Heart of Midlothian

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It is "utterly ridiculous" to suggest Steven Naismith's position as Hearts head coach is under threat, says St Mirren manager Stephen Robinson.

The two will go head to head in the dugout on Saturday as bottom-of-the-table Hearts travel to Paisley.

Despite their woeful start, Robinson has "no doubt Hearts will be challenging at the top end of the table".

The Gorgie side are on a run of seven straight defeats in all competitions, while the Buddies are without a win in the same time frame, but Robinson said "nothing will be taken for granted".

"I think it's utterly ridiculous for a manager who got a team into Europe, that are in Europe, that haven't started their European campaign, to have any kind of talk like that," Robinson said.

"He is a young manager who's done very, very well, I have a lot of respect for him.

"Statistics can be twisted whatever way you want, managers are under pressure every minute. Steven has played at the top level and he will certainly deal with that and he will stick with his beliefs.

"I am wary of Hearts every single time, they have a fantastic manager.

"Steven strengthened over the summer by adding some really good technical players like Yan Danda and Blair Spittal. They have very good players and huge threats from everywhere. Lawrence Shankland is one of the best strikers in the league.

"I have no doubt Hearts will be up challenging at the top end of the table, they will have a run in Europe and we have to make sure we are at the very top of our game.

"There will be nothing being taken for granted. When you say a (poor) run, the season has only just kicked off."

Dundee, Hibernian, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, Ross County, St Johnstone and St Mirren will each take in £1.6m in solidarity payments due to Celtic's Champions League qualification, with Aberdeen and Dundee United receiving £1m and £650,000 going to Hearts and Livingston. (Mail), external

Read Friday's Scottish gossip

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Midfielder Finlay Pollock has joined Championship club Raith Rovers on a season-long loan after after signing a new two-year deal with Hearts.

The 20-year-old, who is now under contract at Tynecastle until summer 2026, has featured seven times for the Hearts first team, including one appearance last season.

Having been hampered by injury in the last two years, Pollock moves to Kirkcaldy in search of more game-time, with Hearts holding the option to recall him in January.

"Since working with Finlay at B team level, I've been highly impressed by not just his ability, but also his attitude," said Hearts head coach Steven Naismith.

"Finlay's desire to work his way back to full fitness reflects that attitude. I'm delighted that he's committed his future to the club.

"The next step for Finlay is to gain regular minutes at a high level like Raith Rovers, by training well during the week and putting in good performances on matchdays.

"I fully expect Finlay to be pushing for a place in our first team in the near future. We look forward to welcoming him back to Tynecastle having had good competitive minutes."

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• St Mirren have won just two of their last 11 Scottish Premiership meetings with Hearts (D3 L6), a 2-0 victory in April 2023 and 1-0 in September 2023.

• Hearts have only lost one of their last seven top-flight away games at St Mirren (W3 D3), scoring 2+ goals in five of these matches.

• St Mirren have kept just one clean sheet in their last 16 league matches, conceding 32 goals in this period. The Buddies have shipped 2+ goals in their last four, their longest such run within a single league season since conceding multiple goals in each of their final seven games of 2022-23.

• Hearts have lost their last four league games, more than their previous 23 beforehand (W13 D7 L3). It’s their longest such losing run since April 2023 (run of 5).

• Not only are Hearts the lowest scorers in the Premiership this season (two goals), but they also have the poorest shot conversion rate (3.2%) and biggest underperformance of expected goals (-2.7, 2 goals from 4.7 xG).

Hearts will travel directly to Aberdeen from Azerbaijan next month with Steven Naismith's side taking on Conference League opponents Dinamo Minsk in Sumgait three days before their Scottish Premiership trip to Pittodrie. (Scotsman - subscription), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

We asked for your views on the potential investment in Hearts from Brighton owner Tony Bloom.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Tom: This seems a great opportunity for Hearts to not only increase revenue but to also improve their recruitment processes. As long as proper due diligence is carried out and the club keeps control of the decision-making, going forward, I think this could be a fantastic opportunity.

Ian: Do not touch it with a barge pole. In a couple of years he'll want a bigger percentage of the club and so on and so on. Tell him thanks but no thanks.

David: Bloom clearly is a world leader in this field and is not interested in controlling or taking over the club. The fact that it doesn't tie the club to Brighton's model is evidence this is a wise decision to take. This would strengthen our business model but patience will be needed for the benefits to be seen.

Chris: Brighton have had a few exceptional transfer windows but the Scottish league is just a bit more chaotic. I'd rather he invested in minority ownership as we have being crying out for "football people" at boardroom level as we have made so many naive decisions and could use that expertise.

Kuptin: I’m REALLY opposed to selling a stake in the club. This is why the Foundation of Hearts exists. If Hearts need money, just say so. If Bloom can offer something, just pay for the service.

Anon: Bring it on. For me an absolute no-brainer.

Callum: For Hearts to really progress, we need to establish a successful player model, and Brighton have been incredibly competent at that in recent years. I think being given access to the same means Brighton have, albeit on a much smaller scale, could be a game-changer for Hearts' recruitment.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

The news earlier this week that Brighton owner Tony Bloom has held talks with members of the Hearts board will be music to the ears of fans of the Tynecastle club.

It's been a miserable season so far and questions have rightly been asked about what's going on to remedy the situation.

