Steven Naismith has told Robert Snodgrass that he won’t be getting much game time under him and that it's best if he leaves Hearts to return to his family in England.
Record Sport exclusively revealed on Tuesday that Snodgrass was in talks over his Tynecastle future and his contract was set to be ripped up early ahead of it expiring in the summer. The former Leeds and West ham star was sent off during Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to St Mirren and that is almost certainly his last act in maroon.
Interim boss Naismith, who replaced Robbie Neilson after his sacking on Sunday, confirmed that he;s spoken with Snodgrass and a decision has been reached. He said: “I had a conversation with Snoddy. I have a good relationship with Snoddy as a player and a teammate. The decision’s been made that he’s probably not going to get many minutes. I’ve experienced that myself as a player and we had a talk about it.
“Snoddy’s family are still down south and the best outcome for everybody would be that he gets time to spend with his family and I focus on a group that’s going to go forward.”
Naismith also paid tribute to the job Neilson did in Gorgie: “I’d like to touch on that. What the previous manager did during his time with the club was amazing. We had some tough times before he was appointed, and over a short period of time, he dragged the club to being back in Europe.
“That can’t be underestimated. A change has happened, and we now need to get back on that journey and continue on that crest of a wave to get back up there and progress the club. We’ve made massive strides and we have an opportunity to continue that.”
The former Hearts captain has outlined how he wants the team - which includes some of his former teammates - to play going forward and has explained why he took the job when asked. “The feeling is one of immense pride,” he told the club’s website. “It’s a situation as a young coach going into management, it’s a fantastic opportunity. Did I ever expect it to come so quickly? Probably not, but since stepping into coaching, there’s been a rapid rise in terms of experience.
“I took the leads on the 18s when John Rankin left, then the B Team, and then being involved with the national team. I’ve crammed a lot into my time being a coach. I’ve learned a lot, and I feel that I’m well-equipped for the upcoming couple of months that there are going to be.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned since joining Hearts, is that there’s a demand at the club. It’s got to be a good demand, and the players have got to enjoy that. The fans want attacking football. They want a team that goes into every game trying to win it. Not one that’s going to defend and hold out for a draw or a 1-0 lead.
“I was like that as a player; I wanted to be on the front foot and enjoyed having the ball and creating opportunities. I want to play entertaining football. That’s easy to say, and harder to implement on the training pitch and in games, but that’s what I want.
“I’m not naïve to think that this is going to be easy, but I want us to be a team that takes games by the scruff of the neck.
“For me, this is the best Hearts team that I’ve been involved with. A lot of the players know me personally from my time as a player, which helps me.
“They understand my character, what I do. I was a player that was demanding and straight to the point. It doesn’t mean I don’t like you, or that I’ve got something against you, I just want us to improve.”
First up is Saturday’s Edinburgh derby. Naismith added: “It’s a fantastic game to start with. The response we’ve had from the squad has been really good.
“It’s been a long couple of days but there’s still a lot more work to go into this. The change around the training set-up, the preparations for the game, the enthusiasm to learn. They’ve shown a real willingness to work hard.”
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