Steven Naismith ( merged )

[Rudy T]

3 hours ago, Byyy The Light said:

Will people just stop with this utter drivel. Take Miovski’s goals out of Aberdeen, take Haaland’s goals out of Man City last season, take Messi’s goals out of Argentina, it’s a moronic comment to keep making. 

Exactly and I would confidently say Naismith has improved Shanklands game.

 

The key to Naismiths success is his ability to actually coach players and improve them, I’m the first to say I had Hoff in the bin but look at the transformation in him, Grants another one and then his careful approach to bringing through the youngsters. 
 

We've found an absolute gem in Naismith and we need to forget the sound bites from the media and appreciate what we’ve got.

 

Make no mistake the Weegie press will do all they can to unsettle us, a ten point gap is to close for comfort for them.

[tiger Rudi]

I think we have the makings of a great manager. Still a bit to go with the squad overall but he's doing a fantastic job. The squad is a work in progress but he's managed to sort our "wins on the road" points total spectacularly.

I'm still worried about the right side defensively but expect that to be addressed in the summer. 

We have two excellent rwb's, we still don't have a defensively solid player who can play RB when needed. 

Adding one player to replace Oda/Tagawa would see the squad complete in my view. Both players mentioned could develop yet, but I'd like to see a "marque" signing upgrade that can really tease defences, a player who is comfortable playing wide or thru the middle.

Edited February 12 by tiger Rudi
Edited

[RustyRightPeg]

1 minute ago, tiger Rudi said:

I think we have the makings of a great manager. Still a bit to go with the squad overall but he's doing a fantastic job. The squad is a work in progress but he's managed to sort our "wins on the road" points total spectacularly.

I'm still worried about the right side defensively but expect that to be addressed in the summer. 

We have two excellent rwb's, we still don't have a defensively solid player who can play RB when needed. 

Add one player to replace Oda/Tagawa would see the squad complete in my view. Both players mentioned could develop yet, but I'd like to see a "marque" signing upgrade that can really tease defences, a player who is comfortable playing wide or thru the middle.

 

What worries you about the right side of the defence? Atkinson was in great form before the Asia cup, and was a standout in our win at Celtic Park. 

 

Are you on the 'he can't defend' train?

[tiger Rudi]

8 minutes ago, RustyRightPeg said:

 

What worries you about the right side of the defence? Atkinson was in great form before the Asia cup, and was a standout in our win at Celtic Park. 

 

Are you on the 'he can't defend' train?

No not at all. He's doing well defensively, I hope that continues. Still has to do it consistently and I would add, who plays there when he's not available? He is first pick for me, especially if we play a 3. I'm hoping we sign someone that will challenge him when we require a 4.

[Fozzyonthefence]

15 minutes ago, RustyRightPeg said:

 

What worries you about the right side of the defence? Atkinson was in great form before the Asia cup, and was a standout in our win at Celtic Park. 

 

Are you on the 'he can't defend' train?

One swallow and all that.  He’s not that good, simple as.  Going forward is supposed to be his strength yet he rarely gets any assists (compare to Cochrane on the other side) and Dexter seems to offer more going forward.  Funnily enough, Atkinson looks more solid defensively than him, even though that’s supposed to be the weak part of his game.  He’s not solid enough though and is an area of the team I would be targeting as an opposition manager. 
 

I think you’re in a tiny minority if you don’t think signing a RB in the summer will be a priority for SN.  Time will tell. 

[RustyRightPeg]

39 minutes ago, Fozzyonthefence said:

One swallow and all that.  He’s not that good, simple as.  Going forward is supposed to be his strength yet he rarely gets any assists (compare to Cochrane on the other side) and Dexter seems to offer more going forward.  Funnily enough, Atkinson looks more solid defensively than him, even though that’s supposed to be the weak part of his game.  He’s not solid enough though and is an area of the team I would be targeting as an opposition manager. 
 

I think you’re in a tiny minority if you don’t think signing a RB in the summer will be a priority for SN.  Time will tell. 

 

I think we'll sell Atkinson. For good money personally.

 

His performances at the Asia Cup (and here for the record) have been consistent. 

[Vlad Magic]

Apart from the obvious turnaround in results and our fantastic run recently there are 2 things that really stick out to me when comparing Naismith V previous.

