Watt intent on losing bad-boy reputation
● Hearts striker wants to show that his notoriety for poor fitness levels and bad attitude is unwarranted
come from. I’m here to work. I went to Belgium to try to kick on but I think it’s here that it will start. Touch wood, if I get an injury-free season.
“I feel I’m in a blessed position and that I was born talented and I am using that the best I can. I have had a bit of bad luck here and there but I still feel I have done so much in my career in the last four years and I know it is now just starting, that’s why I came to Hearts and I know that if I work hard then I will kick on again. I know what I can do. There’s no secret about that. I just need to get my head down and work with the gaffer and the boys.”
Scotland assistant manager Mark Mcghee, pictured, was one of those who has said he wants to see more from the striker but Watt says there is no bad blood between the two.
“[My attitude] has been questioned by a couple of managers who I never really got on with,” said Watt. “But the Mark Mcghee thing, I’ve spoken to him twice since then and he said that got taken out of context and that it was a bit tongue in cheek.
“It was maybe because I wasn’t a good trainer the first time I went with Scotland, but sometimes you need to learn for yourself. I’ve learned. I’ve worked hard and hopefully improved that side of my game.”
The move north has been a bonus, affording him the chance to move back closer to his family, and the opportunity to play for a manager who has painted a positive picture of the season ahead.
“I’ve played in front of big crowds before so the demands of fans doesn’t bother me,” he said. “I hear it’s a sell-out all the time at Tynecastle – that’s a good thing because it makes you thrive.
“It was the same down at Charlton – it’s a big club, just like Cardiff and Blackburn. These clubs expect you to do well, and I did OK last season when I played. It was just a bit stop-start with injuries and being in and out of the team. At Blackburn I never started as much as I would like, but eventually I started getting a chance and then I did my groin. It’s football – you get ups and downs. I’ve just got to get on with it and kick on this season. That’s why I’ve come back closer to home. The manager’s sold the dream to me – he told me his vision for the club and I liked it. I could have gone to another club in England, but it just wasn’t for me.”