Naismith will make Hearts beat stronger, says Gerrard
AGLANCE at an image of one of many Merseyside derby scuffles he featured in drew a wry smile from Steven Gerrard recently.
There he was with a chunk of Steven Naismith’s jersey. His Everton rival with a piece of his. All over a flashpoint that had little to do with either of them.
Until, of course, they inevitably got involved.
Gerrard admits it rather sums up two ferocious competitors who loved the fiery nature of the fixture and were frequently drawn in by the dust-ups.
As a Liverpool midfielder and often a direct opponent, he knew what to expect whenever Naismith’s name was in the Everton line-up.
As Rangers manager, he acknowledges the qualities and threat posed by the new Hearts captain in today’s game at Tynecastle.
‘Those games were right up his street, right up my street — two fiery characters on a football pitch, so it’s absolute standard if there is a run-in,’ Gerrard grinned.
‘He’s the type of player that you could wipe him out — either accidentally, or meaning to do it — and after the game shake hands, hug, no problem and move on.
‘That’s the way I try to be and that is how it should be.
‘I saw a picture recently where I don’t think it was actually to do with me or him — I think it was to do with Jordan Henderson — either way he’s got hold of my shirt or I’ve got hold of his.
‘So we’ve had a few run-ins on the pitch!’
The statistics say that Naismith is the most influential player at Hearts. Last season with him in
Craig Levein’s side, they won 19 of 27 games.
Their dismal end to last term had much to do with the Scotland forward being unavailable through injury.
And while the 33-year-old was plagued by fitness problems, completing only two league games in the first half of this campaign, Hearts fell to the bottom of the table.
Gerrard doesn’t require a forensic examination of the stats to tell him what a difference-maker Naismith is in a Tynecastle team.
The Rangers boss added: ‘He’s a busy player on the pitch, always looking for the action in the final third. It’s in his make-up to constantly
put pressure on the opposition and he’s relentless in that area. Even at the age he is, he still plays that way.
‘Every time we’ve come up against him, as a player or as a coach, he is someone you have to make players aware of as he’s a clever footballer.
‘Steven’s had a few injuries of late, but he doesn’t change the way he plays. He’s right up for it. He’ll be the same this weekend, especially now he’s the captain of the team.
‘Hearts are a different team with him. He brings a goal threat, that busy-ness or “pesty-ness”, whatever you want to call it.’
With Naismith in the face of his players, Gerrard is anticipating an different test from Daniel Stendel’s team than those posed so far in the second half of the season.
Stranraer then St Mirren set out to frustrate Rangers at Ibrox, only for the home side to overcome defensive tactics with low-key wins.
Gerrard suspects Rangers will be confronted with similar obstacles, particularly in Govan, down the title stretch but that will be furthest from Hearts minds.
‘I anticipate more tight games and teams putting a block in front of us, rather than end-to-end games,’ Gerrard suggested.
‘Against Hearts, we expect more of an end-to-end game. But we’ve had that contrast over different competitions.
‘In Europe, going to Celtic Park and Aberdeen away — certainly in the second half — we’ve had a lot of rehearsals and preparation if Hearts want that style.
‘They are definitely going to be different under the new manager. You can see they’ve been trying to construct from the back.
‘They are less direct from the keeper and defenders. And when opponents try to play out they are being more aggressive, pressing higher.
‘We expect a different challenge but the environment will be the same, the atmosphere we look forward to.
‘And anyway, we always have the mentality where most of our work is about us, about how we play, whether it is direct or more the pressing style. We make sure our players are ready for both.’
You could wipe him out in a game and he would still shake your hand at the end