 

1. The attitude of the players. They go out to win. Fighting for each other, covering positions, communicating all the time, but most of all they are enjoying playing football!! Yes it’s a paid sport but how many times under previous management did the guys smile and laugh as much as they do currently? Training sessions must be brilliant fun.

 

2. Naismiths ability to communicate. The guys speaks eloquently to the press. When on camera he is never flustered. He speaks absolute truth and communicates his points beautifully. Probably the best representative of Hearts ever.
 

I think one of the reasons we are doing so well is he has a unique ability to convey his wishes to the players in easy to understand details and methods. Playing for him must be an absolute dream.

[jtkb]

Natty just has to work on the ball over the top out wide he seems to get caught out quite a lot but he is maturing in to a good wing back be a good contest till end of season who holds down that right side. Tough decision but a good one to have for Naisy. Just like having 2 of the best keepers in Scotland to choose from 🤣

[i8hibsh]

The interview with Shankland after the game last night tells me that he is a very positive person at that club too.

[chester copperpot]

Steven Naismith for the Balon D'or

 

[RustyRightPeg]

6 minutes ago, i8hibsh said:

The interview with Shankland after the game last night tells me that he is a very positive person at that club too.

 

He was giddy in that. Proper good light hearted interview. 

[been here before]

6 minutes ago, i8hibsh said:

The interview with Shankland after the game last night tells me that he is a very positive person at that club too.

 

Now we're doing well again Pwincess, are you managing along to games or are you still throwing your hissy fit until "that woman is out my club"?

[Vlad Magic]

Banderson reporting that Devlins been coached into a new role. 
 

If Naismith pulls that off he deserves huge credit. Also wonder where he’l be playing ?

[Herbert.]

5 minutes ago, Vlad Magic said:

Banderson reporting that Devlins been coached into a new role. 
 

If Naismith pulls that off he deserves huge credit. Also wonder where he’l be playing ?

 

I've said it before he would be brilliant in the same sort of role Cameron played for us. 

[naeclue]

I like Naismith, and the way he has turned around our away form has been spectacular.  

 

Sooner or later, there will be a bad run, and those are tough to get out of.  Hopefully he can cope with that when it happens, and in the meantime builds up a bank of goodwill in the support.  I think the current run gets him 10 days until a Naismith oot poll after losing two games.  

Edited February 12 by naeclue

[Fozzyonthefence]

1 hour ago, RustyRightPeg said:

 

I think we'll sell Atkinson. For good money personally.

 

His performances at the Asia Cup (and here for the record) have been consistent. 

I think we would if a decent offer came in but what would “good money” for him be in your book?  I can’t see any clubs offering 7 figures for him.  

[Fozzyonthefence]

49 minutes ago, Vlad Magic said:

Banderson reporting that Devlins been coached into a new role. 
 

If Naismith pulls that off he deserves huge credit. Also wonder where he’l be playing ?

Has to just be a more attacking midfield role?  He’s already shown he can be a box to box midfielder (Rosenberg being the best example) but he has to work on his finishing and final ball. 

Edited February 12 by Fozzyonthefence

[Rick Sanchez]

I really like the way he speaks. 

 

When he was first appointed I had doubts on whether he could articulate his points to the players instead of moaning like he did as a player, which I didn't mind btw, but you could see a few of his team mates go into their shell.

 

Delighted to be proved wrong.

[RustyRightPeg]

6 minutes ago, Fozzyonthefence said:

I think we would if a decent offer came in but what would “good money” for him be in your book?  I can’t see any clubs offering 7 figures for him.  

 

Why not? He's an Aussie international, 24 y/o, market value of £950K. 

 

I'm a bit bored of people lowballing our players. We don't need to sell him, so we'd be in the driver seat. I could quite easily see offers north of £1M for him. Easily.

[wavydavy]

12 minutes ago, Fozzyonthefence said:

Has to just be a more attacking midfield role?  He’s already shown he can be a box to box midfielder (Rosenberg being the best example) but he has to work on his finishing and final ball. 

 

It would seem it is according to this.

