The Jambos were lambasted by their manager after letting a lead slip at Pittodrie.
Following Hearts’ 2-1 loss to Aberdeen at Pittodrie, defender Craig Halkett of Hearts says he and his teammates must take manager Steven Naismith’s biting comments in stride.
Lawrence Shankland’s goal gave Hearts the lead at halftime. However, Hearts’ lackluster second half effort allowed the Dons to rally and win thanks to goals from Leighton Clarkson in stoppage time and Bojan Miovski in the 53rd minute. In his post-match interview, Naismith expressed his rage, claiming that Aberdeen had “bullied” his squad after the break and that he needed more character from his players.
In his first Hearts game since hurting his knee on Christmas Eve of last year, Halkett entered as a substitute in the 70th minute, but he was unable to assist the Jambos hold off Aberdeen. Prior to their away match at Celtic the following weekend, the Tynecastle club dropped from third to sixth in the tight Premiership rankings as a result of the loss. Halkett praised his manager’s “honesty” and urged the team to respond appropriately.
“He’s said that and it obviously isn’t what we want to hear, but I think it is important that the manager is honest and he tells you what he thinks,” said Halkett. “I think everyone can take it on the chin. We were in a winning position but then gave two goals away and ultimately lost the match. Whether we were bullied physically, mentally – whatever it was, it wasn’t good enough. As players we need to take it on the chin and work hard to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Asked if he found it insulting or hurtful to have their second-half display labelled as soft, Halkett replied: “Neither, to be honest. We are all grown men and if the manager thinks an individual or the collective hasn’t been good enough and that’s the way he feels, then you have to take that on the chin. Ultimately we got beat in the game so somewhere along the line we have not been good enough. It is one of those ones where you have got to use or bring something from within to make sure it doesn’t happen again. He’s not digging out anyone individually or picking anyone out, it’s just as a collective.
“It’s a word [bullying] that is used quite a lot to be honest. It just kind of generalises a lot of things that can happen in a game, whether it is physically or the way you are playing. I think as long as the boys take it the right way and use it to get better, then it can only be a good thing.”
Now without a win at Pittodrie since May 2016, Halkett lamented Hearts’ slow start to the second half that permitted Aberdeen to find a way back into the match. “We started the game well and we knew that was going to be important coming up here,” added the 28-year-old. “That’s what we spoke about all week – the importance of a good start. We got that goal and we took the lead, but we took our foot off the gas a wee bit and we got punished.
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