Steven Naismith speaks on his Hearts sacking with direct comments on events at Tynecastle, fans and players

The head coach was relieved of his duties on Sunday

Steven Naismith today spoke for the first time since being sacked by Hearts and admitted this season’s results simply were not acceptable. The 38-year-old released a statement commenting on events at Tynecastle Park with a philosophical outlook.

Naismith guided Hearts to third place in the Scottish Premiership in his first season in charge. This season, the club are winless after nine competitive matches. They suffered an eighth successive defeat at St Mirren on Saturday. Less than 24 hours later, Naismith was relieved of his duties along with assistant coaches Frankie McAvoy and Gordon Forrest. B team coach Liam Fox has been placed in charge of the first team on an interim basis, assisted by coaches Angus Beith and Lee Wallace.

Naismith commented: “I am disappointed that my time at Heart of Midlothian Football Club has come to an end. This season has been a frustrating one for a number of reasons and ultimately it just hasn’t been good enough. When you’re at a big club with demands and expectations and you go on a bad run of form - pressure is always going to come.

“I would like to thank everyone associated with Heart of Midlothian, where I have spent nearly 8 years of my career. From my first day I formed a strong connection with the club and all who work there, I knew, understood and appreciated the standards and demands of HMFC and this was something I constantly tried to uphold as a player and manager.

“The Board put faith in me and gave me the opportunity to become a leader of the club and I am truly grateful for that. I fully believe that this board are the right people to guide the club - I truly believe all they want is success. I also believe the club is very near to taking the next step and progressing to the next level continuing on the trajectory it has been on.

“In my opinion the squad of players has lots of potential, even though this season at times we have struggled to get going, I have confidence that they will fulfil their potential. The challenge to play at a big club and deal with the pressure associated is tough at times but once you understand it, and learn to deal with it it’s a great attribute to have - this is something I tried to instil in the squad. There is a lot of hard work that goes in day to day at any football club and I want to thank all the staff at the club who work tirelessly - their support was felt throughout my time in charge.

“The fans are a huge part of the football club and their work to secure control of the club is special. Hearts have many great people who follow the club every week, the desire for success is clear to see. I really do hope you get some special moments in the near future. Please understand the power of your support when used in the right way. Keep following and backing the players.

“I am pleased that in my first year as a head coach I was able to bring a level of success to the club with: European football, most league wins in nearly 20 years; most away wins in 32 years; and some good individual performances and results. My biggest hope is that from my time at the football club I have helped make people better - whether that was on the pitch or off it.”