 

Hearts want to convert Devlin from a defensive-minded midfield spoiler who breaks up play and snaps at opponents' ankles into a box-to-box type who can do a bit of everything. His infectious energy is something coaches want to harness whilst also working on things like ball retention and positional awareness to help him become more effective further forward.

[jamboinglasgow]

1 hour ago, Vlad Magic said:

Banderson reporting that Devlins been coached into a new role. 
 

If Naismith pulls that off he deserves huge credit. Also wonder where he’l be playing ?

 

I would love it if they pulled it off. I really like Devlin but he is in danger of getting stuck behind players. So a new role that gets the most out of him would be ideal.

 

Also pleased with coaching that doesn't just see a player as disposable once they drop down the pecking order and instead thinks how can I reuse them in a better manner.

[boag1874]

It's crazy to think he's been here 6 years now! Feels like only yesterday we were all buzzing about his signing on loan and then even more buzzing when we saw how good a player he still was.

 

He just fits Hearts like a glove, he embodies everything we love about the great Hearts teams - passion, commitment, desire, a bit of a mean streak and above all else a winners mentality. He demanded high standards as a player and he'll have been drilling those standards into the current Hearts team, he's an excellent man manager too as evidenced by the improvements made in Grant, Rowles, Atkinson, Forrest - all players who last season looked at best bit-part standard - & Hof who's growing more & more into the team.

 

Fully on board the Naisy Train

[sac]

12 minutes ago, wavydavy said:

 

It would seem it is according to this.

 

Hearts want to convert Devlin from a defensive-minded midfield spoiler who breaks up play and snaps at opponents' ankles into a box-to-box type who can do a bit of everything. His infectious energy is something coaches want to harness whilst also working on things like ball retention and positional awareness to help him become more effective further forward.

Positive news, it means SN sees a player in there if they are taking the time to improve on Devlins weaknesses. Good luck wee Dev.

[Vlad Magic]

6 minutes ago, sac said:

Positive news, it means SN sees a player in there if they are taking the time to improve on Devlins weaknesses. Good luck wee Dev.

Devs being Dev’d 🤣

[Dazo]

59 minutes ago, wavydavy said:

 

It would seem it is according to this.

 

Hearts want to convert Devlin from a defensive-minded midfield spoiler who breaks up play and snaps at opponents' ankles into a box-to-box type who can do a bit of everything. His infectious energy is something coaches want to harness whilst also working on things like ball retention and positional awareness to help him become more effective further forward.

You have to say that really is an outstanding piece of man management. Whether it comes off or not you really have to applaud the coaching team for taking this approach. Rather than just dumping a young guy who uprooted his life to the other side of the world we are trying to develop and educate him into a different type of player. 

[PapaShango]

1 hour ago, Dazo said:

You have to say that really is an outstanding piece of man management. Whether it comes off or not you really have to applaud the coaching team for taking this approach. Rather than just dumping a young guy who uprooted his life to the other side of the world we are trying to develop and educate him into a different type of player. 

I'm sure with Devlin's attitude he will embrace it as well. He has the potential to do it when you watch some of his performances in a Hearts jersey. When fit and on it he can be outstanding. 

[Watt-Zeefuik]

3 hours ago, Vlad Magic said:

Banderson reporting that Devlins been coached into a new role. 
 

If Naismith pulls that off he deserves huge credit. Also wonder where he’l be playing ?

 

3 hours ago, Herbert. said:

 

I've said it before he would be brilliant in the same sort of role Cameron played for us. 

 

Here's Naisy's comments in the EEN. I agree this would be brilliant, and any notion of there being bad blood between Naisy and Dev seems very overblown from these comments. They see Dev's enthusiasm as work rate as fully the asset that it is.

 

And yes, Cameron came to mind for me too.

 

Quote

"Cammy probably brings a bit of a different dynamic to the others in midfield," said the head coach. "We have competition in there, probably even more now than we did in pre-season. Macaulay Tait and Aidan Denholm have pushed on and they are chapping on the door to be selected. That's the case as much as Cammy is coming back from injury, and as much as Beni [Baningime] and Calem [Nieuwenhof] have been doing recently.

 

"I think there is a place for them all. Cammy is slightly different to the others in terms of what he brings, but we have been working hard with him on other bits he can improve on. His energy and ability to get about the pitch is arguably as good as anybody at the club, if not better. It's about not losing discipline at times.

