Peter Haring holds Hearts talks with Steven Naismith as the club's interim manager looks for something different

Fans need to see a fresh approach from the Tynecastle players against Ross County this weekend.

Interim Hearts manager Steven Naismith has held talks with returning midfielder Peter Haring to gauge his fitness ahead of Saturday’s match with Ross County. Naismith told the Evening News that the Austrian is pushing to start his first game since October after recovering from concussion-related issues.

“He is definitely in contention to start,” said Naismith. “I’ve got a really good relationship with Peter. I spoke to him to see how he is feeling. When you are out for a long period, it can be hard to get up to fitness. He seems to feel fine and he has looked good in training. I’ve put him in the category of being fully fit and I can rely on him if need be.

“He has that experience, as do a few others. Sometimes they might not start games but we still need them. They can guide other guys through and be part of it. It’s not a case of: ‘This is the starting line-up I’m going with and the rest of you can just deal with it.’ This is bigger than that. I think we have managed to get that across to players.

“There is initial disappointment all the time when players don’t start, but everybody is together and backing it. Even last week, the boys who were on the bench had their disappointment but they were still in there trying to rally everybody and do the right things. That has to be a positive.”

Hearts are looking to end a run of six straight defeats and Naismith is determined that fans see dynamic and purposeful team from kick-off. “I think you need patience but we’ve got to give them something,” he commented. “So then they think: ‘Oh right, this is different, it’s not the same.’ It’s not getting away from what we want to do, it’s about managing the game at times.

“We might need to do something different, or the start might be different to what we’re doing 30 minutes in. That’s the part that the players need to understand. We have done a lot of really good work this week. As much as the fans need to be patient, we need to give them something different to what has been the norm for the last month or two.

“If you start the game well, the fans generally stay with you. Then, when there are a few minutes where you’re having to defend or deal with awkward situations, the fans can help in those moments. It’s a two-way thing. Firstly, the boys need to show they are up for this and want to strive to make this a really successful season.”

Steven Naismith and Peter Haring deep in discussion at Hearts training on Thursday.

Hearts’ recent form is threatening to derail their season but Naismith does not believe they have suddenly become a bad side. “This is why everybody loves football. You can have a great team that is just not confident enough to do what they did before,” he said. “I think, over the last week or so, there have definitely been strides made. That’s one thing I’ve seen in training. It's easy to say you should enjoy that feeling. When it’s good, it’s really good, and we want more of that.”