RUMOURS that dressing room divisions had been responsible for Hearts’ slump in form and slide down the cinch Premiership table in recent weeks were emphatically dispelled at Tynecastle on Saturday.
Yet, Lawrence Shankland, who pitched in with his second hat-trick of the season in the 6-1 triumph over Ross County, was still quizzed about the speculation, fuelled by the sudden departure of Robert Snodgrass from Gorgie this month, afterwards.
The Scotland striker was only too happy to dismiss to the whispers – but he argued that he and his team mates had already done their talking on the pitch during the impressive one-sided rout.
"It's not hard to see that we are together when you put in performances like that,” he said after becoming the first Hearts player to score more than 22 goals in a single season since his legendary predecessor John Robertson back in 1988.
Shankland also felt that Hearts had made another vocal statement with their win over County – that they are capable of putting their bad run behind them and finishing as the best of the rest behind Celtic and Rangers in the Premiership with caretaker manager Steven Naismith in charge.
Naismith, who replaced Robbie Neilson on a temporary basis a fortnight ago, has much work to do in the coming weeks if he is to land the job full-time. But his team selection and tactical tweaks certainly had a significant impact at the weekend. His captain is optimistic they can build on their County display in their forthcoming games and achieve their objective with their offensive game plan.
“Obviously, when things are difficult, everybody reads everything into every little detail and everything is wrong,” he said. “It was just about getting a win again. You get confidence from it. It's a good feeling and a good start for us.
“It (third place) is definitely achievable. We are going to play good teams, but we're a good team as well. That's why we are up there and have been most of the season. It's just getting that belief back and Saturday will help that. We are playing teams we have beaten so we will go in full steam ahead.
"I think the quality is in the changing-room, it's just trying to get it out. When you're on that bad run, it's hard to get boys to bring their best performances because confidence is low. It's just trying to reassure boys they are good players.”
Shankland continued: "Every manager has his own ideas. Naisy has come in and put his across and that (to go on the attack) was one of them. It paid off. I enjoyed the game and hopefully we take a lot from it.
“We probably pressed a bit more on the front foot at the top end of the pitch. We got a lot of turnovers high up the pitch and that gave our back line a bit of help. They were comfortable dealing with the long balls.
"The performance was much better than in recent weeks. It's been a long, bad run (Hearts had lost six games on the spin), but it's good to get a few goals. We didn't go home in a bad mood for once. Being on a tough run, you're just looking for any win. To get it with six goals will give the boys huge confidence.”
Being captain of Hearts during their six game losing run, a spell which led to Neilson being ousted after three years in charge, has been exacting, but Shankland feels he has learned much from the adversity.
“It's difficult going through bad spells and everything gets looked at,” he said. “I was probably a brilliant captain before we started losing, then I'd have been a rubbish one. That's what happens and you need to accept it.
“It's the pressure of football and everybody gets caught up in the emotions. You have to put that to the side and concentrate on getting a performance. The good thing on Saturday was that we got the performance and goals to go with it.
“I probably won't put my finger on it right now, but come the end of the season and if I come across an experience again when it gets difficult, I'll probably know what to do. Throughout it, I had belief in myself and the team to get that good performance and a win.
“It was just a frustration that was building. Every game you go into, you're losing the first goal and it's: 'Here we go again.' You just can't seem to get the best out of everybody. It was a disappointing result in the derby, but it was really important to bounce back.”
Shankland loved being involved in the Europa Conference League group stages against Istanbul Basaksehir, Fiorentina and RFS earlier this season even though Hearts failed to progress to the knockout rounds and knows how important getting back to the competition is for the Tynecastle club financially.
"Of course it is,” he said. “Not it terms of me. I don't get £3million! But we want the experiences of being in Europe and playing in those big games. There were a couple of tough asks in the group stage and there were lessons for us, but the whole experience was enjoyable. We need to be determined to get that again. You want to test yourself against those teams.”
Shankland showed quick thinking on Saturday when he took the ball to the spot after being fouled by County defender Dylan Smith - before referee Don Robertson awarded a penalty kick following a VAR check.
"I was having a laugh with him about it,” he said. “I don't know how he didn't see it. He should actually have heard it. The boy kicked my foot so hard. I was convinced it was a penalty. I was hoping if I made my way to the penalty spot then it might persuade VAR a wee bit.”
If Lawrence Shankland and Hearts continue to shine like they did against Ross County on Saturday then Steven Naismith could persuade the Tynecastle board he deserves to be manager in the long-term.