 

"It's about being structured in your position. Because he is playing in a vital area of the pitch, he can't be indisciplined. A forward can be a bit indisciplined and just press and press because he's got the midfield behind him. If Cammy does that at times, it could become a problem. That was something we identified in the summer.

 

"To Cammy's credit, he has done really well at that. I think he can be more of a box-to-box midfielder, which I don't think he has been in the past. He gets about but it's then his decision-making with the ball - when can he pass forward? - and being brave at certain points rather than being safer. It's just these small details.

 

"Every player in the squad has got these wee areas where we want them to get better. If Cammy adds that wee bit to his game then I'm pretty sure he can go on to a really high level. It's hard and it's frustrating, but if there is anybody in the squad that understands it, then it's Cammy."

 

"Cammy is infectious and his level of commitment to the squad has not wavered," explained Naismith. "An example of that was against St Mirren at home. Macaulay came on and did really well and Cammy was the first in about him and praising him when you could argue there is a wee bit of competition there. He is a brilliant character. I'm sure he will be champing at the bit to get back involved."

 

Edited February 12 by Watt-Zeefuik

[Butterbean1874]

4 hours ago, naeclue said:

I like Naismith, and the way he has turned around our away form has been spectacular.  

 

Sooner or later, there will be a bad run, and those are tough to get out of.  Hopefully he can cope with that when it happens, and in the meantime builds up a bank of goodwill in the support.  I think the current run gets him 10 days until a Naismith oot poll after losing two games.  

Aye was on the bandwagon get SN out but.....he's turned it around big time but always feel he's only a couple bad results away from calls for him to go 

[Pasquale for King]

Definitely had my doubts but the results since December have been fantastic. 

[Jamstomorrow]

Having absolutely no knowledge about obtaining such things, but If /when we get into Europe next season, will Naisy have the necessary qualifications to officially manage the team in Europe?   (For all I know, he may already have them.)  

[AHS51]

What a job he's doing! I was definitely thinking he might need to go after the Aberdeen game but he's turned it around. I have also noticed the lack of (big) injuries we are picking up (don't worry I'm not tempting fate ha ha) and the amount of last minute goals we score. Shows me it's not the medical staff as Neilson and Levein had a horrifc amount of injuries with the same medical team. Naismith must be doing something correct with the conditioning of the players. Keep it going!

[cazzyy]

26 minutes ago, Jamstomorrow said:

Having absolutely no knowledge about obtaining such things, but If /when we get into Europe next season, will Naisy have the necessary qualifications to officially manage the team in Europe?   (For all I know, he may already have them.)  

 

He doesn't need them, just needs to have started the course to get them which he will have.

[Fozzyonthefence]

7 hours ago, RustyRightPeg said:

 

Why not? He's an Aussie international, 24 y/o, market value of £950K. 

 

I'm a bit bored of people lowballing our players. We don't need to sell him, so we'd be in the driver seat. I could quite easily see offers north of £1M for him. Easily.

Well it seems our board are prone to lowballing our players too.  Can I remind you we sold Hickey, our biggest talent (outfield at least) for decades for a paltry £1.5m with still a year left on his contract?! 
 

I’m not sure Aussie international puts much on transfer fees (Jason Cummings, Jackson Irvine, what’s his name at Hibs, etc) so not sure why you think he could attract a fee similar to one of Europe’s most highly rated teenagers, as Hickey was. 

Edited February 12 by Fozzyonthefence

[hearts00]

Imagine, just imagine, a Head Coach that actually improves and develops players. 
 

Incredible, I thought I’d never see it again at Tynie. 
 

what a job Naisy is doing. Deserves great credit. 
 

Naismith for the Ballon D’or. 

[Fozzyonthefence]

7 hours ago, wavydavy said:

 

It would seem it is according to this.

 

Hearts want to convert Devlin from a defensive-minded midfield spoiler who breaks up play and snaps at opponents' ankles into a box-to-box type who can do a bit of everything. His infectious energy is something coaches want to harness whilst also working on things like ball retention and positional awareness to help him become more effective further forward.

