. “Everyday we work we are very open with the players and we try to get as much feedback from them as possible. That part is really good, we are really happy with that. For the squad, for everyone internally, that is the hard part, to understand everyone is going to have their own opinion, everyone is going to expect things to be done in a certain way but when you have such a large fanbase it is going to be very, very rare if it all when you are going to get everybody to agree on what should happen, how we should play, how to get results, who should play. We need to believe within our group that we are one group that's pushing forward. At times you will play, at times you will be out the team and when you are out the team it is your job to push the guys in the team to get back in the team. Over the course of the season everyone will contribute for what will hopefully be a successful season.

A newspaper report earlier in the week suggested some board members had become agitated with recent results. “I’ve not heard that,” was Naismith’s response. “I speak to the board every couple of months, we have a board meeting. Most weeks I’ll speak with somebody at board level, just to check in. And obviously Andrew [McKinlay, chief executive] is about every week as well. It’s very calm and very comfortable. A lot of what we’ve discussed at the start, about what needs to change and what needs to get better has shown up. That’s part of the process. I’m comfortable with everything internally and what decisions we can make to make things better and get results and improve performances.”

That starts at Fir Park against a Motherwell team struggling for form themselves. They showed character in recovering from 2-0 down at St Johnstone midweek to get a draw in Perth but are winless in seven matches. “This round of games, for sure, it needs to be better and we need to have more consistency with that,” Naismith accepted. “That comes, first of all with performances but doing it for the full length of the match and then also results. Once you get a few of them everything becomes easier. We've had a few good results and then maybe a setback, a few good results then a setback, that's what you need to eradicate, get that out, and consistently know that minimum we are coming out with a draw here. We need to be the team coming off the pitch saying 'we're unlucky not to win or won' rather than say 'we held on for a draw'. That's where we need to get to which ultimately will get us the points we need to be challenging.”

The situation is not lost on the players either. Asked how important signing off ahead of a two-week international break is, wide-man Alan Forrest said: “Massive. That’s what you want. I think as well, especially with the way the table is, everything’s tight so it feel as if you get a positive result tomorrow it changes the dynamics, it changes the look of the table and then you’re going into that break and it’s off the back of the win. So it feels like things are positive again.”

Naismith will hope positivity is the buzzword at 5pm on Saturday – otherwise November could become a month of more discontent.