Where did it go wrong for Naismith & what's next for Hearts?

Steven Naismith was promoted from Hearts' B team boss in April 2023

No wins in nine matches in all competitions and eight successive defeats. That dismal early season form spelled the end for Steven Naismith as Heart of Midlothian head coach, despite the 38-year-old former Scotland striker signing a new contract as recently as August.

They have conceded soft goals at an alarming rate this season and have struggled to create chances of note at the other end.

Naismith did not appear to know his strongest team and Lawrence Shankland - the Scotland striker on whom he relied so much last season - is yet to fire in front of goal.

The away end in Paisley on Saturday made their feelings very clear after St Mirren's 2-1 win - they called for Naismith to go, and go now.

When a fanbase turns like that, there is usually no coming back for the man in the hotseat, and so it proved, with Naismith given his marching orders on Sunday.

So where will Hearts turn next and where did it all go wrong for the former Scotland forward after last season's third-place finish?

Lack of creativity and costly errors

Former Hearts defender Allan Preston told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound: "I agree wholeheartedly that Steven Naismith had to go.

"Eight straight defeats, out of the cup to a Championship club in Falkirk, continually losing goals from set-pieces - it was relentless and it simply wasn't good enough.

"He didn't know his best XI, or his best formation. Some of the decisions were baffling."

The statistics behind the rather unpleasant results do not make pretty reading either.

Hearts have had 159 touches in the opposition box across their six league games - only league leaders Celtic have had more - but they have created just five big chances and scored only three goals. That is the joint-fewest in the division, and represents a shot conversion rate of 4.17%.

Their 72 shots have resulted in a cumulative xG value of 5.14 - the second lowest in the league - which suggests they have been shooting from non-threatening areas.

Perhaps most alarmingly, Shankland has had more shots (22) and touches in the opposition box (43) than any other player in the league but is yet to score. Hearts' reliance on the 29-year-old's goals has rarely been more evident.

It's grim reading defensively, too.

No team has made more errors leading to goals (two) and no team has shipped more from set-pieces (six).

There also never appeared to be a settled back-line. Naismith switched between a back four and a back five almost on a weekly basis and made 17 changes to his starting XI in total - hardly the sign of a coach confident in his players.

Disjointed recruitment policy

There has also been criticism of Hearts' transfer business over the summer.

Left-back James Penrice and midfield duo Blair Spittal and Yan Dhanda arrived on free transfers from fellow Premiership clubs but have been unable to replicate previous form.

Musa Drammeh was signed from Sevilla's reserves, but the striker has only made one brief appearance off the bench and has not been selected in their Conference League squad.

Loan signings Andres Salazar and Gerald Taylor have both played international football, for Colombia and Costa Rica respectively, but have made costly mistakes at the back since arriving in Gorgie - and there appears to be a lack of balance to the squad.

Hearts have held talks with Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom about potentially using the entrepreneur's analytical company for player recruitment in the future as they search for a higher success rate in the transfer market.

"The recruitment has been dreadful," Preston suggested. "They have got nine central midfield players and one right-back. That's not good enough.

"Hopefully, if Tony Bloom comes in, that will get sorted out and, equally, I want them to be involved in the recruitment of the new manager.

"If I was to pick one in Scotland, it would be Derek McInnes. He has done a great job at Kilmarnock, but I think Hearts will go down a different route."

Former Hearts midfielder Ryan Stevenson believes it was a failure to not bring in a striker to alleviate the burden on captain Shankland.

"There is one guy who can score goals," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "There is a glaringly obvious hole behind Shankland and Hearts did nothing to sort it.

"Hearts needed two strikers in that window. You cannot ask one guy to score 33 goals one year and do the same again, unless it's Ronaldo or Messi. Who made the decision to not sign other strikers? Ultimately, it falls on the board."

'Foreign coach would be no surprise'

Brian McLauchlin, BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

The deal with Bloom's analytical company - should it be completed - will help with identifying the right players in the right positions for the right price.

And, indeed, it may also play a hand in identifying a new head coach.

Hearts is a big job in Scottish football - arguably one of the top three in the country - and there will be many who fancy a crack at taking over at Tynecastle.

The likes of Dundee's Tony Docherty and Kilmarnock's McInnes are sure to be among the contenders, as will Alex Neil, who has been out of a job since being sacked by Stoke City in December.

However, I wouldn't be too surprised if a foreign coach is given the nod, particularly if Bloom and his company are involved in the decision.

More pressing, though, is what happens on the pitch, with Ross County coming to Tynecastle on Saturday.

Three points must be the target and it provides a chance for the Hearts players to show what they really can do on the pitch after such a poor start to the season.