Hearts interim boss Steven Naismith has known enough top gaffers to know making huge decisions comes with the territory.
The men in charge don’t shirk the major calls and the Jambos caretaker boss had to deliver a whopper of his own on day one. Naismith was asked to take the reins after the shock exit of Robbie Neilson and one of the first points of order was to get shot of vastly-experienced midfielder Robert Snodgrass.
In prison rules it might be seen as picking on the big guy to make a statement. In football terms you look at the major force in the dressing room and either invite them out to dinner or tell them their tea’s oot. Snoddy, surprisingly, was fed the latter. The steer might’ve come from above but Naismith was given the responsibility – and he proved from the off he wasn’t going to duck it.
He said: “That’s for no other reason than when Snoddy is not going to be playing loads of minutes then that becomes a distraction for the media to play on and give me. I said ‘Snoddy, with this opportunity that’s hard for me’. We had an honest conversation. Snoddy was disappointed and probably feels let down by me. But I was honest with him.
“It’s a decision which was made and hopefully as this moves on everyone can see it’s either the right decision or the wrong decision, time will tell, but that’s the decision that was made.”
Naismith will very much be his very own man in the Tynecastle dugout however long this lasts – but he’ll lean on the experience he’s gained over the years working for the best in the business.
Walter Smith, David Moyes, Roberto Martinez, Alex McLeish, Gordon Strachan, Alex Neil, Daniel Farke, Craig Levein – right on the shoulder of Scotland boss Steve Clarke. None of those guys were ever afraid to take the big leaps for the greater good. Naismith has soaked up as much as he can from all of them and he’s ready to put it into practice.
He said: “I’ve worked with some unbelievable managers. I could sit here all day and reel them all off. When I say it’s a difficult decision, what I’ve seen or 10 or 20 years ago, everything that’s happened, decisions are made.
“Why I feel I’m well equipped is I have had this experience with all those different managers. I’ve seen situations like this play out. That’s what is going to form me as a manager, makes me the type of manager I am. How I want to prep, how I want to train, parts of that come from me being at Kilmarnock, Rangers, Hearts, Norwich, Everton and the international scene. All these things combine into what I am as a manager.”
Naismith knows it will help being so close to Clarke in particular. The Scotland boss brought him into the national team camp as first-team coach and while he won’t be on the phone to Hampden every five minutes, it won’t half be handy having the top man in the country in his corner. He said: “I spoke to him at the start of the week. It was good.
“My relationship isn’t one where if something happens I phone him. I’ve been learning. And I ask questions all the time. For the last year and half with Scotland, probably every day I’ve been with him I’ve asked him a question about something to do with being a manager or coach.
“I’m going to have a conversation with him later on because we’d planned that. But he’s been amazing with me. He gave me that opportunity as a coach to go with the national team. I saw the opportunity and took it. I could have been there for one trip but I’ve been there ever since. That’s what he did for me. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.
“I’ve learned so much from him and I continue to learn. As with all the other managers I’ve had, I’ve asked questions and found out details of why they do or don’t do certain things. That’s why I feel I’m equipped. It’s not been the last year or two since I retired. It’s been my whole career. I’ve had so many nice messages from team-mates and coaches – someone who coached me full-time at 16, all the way through.
“The words they’re saying about ‘I knew you were going to do this, this is natural’ is down to me asking questions and having enthusiasm for it. That gives me confidence, gives me the belief and makes me feel I’m equipped.”
Naismith feels ready but it’s still been a mental week, even for a guy who’s seen all kinds of highs and lows in his career.
He said: “It’s been a whirlwind. I’ve loved it, it’s probably the closest of that adrenalin and intensity that moving and scoring that winner and it breeds confidence. That’s the biggest thing, the first three days have given me confidence, but it’s enjoyable, really enjoyable.”
It will be even more so if Naismith can get off to a flier against Hibs tomorrow, a side with their own problems with a woeful derby record and a run of four defeats on the spin. He said: “It’s a derby. And in every derby I’ve been involved in, the team not in form has won games and it’s not always come down to “we’ve made a change so we’ll win” or something like that. The day is the day.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had to be motivated to get up for a derby so I don’t think that’s a massive thing. You want to make the players understand that not every player gets to play in this type of game.
“The quicker you realise that, and get that buzz, the much more enjoyment you will get from it.”
