Hearts boss Steven Naismith has been speaking to the press about his team’s clash at Tynecastle v Rangers
Hearts manager Steven Naismith has opened up his side’s mindset ahead of the visit of Rangers. Naismith’s men have managed to pick up three league wins in a row and have finally hit some sort of form in a seesaw campaign to date.
But the Jambos face a tough opposition in the form of second placed Rangers. Hearts sit one place and eight points behind Rangers in the Scottish Premiership and will be eager to try and make up some ground against their rivals.
Naismith will be happy with his team’s recent performance, with only one defeat in five games, which came against Rangers. They lost a hard-fought 2-1 battle at Ibrox, and Naismith is determined not to lose again.
“Probably competing is the first step,” Naismith remarked at his pre-match press conference. It’s not about ‘we need a result,’ it’s about competing and participating. Especially when it comes to the Rangers. You must first believe. You could win or you could lose.
“But if you can come off the pitch saying we gave everything, we fought them, and it was really close, then I’ll take that right now, and the results will follow.” We must disrupt them as much as possible and, hopefully, take our chances when they appear.
With recent form looking good, the Hearts boss is hoping that the fans will keep backing him and his side. He added: “I do consistently say that each game is different. Tomorrow we need to give the fans something to get behind and go after and enjoy. It’s about having an understanding of how we get the fans behind us and using that as a tool, because it can be so valuable at times.”
Hearts’ strong run in November was recognised when Naismith was named manager of the month. The Jambos won three of their three league games this month, and their coach feels it’s great that their efforts have been recognised:
“It’s a small token of appreciation for the months of hard work.” Even if the results aren’t there, the staff and players are always working hard, so it’s wonderful to get some acknowledgment for that.”
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