Naismith: ‘Hearts need to win to get ourselves moving’

Steven Naismith believes Cammy Devlin, who has just signed a contract extension, is a prime example of a player who has come into Hearts and developed his game.

And the head coach said: “As a club, we are not at the top of the food chain where you can just go and buy a ready-made players. I think it is a big risk for clubs to spend a lot of money on players and, if it does not work out, you are sitting with a problem.

“We have got to be a club which recruits players and tries to improve them and sells them on at the right time.”

Defender Alex Cochrane, he said, was a player who was sold on at the right time for everybody and Hearts, argued Naismith, must show that they have a track record of improving players and selling them on.

Focusing on the William Hill Premiership fixture at Celtic Park on Saturday (kick-off 15.00), Naismith said he hopes Hearts can win. He added: “Short term, we need to win a game and get off the mark and get ourselves moving.

“It is going to be the toughest game we have had all season. Celtic have started well, they have recruited, the players they signed last year you can now see they are comfortable and so it will be a tough game, but one I feel we can get a result.”

Hearts won at Celtic Park in December last season, and Naismith believes that few gave Hearts a chance of taking two points. They won 2-0 thanks to a good performance.

He added: “They (Celtic) are a team that has loads of quality in every area of the pitch and they can hurt you in a split second. They want the game played fast, they want to take things quickly, and, in the final third, they look for one v ones and they have good runners from midfield.

“We will need to defend well and we need to have a threat. In games against the top teams you can’t sit and defend for 90 minutes. We are going to have to be good in possession as well as out.”

PICTURE: High stepping at training at Riccarton today ahead of the Celtic clash in which Beni Baningime is in contention for a place. Picture Nigel Duncan