Steven Naismith questions attitudes, fans stuck behind pillars and ticket plans ahead of Hearts v Celtic

Tynecastle head coach insists his club are right to put their supporters first

Hearts head coach Steven Naismith is convinced more co-operation in Scottish football is necessary to prevent the kind of outrage ensuing from Celtic's reduced ticket allocation at Tynecastle Park. The Edinburgh club put their own supporters first by allowing only 576 visiting fans into this Sunday's Premiership fixture, leaving followers from Glasgow unhappy.

Celtic were given the entire Roseburn Stand - 3,396 seats - previously but that changed to 1,289 tickets in 2021. A further reduction this year means they now occupy only one section of the stand. Naismith insists Hearts are right to prioritise their own fanbase by devoting more of the ground to them. However, he addressed the wider issue of self-preservation across Scottish football in a call for a change in attitudes from everyone involved.

"We will firstly look at our fans," he said. "If we have built a following that is continuing to grow, we need to give them the opportunity to watch hopefully a successful Hearts team. The question is not individually to each club, it's about the collective: Are you willing to make a change to better Scottish football?

"We could learn a lot from other leagues but we tend not to. It tends to be individual agendas. When I was at Rangers, there was congestion of fixtures when we got to the UEFA Cup final [in 2008]. This season, every team struggled through the start with Europe but the league don't help you. That's not the league's fault, it's everybody in Scottish football's fault.

"Whether it's been what happened at Covid, how you just stop leagues and teams are just relegated. In every aspect, there are areas we could do better. Do we want to or do we not?

"The back-and-forth between fans when a goal is scored, the elation and the anger among them, it does bring something. At this moment in time, with the structure as it is, it isn't going to change. That's why we, as a club, need to look after Hearts. Whatever the solution may be, everybody needs to be willing to make that sacrifice to get it better. Over 20 years I've been involved, it doesn't seem to happen."

One idea mooted is that each ground must accommodate a set percentage of away fans. Hearts have a reciprocal agreement with Hibs for Edinburgh derby matches where both clubs allocate an entire stand to the other's supporters, creating a vibrant ambience.

"There is an understanding there that it does create a much better atmosphere and the intensity is there. The spectacle is a better thing," acknowledged Naismith. "Nobody can say that just having home fans is good for the game. It's not. But until everybody accepts that and comes to a collective, it won't change."

Restricted-view seats at Celtic Park are reserved for travelling fans, something Naismith reference when asked whether the reduced number of away supporters would help Hearts against Celtic.

"I don't think the difference in numbers helps overly," he said. "The derbies are a prime example. That gives it an unbelievable atmosphere. But then, there will be more said about the viewing platform for away fans at a lot of ground. Being papped in corners, can't see for pillars and stuff like that. There is a bigger argument."