Steven Naismith, Hearts’ head coach, takes his squad to Pittodrie on Saturday to play Aberdeen (15.00) in the cinch Premiership, a club which has slipped to second bottom of the table and a has a manager (Barry Robson) under pressure.
Playing in Europe, as Aberdeen have been, makes it tough for clubs that probably don’t have the same resources as the Old Firm, Rangers and Celtic, argued Naismith.
He added: “It is tough for the players that don’t experience it (Europe) every season so I definitely think that has an impact on performances in the league, but they (Aberdeen) have got a bigger squad.
“We have had tough games against them this season and last season and Saturday will be no different. There is a bit of pressure there, but, I think Barry is a strong enough character to deal with that.
“He gets them (the players) pumped and ready for the game.”
As to Hearts, Naismith (pictured by Ian Jacobs) said there was a collective understanding about one, where the club wants to go, two, what it takes to get there and three, how do we do it.
And the former Scottish international said: “Everybody is on the same page with it. For us, internally, it is important to be seen that progress is made, we are seen to be changing things within it, that the games we are winning in a row, how we are playing, our defensive record, where chances are created.
“If there is a consistency moving forward then that is important for us and that is what we believe will bring us success.”
He conceded that if a manager looses two or three games in a row then people questioning his appointment and he added: “That is unrealistic. I do not think it happens in many other industries, but it is jot going to change overnight, it is the way it us.”
Naismith said he was a very open person and said: “I have always been very open as a player and as a coach. I am comfortable to give my opinion and my thoughts, that does not mean they are right or wrong, but I will give you my reasons why I believe in what I believe in.
“That is how it has been since I came in. I want us all, as a club, to be very open with each other and not be a case of, when I was a player, you used to see somebody from a board at the training ground.
“‘What’s happening now’ was the feeling. It should not be like that, It should be as open as possible.”
Bringing stats into it to show how a club is making progress is, he said, important.
Naismith added: “When people watch a game once, and when you watch it again, attitudes change massively. The perception of the one game is what drives people’s opinion on whether a manager should keep his job or should he not.
“Everybody has their perception but how much research have they done? We have constant meetings at board level, at management level and we are comfortable how we work.”
Experienced news, business, arts, sport and travel journalist. Food critic and managing editor of a well-established food and travel website. Also a magazine editor of publications with circulations of up to 200,000 and managing director of a long-established PR/marketing company with a string of blue-chip clients in its CV. Former communications lecturer at a Scottish university and social media specialist for a string of successful and busy SMEs.
