Zander Clark says the Hearts squad are thrilled to have given Steven Naismith a fighting chance of landing the manager’s job.
The caretaker boss is set for talks with club chiefs after stepping into the role following Robbie Neilson’s exit last month and while the Scotland coach couldn’t wrestle third spot back off Aberdeen, he did steady the ship to secure fourth ahead of Hibs and land a European place.
Clark reckons Naismith’s case will have been strengthened by Saturday’s 10-men derby draw as the Jambos managed to hang on for the point they needed to finish top dogs in Edinburgh. The Scotland keeper said: “He’s been great since he came in. He’s exactly the same as a manager as he was as a player – he’s not afraid to dig you out and have a pop at you when you deserve it. He also knows how to put an arm around you.
“It’s outwith my control what happens there. But I’m just glad we could pick up the result he needed for him in the derby. He’s got us back to wanting to play football in their half, making the opposition defences work. It’s not that we weren’t doing that prior. It’s just that, as players, we couldn’t seem to get it going.
“Naisy coming in has brought a new voice, he’s been positive, he was delighted to be given the opportunity and that brought positivity back into the changing room. We were on a poor run of form, confidence was low. It was just us searching for that form we knew was within us.
“We knew there was quality in the squad. He’s helped us bring it out. He demands high standards. At Hearts, you need that week in, week out. He certainly drives that.”
Naismith was involved in a touchline bust up with Hibs gaffer Lee Johnson after the final whistle – which kicked off a full-scale brawl. But Clark said: “I was shaking hands with folk and then I saw it all kicking-off. Then I just tried to go and split it up. I was the peacemaker!
“Because there was so much riding on it, it’s a massive game just in general, never mind what was at stake. So tempers got a bit heated.
“It was important that we got ourselves calmed down so we could go and thank the supporters for their backing throughout the game. They were great in keeping us going, especially when we were down to 10 men and Hibs were launching everything they had at us.”
Clark moved to Tynecastle last summer following his successful spell at St Johnstone. He’s now fully up to speed with the derby madness and desire to be in charge of the capital. He said: “Coming into it for the first time this season, you hear all about the stories behind it, what it means to so many people in the city.
“But when you get involved in it, that goes to a whole new level. It’s intense, they’re usually very good games – which this was as well, I think, because they chucked everything at it and we stayed solid. It’s hard to put into words what it’s like. It’s like being thrown into a big cauldron.”
Hearts managed to conjure up a result when they needed to at the weekend but Clark admitted it was still bittersweet. The Jambos looked certs to coast to third in January but the wheels came off as their horror run coincided with an Aberdeen surge that took the Dons all the way to third.
Clark added: “It’s probably disappointing in terms of where we were, to go on the run we went on. We’ve got a European slot so have to take that as a positive, to try to bring those Euro nights back to Tynie.”
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