Naismith goes direct with strong words after Cup defeat
Steven Naismith implored Hearts to learn from their Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Rangers and lamented what he termed ‘immaturity’ in attack. The Tynecastle head coach had some direct comments to make in the aftermath of his team’s 2-0 defeat at Hampden Park, as Cyriel Dessers’ double sent Rangers into the final against Celtic on May 25.
Frustration was evident in Naismith as he discussed the outcome and bemoaned the concession of a cheap early goal.
“I’m frustrated and disappointed with the outcome because I am someone who wants to win. That's the overriding emotion at the moment,” he explained. “We got off to a terrible start. We can't lose an early goal like we did.
"The reaction until the second goal was good. We controlled the ball a lot, we created opportunities. I think what you see is our immaturity in the final third. We had four or five really good situations [when] we either pick the wrong option or overhit a pass or don't get the finish. In those moments we must hit the target, make the goalie make a save or score a goal. That's the biggest frustration for me because we got good opportunities we didn't take, and the goals we concede are cheap.”
The learning curve is continual for Hearts after falling at the last hurdle before the final in both national cup competitions this season. Rangers were their opponents on both occasions.
“Yeah, that's the big thing. Since the start of the season, we've come a long way,” said
Naismith. “In the league, we are in a really good position, on the edge of making the European group stage, so that's good.
“These moments are hard to take for players. Everybody is gutted and disappointed.
"We had brilliant backing, 19,500 fans.
"There are some good moments in the game. The players will be frustrated with the chances we give up for the goals. They will play the game back in their mind and [think about] what could they have done. The more you do something the more you learn and the better decisions you make. We've got to hope, and I really believe that because so far this season we've progressed well.”
Asked if he felt the semifinal was an opportunity missed, Naismith gave a candid response.
“Yeah, it is because of how we played and the manner of the goals we lost,” he remarked. “It was definitely an opportunity missed. If we take one of the chances, it's 1-1 with 15 minutes to go, we've got the momentum, we look to be comfortable in possession, and the second goal is a killer for us because at that moment of the game, we had possession and we give it up cheap.”
The Hearts players must show resilience to recover from the disappointment and Naismith is keen to see their reactions. “That's it. I did it in my career, others have been here and had disappointments but I think from the last semi-final to this one we performed much better. We carried more of a threat, we were brave in possession. It’s just those small margins.”