Given what transpired following the full-time whistle in Paisley on Saturday afternoon, it was something of a surprise that Steven Naismith had to wait until the next morning to learn that his time as Hearts manager was up.
After seeing their side fail to put up a fight in their 2-1 defeat to St Mirren, the 1500-or-so travelling supporters made their feelings regarding their beleaguered boss pretty clear.
It’s almost impossible to unite a fanbase these days, but based on the X-rated chants which rained down from the stands as Naismith made for the tunnel, he’s at least succeeded on that front.
The Buddies may have delivered the knockout blow, but in truth, the former Scotland international had been on the ropes for weeks.
Saturday’s loss made it eight in a row for the Tynecastle outfit. That run included a dismal 2-0 reverse at Falkirk which ended their Premier Sports Cup run before it got going, and back-to-back losses to a very beatable Viktoria Plzen side which saw their Europa League hopes extinguished.
Throw in a few shockers against both Dundee clubs and Motherwell, and the writing really was on the wall.
Steven Naismith has been struggling to find answers to Hearts’ early season problems
The former Scottish international had endured an eight-game losing run
Hearts announced that Naismith and his backroom team had been dismissed on Sunday
Even at this stage, a second third-place finish as as many seasons looks nigh on impossible given Aberdeen’s perfect start to the season. A 14-point advantage already appears too big a gap to bridge.
It’s been two decades since Hearts finished best of the rest in successive top-flight campaigns. Success, of course, brings its own downsides, and the club have been powerless to prevent their big names heading off for pastures new over the years.
But that can’t be held up as any sort of excuse this time around. If anything, Hearts looked significantly stronger as the transfer window closed.
Hearts’ defeat against St Mirren at the weekend was Naismith’s final game in charge
The Tynecastle supporters turned on Naismith during their side’s dismal run of form
The arrivals of Blair Spittal and Yan Dhanda by all accounts appeared to represent excellent business. Both had been standouts at Motherwell and Ross County respectively in recent years, but have been a shadow of their former selves in maroon.
Gerard Taylor and Malachi Boateng, meanwhile, have been solid if unspectacular in their early outings as they try to get to grips with Scottish football.
Naismith could have anticipated his summer acquisitions would need some time to settle in, but what he couldn’t have accounted for what has been an alarming drop-off in form of the man he was so thrilled – and perhaps shocked – to hold on to.
Lawrence Shankland’s 21-goal haul last season was enough to ensure that the Scotland international was linked with a host of clubs – including Premiership rivals Rangers – coming into the new season.
The fact that Hearts were able to keep their captain on the books was arguably their biggest coup of a nervy summer. But he has been miles off it so far. Zero goals in eight appearances tells its own story.
That’s not entirely his own fault, of course. The 29-year-old is at his best in and around the penalty area, but with a dearth of service coming his way, he has very much been on the fringes of the action.
Last year’s top scorer Lawrence Shankland has yet to get off the mark this season
His team-mates have plundered just three league goals between them, a meagre tally equalled only by Kilmarnock who sit one place better off in the table.
Simply put, when Shankland’s off the boil, the team can’t cope.
It would be huge surprise if his barren run goes on for much longer. He’s far too good a player for that to be of any concern. But his recent struggles have further underlined his undeniable importance to Hearts’ fortunes.
Unfortunately for Naismith, Shankland’s early season slump proved to be a problem he was unable to solve in time.
It was a good weekend for…
Lennon Miller, whose last-gasp penalty was enough to fire his Motherwell side into the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals at the expense of Dundee United.
The 18-year-old held his nerve to sweep home from the spot in stoppage-time after former Well striker Louis Moult had cancelled out Zach Robinson’s first-half stunner.
The highly rated youngster is tipped for stardom and will now have another chance to shine when he struts out on the Hampden turf next month.
Lennon Miller celebrates after sending Motherwell to the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals
It was a bad weekend for…
St Johnstone interim manager Andy Kirk. Craig Levein’s midweek dismissal at McDiarmid Park meant his former assistant was tasked with delivering just a second win of the season for the Perth side. It was all going swimmingly as well.
St Johnstone caretaker boss Andy Kirk watched his side ship two late goals at Ross County
But the concession of two late goals, the second of which arriving in the 97th minute, meant it was a case of two points dropped rather than a point gained, much to the frustration of the caretaker boss.
