Hearts' Steven Naismith free of injury and ready for Celtic thanks to manager Daniel Stendel's plan

Captain feels more resilient and is determined to stave off relegation at Tynecastle
Steven Naismith is relishing Hearts' trip to Celtic ParkSteven Naismith is relishing Hearts' trip to Celtic Park
Steven Naismith is relishing Hearts' trip to Celtic Park

Injuries against Celtic have been a debilitating feature of Steven Naismith’s Hearts career. The club’s talisman and recently-appointed captain is pleased to report his body feels in rude health travelling to Parkhead this evening.

A torn knee cartilage forced him off just eight minutes into the Betfred Cup semi-final with Celtic at Murrayfield in October 2018. It needed an operation. Four months later, he was substituted at half-time against the same opponents at Tynecastle Park with another knee issue which ended his season and also required surgery.

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At 33, Naismith has heard all the jibes about being injury-prone. He just ignores them, determined to captain Hearts with dignity and prove sceptics wrong on the field. He now feels in good physical shape to do so ahead of another Celtic fixture.

“In one of them I did a bit of cartilage in my knee. It’s one of those things. I’ve been injured against others as well,” he said. “The [winter] break helped more than anything. You have a period when you can build a plan, you’re not chasing the next game or the game after that. That’s where the problems came in.

“The situation at the club, the manager’s wanting you to play, you try and it doesn’t work. The break was the biggest thing and, for me, having the midweek games has been good because it builds up your resilience.”

Daniel Stendel’s decision to appoint Naismith skipper in place of Christophe Berra indicated the manager’s confidence in the Scotland internationalist’s fitness. “That was it. The manager when I came back wanted me to train for the two weeks before I was involved in any games and that was the way it went. It’s fitted in perfectly.

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“You never want to be injured but especially as you get older. You want to play all the games you can because you’re coming to the end and counting the years you have left playing, rather than when you’re 20 and think it’s never going to end.”

Naismith cherishes big occasions like this evening all the more but knows Hearts are up against it in Glasgow. Celtic have lost only one league game at home all season and sit top of the Premiership, whilst their guests are fighting relegation.

“Every one one of their players has that one special moment in them,” said Naismith. “It will be tough but I think, since the manager has come in, we are creating more chances and that alone gives you the belief you can win games. Having been on the other side of it as an Old Firm player, if teams have a go it can rock you a little bit. That is the way we need to go into this game.”

The forward stressed Hearts have little option now other than to go for the jugular in the quest for points. “I don’t think we have time to worry about morale, it is about results. We are in a relegation fight. Back in September and October you can say ‘we’ve had a bad start’ or ‘we’ve had injuries’. Games are rattling by now. There is a reality that we need to understand. We need points.”

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The pain of relegation from England’s Premier League in 2016 with Norwich City is still fresh. Five months after an £8.5million move from Everton, Naismith suffered one of his worst moments in football.

“It’s never nice because you’ve not been doing well enough and, as a player, that’s not great,” he said. “It’s not a nice feeling at all. I hope I never experience it again in my life. We will fight. It’s not as if people are shying away from it.

“Since the turn of the year, there are more boys putting in better performances and looking to try and cement their place in the team, rather than just think, ‘I’m not really bothered if I’m not playing here because I’m nervous or worried and don’t want to be involved in these types of games’.

“Sean Clare has done brilliantly. Jamie Walker’s been out of the team but, in his last two performances, he’s come on and done really well.”

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As captain, being relegated with Scotland’s third biggest club is unthinkable for Naismith. His achievements at Rangers, in England and at international level are those of a player who demands significantly higher standards.

“It’s not nice but outwith that, I didn’t come here to be fighting a relegation battle first of all,” he explained. “It’s personal pride and determination that would be hurt more than anything else. As I do every time, I’ll be doing everything I can for the club to try and push us up the table. The thing is, it’s in our hands at the moment. We need to make sure we keep it that way and get to the point where teams are more on their last life, if you like.

“You can’t just say we have a better team on paper, it doesn’t work like that. We have a group of games before the split that, if we can get in a better position, then you can start building instead of scrapping.”

The fact Naismith is fully fit and ready to help is a monumental plus.