Good to see SN agrees with me that he can be a box to box midfielder!😜

[Vlad Magic]

3 hours ago, Butterbean1874 said:

Aye was on the bandwagon get SN out but.....he's turned it around big time but always feel he's only a couple bad results away from calls for him to go 

Nice attempt at planting a seed. 
 

 

[Go for it 1308]

2 hours ago, Vlad Magic said:

Nice attempt at planting a seed. 
 

 

Yep, ****ing does my nut in when posters do that🤨

[Bazzas right boot]

7 hours ago, Vlad Magic said:

Nice attempt at planting a seed. 
 

 

 

He's not the only one.

 

At least he's posting tho, many of the more vocal naysayers have varnished.

 

 

[Jamstomorrow]

10 hours ago, cazzyy said:

 

He doesn't need them, just needs to have started the course to get them which he will have.

Thanks mate.

[RustyRightPeg]

11 hours ago, Fozzyonthefence said:

Well it seems our board are prone to lowballing our players too.  Can I remind you we sold Hickey, our biggest talent (outfield at least) for decades for a paltry £1.5m with still a year left on his contract?! 
 

I’m not sure Aussie international puts much on transfer fees (Jason Cummings, Jackson Irvine, what’s his name at Hibs, etc) so not sure why you think he could attract a fee similar to one of Europe’s most highly rated teenagers, as Hickey was. 

 

I'm not comparing him to Hickey. Not everything is comparable. Atkinson is 24 for a start.

 

I'm saying we have an Aussie international at our disposal, who if push came to shove we could get good money for. In my eyes, given the current climate, we could easy get north of £1M for him. 

 

Should we just hang about waiting for £500K for Rowles? Just cause he's Australian?

[Oda be a JT]

Just read another good interview with Naismith in the EEN, not posting link, the talks a hell of a lot of sense - he sees what the club are doing and I don’t think he would be in a hurry to go anywhere soon, I do think we should be looking to make that harder by backing him (dare I say his team too) with a long contract.

 

If someone were to come in and tempt him they going to have to show us some decent money (we don’t always think of that, the value of a manager…prob cos more recently we have been sacking them rather than teams wanting them)!

[Fozzyonthefence]

On 13/02/2024 at 09:00, RustyRightPeg said:

 

I'm not comparing him to Hickey. Not everything is comparable. Atkinson is 24 for a start.

 

I'm saying we have an Aussie international at our disposal, who if push came to shove we could get good money for. In my eyes, given the current climate, we could easy get north of £1M for him. 

 

Should we just hang about waiting for £500K for Rowles? Just cause he's Australian?

Rowles would go for more than Atkinson because he’s a better player imo.  If anyone wants to offer £1m for Atkinson I’d bite their hand off for that.  We could easily replace him and I think SN will in the summer. 

[PHSCAndy]

14 minutes ago, Oda be a JT said:

Just read another good interview with Naismith in the EEN, not posting link, the talks a hell of a lot of sense - he sees what the club are doing and I don’t think he would be in a hurry to go anywhere soon, I do think we should be looking to make that harder by backing him (dare I say his team too) with a long contract.

 

If someone were to come in and tempt him they going to have to show us some decent money (we don’t always think of that, the value of a manager…prob cos more recently we have been sacking them rather than teams wanting them)!

I’ve always thought that Naismith was a winner. 
To me his ‘never say die’ attitude on the pitch coupled with how many decent teams/managers he’s been involved with throughout his career has given him a decent grounding. 
Whilst he’s both thoughtful and intelligent, he’s still at the ‘rookie’ stage of his career regarding management so i’m of the opinion that he’ll still be with us next season. 
If the reports in his recent press interview are to believed he currently seems happy and valued at the minute. 
I don’t profess in any way to be itk however I’d like to think that the Hearts board have recognised the work that he has achieved in the short amount of time he has been in the job and will be doing all they can - perhaps even more so than Shanks - to get him to commit to a long term contract. 
Fingers crossed folks. 
 

[FarmerTweedy]

On 12/02/2024 at 21:39, Fozzyonthefence said:

Well it seems our board are prone to lowballing our players too.  Can I remind you we sold Hickey, our biggest talent (outfield at least) for decades for a paltry £1.5m with still a year left on his contract?! 
 

