Report: Hearts management outline changes which players, staff, fans and board must understand
The victories Hearts garnered in Kilmarnock and Dingwall last week were characterised by one constant theme: Patience. A stoppage-time winning goal at Rugby Park, a decisive strike deep into the second half at Ross County, and not a hint of panic beforehand. Nobody became flustered, lost composure or started bawling at team-mates in frustration.
It is exactly the kind of necessary mindset head coach Steven Naismith wants to cultivate. Hearts have gradually built themselves up into a considerable force in Scottish football over recent years. They outmuscle most other clubs financially and boast one of the largest support bases in the country, many of whom generate millions of pounds in extra funding through Foundation of Hearts. Cup finals and European outings are also a frequent occurrence.
Consequences of all that are changes in how Hearts are perceived. Other teams now view them as something of a scalp. Not to the extent of Celtic or Rangers, but any points won against the Tynecastle side are widely celebrated by opponents – maybe more so than before. Performances and results this season have not reached expected standards in Gorgie but patience earned back-to-back wins in the last two fixtures.
Whilst there will always be those advocating the old “up-and-at-them” approach, perhaps expecting Hearts to steamroll most teams, Naismith’s attitude is rather more pragmatic. He wants everyone connected with the club to appreciate what is required during games, especially away from home. Even if that is a change from previous approaches.
“At a club like Hearts, there has to be that patience,” he explained in an exclusive Evening News interview. “We go into so many games where teams are happy with a draw against us. A draw is a good result for them, a draw is not a good result to us. We need to have a patience, that’s why the game is not won in the first minute. If I’m honest, everybody associated with the club needs to understand that – the players, the staff, the fans, the board.
“Everybody needs to understand that the club is moving in the right direction. The progress in the last few years has reached the point where, now, a good result against us is a draw. Teams will sit in and make it difficult, hoping you get to the point where you are forcing the ball, pumping it long and making the game into a fight.
“A lot of teams in Scotland are good at that, they understand that way of playing and they are probably better than us at that. We need to make sure there is that patience and an understanding of making the right choice.
“If we make an extra pass, it might just create a much better chance than the one two passes before. These things are really important, but it’s a learning curve. It isn’t going to happen overnight. There have been good and bad bits in our performances this season. There has been entertainment in games and there have been boring, slow games.
“It is about progress and it’s important that we keep progressing. In this period, we have to keep getting results and building momentum while everything isn’t perfect. We do have quite a few injuries. At times we play some good stuff, but then we pick safe choices and make things difficult.”
Odel Offiah reveals instant Hearts message he was sent ahead of Hibs clash
The defender has also revealed the situation surrounding the health scare he had.
Hearts defender Odel Offiah has already heeded part one of the Jambos’ derby rulebook by binning all his green clobber.
Now the Brighton loanee hopes he can pass the all important part two – by dumping Hibs on the park. The 20-year-old is desperate for his first proper taste of a local rivalry when the Hibees visit Tynecastle on Saturday. The closest he’s ever come is sitting on the bench for Brighton in the so-called M23 derby against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Offiah has revealed how his team mates have ensured he’s in the right frame of mind to grab Edinburgh bragging rights and leave the Hibees feeling off colour. He said: “It’s a big rivalry and when I came up here that’s the first thing you are told: ‘don’t wear green’. I listened, I haven’t worn green. All my green stuff got chucked out! I’d love to be involved on Saturday. I haven’t been involved in a game like this before, really.
“I’ve been on the bench a few times for Brighton against Crystal Palace. A derby is a derby and everyone is going to be fired up. That’s what football is for really.
“This is the first environment I’ve been in where you have to win, you have to get the three points. That’s important in itself – learning to fight for the three points in every game.”
Offiah already had a decent grounding on what lay in store at Tynecastle thanks to Brighton technical director and former Hearts star David Weir. But after four appearances including two Europa League qualifiers, his stint in Gorgie suffered a worrying setback last month when he was rushed to hospital after falling ill in training.
Offiah returned to Brighton for treatment. But after getting the all-clear is back in Edinburgh and made his second Premiership start in Saturday’s win at Ross County.
He said: “It’s all good now. I’ve had a few issues in the past year so it was just a check-up to make sure everything is okay. It came back all good.
“It’s a private matter but it was pretty much just a little incident in training. It’s fine and I feel back to normal. It’s life. You are going to have many setbacks in football and in life.
“It’s important to have setbacks and to overcome them. I’ve been playing football my whole life so, once you get back into the swing of things, it moves pretty quickly. I feel comfortable, I feel good, I will continue trying to get in the team and stay in the team here.”
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