The recruitment at Tynecastle has been slammed by their former captain
Hearts have been branded with the same brush as Celtic and Rangers for demonstrating a snobbish attitude towards the Scottish game in the transfer market.
Both Glasgow clubs have been accused of not looking on their own turf when looking for players, including Stephen McGinn’s take on Hearts’ very own Lawrence Shankland, and as a result have missed out on players like Lewis Ferguson, Aaron Hickey, and Josh Doig, who have gone on to make names for themselves in Italy and, in Hickey’s case, the Premier League.
The Jambos are again under scrutiny after yesterday’s defeat followed a loss to the Rangers, which brought them back down to earth after a four-game winning streak. Fans are concerned about the team’s setup and Steven Naismith’s administration, and believe the streak was merely a cover-up.
Post-match yesterday Naismith claimed none of the problems at Pittodrie were tactical but Stewart feels that is passing the buck onto the players and insists mistakes WERE made by the manager. He also says there are huge problems with recruitment.
“Stevie Naismith is a young, inexperienced manager,” he told BBC Sportsound. ‘It wasn’t me, the players merely were abused on the pitch,’ they say, throwing up defensive barriers to clear themselves of any blame. From the standpoint of a player, you’re thinking, ‘Well, it can’t all be on us.’
“The recruitment has been basically inadequate. There is no one available to play right-back or right wing-back. Sibbick is not the answer, and neither is Atkinson. They’ve modified the design and mechanism to accommodate the reality that no one is present.
“But you put Craig Halkett there, who hasn’t played in a year. And the goal comes from a direct ball over the top, Craig Halkett doesn’t get anywhere near it. He’s the central of the backline and he doesn’t get anywhere near it because anybody that knows Craig Halkett knows he needs time to get up and running.
“So to put him on away at Pittodrie with 20 minutes to go when it’s 1-1 and the game is becoming a fight and a battle and it’s going long. It’s like putting Baningime in at Rosenborg away from home. You just don’t do that because this guy needs game time to get up to speed. These are mistakes.”
Stewart was told that recruitment couldn’t be Naismith’s fault because he’s new to the job, but he said, “Well, partly because he’s in there in the summer.” Hearts is another club that ignores the market on a domestic level.
“There are domestic players who would immediately step in and outperform a lot of the people in there.”
“Look at Tagawa, Oda, and Nieuwenhof, who have all come over from Australia.” There are domestic players that can perform a greater job than that. And it doesn’t take much to notice them because they’re right outside your door.
“That, to me, is simply doing your job without trying to complicate it.” Hearts should be doing better with the money they’re spending and the magnitude of the club.”
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