Hearts could 'face fight' to keep Steven Naismith as 'shambolic' Hibs told to take lead from rivals
Hearts may face a fight to hold onto Steven Naismith but deserve credit for standing by their man - unlike "shambolic" Hibs.
That's the view of former Jambos favourite Ryan Stevenson. Naismith was handed the Jambos job with just under-18s and B team experience and there were some doubts around whether that was wise. Those heightened after a slow start to the season but the 37-year-old stayed calm and guided his team to a remarkable run of form that saw them finish third comfortably.
Fans had been calling for the manager's head through the tough times but the board refused to pull the trigger and have had their rewards for sticking it out. Across the city, Nick Montgomery has just been sacked after eight months which was the same amount of time given to Shaun Maloney, with Lee Johnson in place for just over a year in between.
Stability is key and Hibs should be looking to take a similar approach to their rivals, according to Stevenson, with coach and rookie boss David Gray strongly linked.
Speaking in the Daily Record, he said: "Hearts have got an obvious asset in Scotland’s Player of the Year Lawrence Shankland. But Steven Naismith is fast becoming a huge one himself.
"And just like with the skipper, I’d like to think the Tynecastle hierarchy have a contingency plan in place in case a bigger club comes calling for the manager. Because if Naisy can build on what has been achieved in the last 12 moths next season - like he says he wants to - then it will become increasingly difficult to hold onto him.
"It’s massive credit to the club that they stayed calm and refused to panic during turbulent times early on in the season. You only have to look at that lot across the capital to see the absolute shambles that ensues when you continually pull the trigger. Hibs will admit that themselves. Another manager bulleted. They’ve gone through four in less than three years. All that happens with that is you turn over player after player after player and there’s absolutely no long-term stability.
"Hibs are at least a year away from being anywhere near fighting Hearts for third. And that’s incredible. Any successful club has stability at the top. Look at Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Rangers under Walter Smith and at Celtic it’s no surprise they brought Brendan Rodgers back. Continuity is key. Everyone at Hearts stuck to their guns and that’s why it’s turned into a successful season."
There is one caveat to Naismith's success and that's the possibility of bigger clubs taking notice and headhunting him. Stevenson is sure his old club will have contingencies in place.
He added: "But by the same token, one thing for certain in football is that success brings opportunities elsewhere. You look at the Hearts manager and the career he had as a player and you just know he will want to be as successful as he possibly can be.
"Hearts will hopefully be well aware of that and constantly have people in mind they think could come in and do the job and buy into the ethos of the club. A bit like Brighton have done with their managers in recent years. That’s somewhere down the line though and Naisy has to build on what he’s achieved so far."