THE MUTE-IFUL GAME THE
Elvis says silence is golden for Jambos as quiet assassin Naismith dampens noise around Tynecastle to let Hearts roar
STEVEN PRESSLEY insists the silence around Hearts outlines the excellence of Steven Naismith’s work.
But the Tynecastle club’s Scottish Cup-winning captain reckons making big noise at Hampden will lift the boss to the next level.
Pressley is adamant genuine belief holds the key to Hearts success against Rangers on Sunday.
In Naismith, the ex-skipper sees an individual who can provide it. The Hearts manager has won admiration for his ability to come through a sticky period earlier in the campaign.
But, for Pressley, it’s the lack of noise around the place that is just as significant.
Having been through life with Vladimir Romanov, he knows what chaos looks like around Tynecastle.
But Naismith has serenity in Gorgie and Pressley said: “There isn’t a lot of noise coming from the club right now and that’s a healthy sign.
“There was a lot of noise when I was there! Earlier in the season there was – but not now. It feels calm and tells me Hearts are in a good place.
“Hearts are in good form, better than Rangers are right now after the first period of uncertainty in Philippe Clement’s reign.
“The pressure is mounting on that side of Glasgow but there is a real calmness about Hearts. Steven is doing a good job. He has shown good resilience from his early period of difficulty.
“I read that he had spoken about good stability and support from within the club.
“I know from my own time as a manager in my first job (at Falkirk) I was fortunate to have Alex Smith behind me.
“People underestimate how important support is to a young manager and he seems to be getting that just now and that allows him to prosper.
“He seems to have got his group together but, equally, around that you need to give Hearts credit as well.
“There is stability in general around the club. We are seeing the emergence of Steven, a good young manager, at a club with good stability.”
Pressley offers examples of Naismith’s ability to keep things running smoothly in tricky situations.
Speculation over Lawrence Shankland in the January transfer window could have derailed his talisman but, with his own good attitude allied by the manager’s support, the skipper keeps producing. Asked if he was surprised that Shankland didn’t move in the last window, Pressley said: “Yes, I was. Hearts’ biggest challenge now is to keep him.
“Every successful team generally has a 20-goal-aseason striker. If they can keep Shankland and add a sprinkling of players then I think they can keep improving and moving forward.”
Winning a Scottish Cup could help him stay longer and Pressley continued: “Of course but it is all down to money. It is whether or not
The pressure is mounting at Rangers but there is a real calmness about Hearts
STEVEN PRESSLEY ON SEMIFINAL SERENITY
Hearts can actually appease that situation, which they may well be able to do. I think keeping him is massive.”
When Craig Gordon returned from long-term injury, Naismith could have faced issues with Zander Clark in fine form as No.1.
However, once again, Naismith has managed the situation expertly and Pressley added: “I am pretty certain he will have had a conversation with Zander on that and certain that he’ll understand that.
“Part of management, of course you have to win games but you have got to keep harmony without your group and he is doing that to good effect.”
Naismith’s management has given Hearts a strong foundation but defeating Rangers at the National Stadium for the first time will take it up a notch.
It’s about building for Pressley and he explained: “I always felt in my time at Hearts that the growth of the team was really important.
“I remember going to play the Old Firm in the early years under Craig Levein hoping we would get a result. “But after a few years of playing together we went there believing we would get a result.
“The psychological aspects of football are so important.
“That genuine belief you are not turning up in hope but actually believing you can win. Steven can install that.
“Rangers are there to be gotten at. To have a 50/50 split will also be an enormous boost for the players.”
● Steven Pressley was promoting Premier Sport’s live and exclusive coverage of Rangers v Hearts on Sunday. Premier Sports is available to stream from premiersports. com or via your TV provider on Sky, Virgin TV and Amazon Prime as an add-on subscription.