I’m not sure Aussie international puts much on transfer fees (Jason Cummings, Jackson Irvine, what’s his name at Hibs, etc) so not sure why you think he could attract a fee similar to one of Europe’s most highly rated teenagers, as Hickey was. 

There were particular circumstances at play there, we were in the middle of a pandemic, had been demoted to the Championship, the Championship season had been reduced to 27 games, and we didn't even know for sure if the season would actually get under way, or be finished, although it was clear that most, or all, of it would be played behind closed doors. Our income had plummeted, and given that Hickey had made clear he wouldn't be signing a new contract, the choice between taking what we could get then or keeping him till the following summer wasn't really a difficult one to make. 

 

It also wouldn't have sent a great message to any other young players that we tried to either bring to the club or get to sign extended contracts with the club in future if we'd denied Hickey the move to Serie A and made him see out the season in the Championship instead.

 

There was plenty to criticise back then about the running of the football side of things and how we ended up in a position to be demoted in the first place, but the club were right in the circumstances to take what money they could get and allow Hickey to take the amazing opportunity he was being offered. We'll hopefully never be in such circumstances again in the future. 

[FarmerTweedy]

On 13/02/2024 at 06:03, Bazzas right boot said:

 

He's not the only one.

 

At least he's posting tho, many of the more vocal naysayers have varnished.

 

 

They're all quite transparent, really!

Edited February 16 by FarmerTweedy

[jambo_74]

On 13/02/2024 at 06:03, Bazzas right boot said:

 

He's not the only one.

 

At least he's posting tho, many of the more vocal naysayers have varnished.

 

 

Wax on, F___Off

[FarmerTweedy]

1 hour ago, PHSCAndy said:

I’ve always thought that Naismith was a winner. 
To me his ‘never say die’ attitude on the pitch coupled with how many decent teams/managers he’s been involved with throughout his career has given him a decent grounding. 
Whilst he’s both thoughtful and intelligent, he’s still at the ‘rookie’ stage of his career regarding management so i’m of the opinion that he’ll still be with us next season. 
If the reports in his recent press interview are to believed he currently seems happy and valued at the minute. 
I don’t profess in any way to be itk however I’d like to think that the Hearts board have recognised the work that he has achieved in the short amount of time he has been in the job and will be doing all they can - perhaps even more so than Shanks - to get him to commit to a long term contract. 
Fingers crossed folks. 
 

I think he will too, I don't think he'll be actively looking for a move elsewhere for at least another year or two, but there's always the possibility another club that's bigger, or at least richer, than us, but not massive, sees what he's doing with us and decides that he's worth giving a chance now because if they wait he might start attracting clubs they can't compete with, and offer him an opportunity he feels he can't turn down! 

[Fozzyonthefence]

41 minutes ago, FarmerTweedy said:

There were particular circumstances at play there, we were in the middle of a pandemic, had been demoted to the Championship, the Championship season had been reduced to 27 games, and we didn't even know for sure if the season would actually get under way, or be finished, although it was clear that most, or all, of it would be played behind closed doors. Our income had plummeted, and given that Hickey had made clear he wouldn't be signing a new contract, the choice between taking what we could get then or keeping him till the following summer wasn't really a difficult one to make. 

 

It also wouldn't have sent a great message to any other young players that we tried to either bring to the club or get to sign extended contracts with the club in future if we'd denied Hickey the move to Serie A and made him see out the season in the Championship instead.

 

There was plenty to criticise back then about the running of the football side of things and how we ended up in a position to be demoted in the first place, but the club were right in the circumstances to take what money they could get and allow Hickey to take the amazing opportunity he was being offered. We'll hopefully never be in such circumstances again in the future. 

Not only did we sell him for far too low a fee, the board also made a complete James Hunt of the sell on fee.  Hibs got £3m for Josh Doig ffs!  Hopefully lessons have been learned.  

[Sid]

For all you conspiracy theory frothers, Evening news has just published a very comprehensive explanation of why Naismith had not reached his pro-licence to qualify him to manage in Europe. 
Another conspiracy put to bed. 

[JAYEL]

I didn’t know you do your badges at the Oriam now instead of Largs

 

Naisy must be on it