Lawrence Shankland reckons the Hearts squad should feel guilty for getting Robbie Neilson the sack.
But the Jambos can at least start winning back the supporters with another derby win over Hibs. Hearts head across the city at lunchtime after a dramatic week where Neilson was binned on the back of five defeats on the spin and Steven Naismith stepped in to rescue the club’s third-place ambitions.
Shankland was gutted to see his old gaffer go – but he’s vowed to throw everything at getting the campaign back on track. He said: “It’s never nice to see a manager lose their job. I’ve worked with Robbie twice and have a good relationship with him and Jig (Lee McCulloch). I believe they gave their all and did a fantastic job over their spells at the club. I’m sure he’ll get back in the game. It’s part and parcel of the game unfortunately.
“The response was quiet from the boys, to be honest. It’s always a surprise when a manager loses his job. For me, as players, you need to feel a bit of responsibility for that. Essentially, you’ve lost someone their job. That’s not a nice feeling and it hurts a bit. That needs to be the case and we need to try to improve for Naisy. We need to make things better.”
Shankland believes a trip to Easter Road is just what Hearts need to shake off their slump. He said: “It’s massive. Any derby is massive but especially this one after the week we’ve had and the run of form we’re on. We probably couldn’t have handpicked a better game to put things right.
“It’ll be a tough going to Easter Road. They’re in a sticky spell as well but we’ll go with a clear idea of what we want to do that will give us a good chance of getting a result.”
Shankland is focused on Hibs but doesn’t want derby tunnel vision again. The hitman has scored four goals in three games against the old foes but last time in Leith he bagged his 20th goal of the season and then got sent off in the 3-0 Scottish Cup win in January.
He said: “There were strange emotions. It was great to get the 20th and then there was the frustration at getting sent off for kicking fresh air! That was a sore one. The main thing was it was late in the game, we were 2-0 up and it didn’t cost us.
“We managed to go and get a third. It was a strange one celebrating the third in the tunnel. I had to FaceTime the missus to see the celebrations outside.
“It was a good result for us and we can take confidence from going there and winning, even though we weren’t at the top of our game. I feel confident. Obviously it needs to breed through the squad and make sure we are ready for the game. I’ve no concerns the boys will be motivated.”
Naismith hasn’t pulled any punches – accusing the squad of coasting when they were in third and promising to make massive changes. Shankland is on board and knows the boss will set a high bar.
He said: “If you look at results, it tells you something has gone wrong. If coasting is the right word, that might be the case, but we are on a run of bad results. We’ve fallen into a bit of a trap and lost the gap we had. The important thing is there is plenty of football left to play and we can salvage it.
“We’ve shown previously we are a good team. There’s been a dip and maybe a lack of confidence. But if we can get it back I’m sure we can start winning again.
“He said that at the start at his first meeting. A few of the boys who played with him say he’s quite similar as a coach to what he was like as a player. He’s quite demanding. Listen, any manager can be demanding, it’s about what you bring to games as an individual.
“He’s chatted with everyone. It was based on him putting across his ideas about what he was going to do. It wasn’t concern about what had happened in the past. He wants to put his spin on things.
“That’s what we need to find in ourselves and if everyone brings their best to the games, it gives the collective the best chance of getting a performance. We’ll look to get everyone firing again.”
Shankland’s sole focus is on fighting off Aberdeen for third spot. But it might be a bonus having Scotland boss Steve Clarke’s trusted coach in the dugout when it comes to his international chances. He added: “Obviously Naisy is here day in, day out and he sees what I’m doing in training and in matches. But for myself and for Naisy the biggest concentration will be on Hearts.”
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