'Welcome to Hearts' - Ryan Stevenson recalls Celtic Park bust-up between Ian Black and Christian Nade

The former Hearts ace remembers getting a surprise on his debut for the club against Celtic

Former Hearts ace Ryan Stevenson remembers the eye-opening introduction he got to life at Hearts.

The 35-year-old had two spells at Tynecastle, first signing from Ayr United on the final day of the winter transfer window in 2010,

He became Jim Jefferies’ first signing in the Hearts legend’s second spell at the club.

Ryan Stevenson recalled an eye-opening experience when he arrived at Hearts. Picture: SNS

Stevenson, who was with Hearts as a youngster before signing for Chelsea, went from playing for the Honest Men in the second tier to making his debut at Celtic Park, a match which the Edinburgh side lost 2-0.

For many in the squad that evening, it will be remembered for a well-documented incident which took place in the changing room between Ian Black and Christian Nade.

“I remember sitting next to Mikey Stewart and Blackie came in,” Ryan Stevenson told Open Goal. “Blackie has had a pop at Christian Nade. He was like: ‘Nade! F***ing hold the baw up!’

“We were playing one up front. To be fair, big Nade is a good guy but obviously his work-rate isn’t probably what it should be.

Ian Black and Christian Nade had a bust-up in the changing rooms in 2010. Picture: SNS

“Big Nade is just sitting there, ‘okay, Ian’. These big lockers are sitting there.

“I’m sitting next to Mikey Stewart. Blackie’s like ‘Nade this, Nade that’. Nade’s like ‘shut up, Ian’.

“Wee Billy is bombing about, ‘you wanna stop arguing?’ Jet (Jim Jefferies) is just standing back letting it happen.

“Nade’s saying ‘F*** up, Ian. Shut up’. They keep going and he just turns around and goes bang. Knocks him into the locker, clean out.

“Mikey Stewart just turned to me and said ‘welcome to Hearts’. I was just sitting there like ‘what the f*** is going on here?’”

While Stevenson would go on to become an integral part of the Hearts squad in two spells, Nade played just three more games for the club before leaving in the summer of 2010.

In an interview with the Evening News in 2012, the Frenchman, who now plays for Annan Athletic, expressed his regret about the incident.

“Of course it was my mistake and I should have reacted like this,” he said. I cannot ask anybody to forgive me for this except Blackie, and he’s done it. I cannot tell exactly what happened. If someone is to tell what happened, it must be Blackie.”