There will be fans sceptical about the involvement of an outsider in Bloom, particularly given what happened when Vladimir Romanov took ownership 20 years ago.

But this is different. There is very little risk at stake here for Hearts and given Bloom's success in both business and football, this could end up being a real coup for the club and game changing long term.

When Bloom purchased a shareholding in Union Saint-Gilloise in May 2018, they languished third bottom of the second tier in Belgium and have not looked back since.

Promotion came quickly and in the past few years they have competed in Champions League qualifiers. Add in winning their first Belgian Cup in over 100 years and it’s evident they are a team on the up.

Much of that success has been put down to the involvement of the analytical data company owned by Bloom.

Hearts fans, however, will have to be patient. Although it's highly likely an agreement will be reached this month that will give the club access to the data, it will be January at the earliest before any progress may be seen.

Between now and then the team will have to start winning games. Sitting bottom of the table with just one point after five matches was not in the script for this season.

St Mirren on Saturday is the next port of call and although it was a defeat at Celtic Park on Saturday, there were signs of light in what has been a pretty dark tunnel so far this term.

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Gary Mackay is intrigued by Brighton owner Tony Bloom's investment interest in Hearts, but believes fans would face a "really difficult decision" over granting a minority stake in the club.

Hearts are in talks with the 54-year-old Englishman over a multi-million-pound deal to utilise the entrepreneur's analytical company for player recruitment.

The fact Mackay's former Hearts team-mate David Weir works under Bloom as Brighton's technical director gives the 60-year-old reassurance that the mooted deal may be worth pursuing.

"I think we have to be open-minded about it," said Mackay, who is Hearts' record appearance holder.

"There are various pros and cons for me but the one big pro is that Davie Weir is down at Brighton and somebody that both myself and Gary Locke know well. I have huge respect for Davie and what his club have done.

"Brighton's credibility as a well-run club is second to none so that gives you a bit reassurance. In principle, because of the Davie Weir connection and because of the club it is and how well they have punched above their weight for so many years under Tony Bloom, I am quite enthusiastic about it."

Mackay feels there are still plenty of questions that will need to be answered before Jambos supporters - who effectively own the club through the 8,000-strong Foundation of Hearts - can fully get behind it.

"When you look at Moises Caicedo, who came into Brighton for £4m and was moved on for nearly £100m, you think how does that model work for Hearts?" said Mackay.

"What will we be able to spend within this deal because we don't have £4m to take a chance on a player like Brighton do? Will we still be bringing players in for next to nothing and then looking to make £4-5m in a watered-down version of what Brighton are doing?

"What expectations will Tony Bloom have from this deal? Are they wanting anything out of this deal or are they just thinking Davie Weir knows the club, Heart of Midlothian are a brilliantly-run football club?

"I think it's great they've identified Hearts but to sell a stake in the club, although I wouldn't mind sitting with a board of directors to discuss it, I wouldn't want to be the one that had to make the ultimate decision because it would be a really difficult decision to make."

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

Nobody expected Hearts to visit Celtic Park last Saturday and pull up any trees.

However, being rooted to the bottom of the Scottish Premiership in mid-September is not what even the most fervent Hibee would have predicted at the start of the season.

That's us now hit double figures in competitive games without a victory - since 11 May against Dundee at Tynecastle.

There's been plenty of debate and talk about what has gone wrong, but the concerning part is we're not seeing much to cling on to and be optimistic about.

Sure, you can point to it being 0-0 at half-time away to the champions and having a penalty overturned by VAR. For me, it's a penalty. You can talk about proximity of the shot, but you can't say Liam Scales' arm is in a natural position. Is it really a 'clear and obvious error' from the on-field referee?

In terms of the James Penrice one, I think it's a penalty going by what we’ve seen given following the introduction of VAR in Scotland.

However, the Scottish FA have made a rod for their own back with their mandate to punish less, like Scales' one and Connor Barron at Tynecastle.

Once that penalty award goes against us, you could see the wind was knocked out of the Hearts players' sails and some would have wanted the game to have ended there. I maintain that some players' mentalities should be questioned.

Naismith is under growing pressure from Hearts supporters and we've got another tough away fixture at St Mirren on Saturday. If you're being optimistic and like good omens, then our last away victory came in Paisley on 6 April.

Sticking with the omens theme, Naismith needs to ditch the navy hoodie he has been sporting for seven straight defeats. If that makes an outing at Paisley, put your mortgage on a Buddies victory.

All joking aside, he needs a positive result this weekend. You might get a different picture from the Hearts board, but third place is beyond our grasp after five league games due to Aberdeen's excellent start.

It's somewhat fitting that professional gambler and Brighton owner Tony Bloom is interested in acquiring a minority stake in Hearts as the board are throwing all their chips behind Naismith.

Hearts have held talks with Brighton owner Tony Bloom that could lead to the Tynecastle outfit utilising the entrepreneur's analytical company for player recruitment.

Discussions have been taking place since the early part of 2024 and if an agreement is reached it would lead to Bloom becoming a minority shareholder at Hearts and investing a multi-million pound amount.

Majority shareholders the Foundation of Hearts would need to vote through their agreement, with a 90% threshold required.

Bloom's company has been utilised by the Premier League club and Belgium's Union Saints-Gilloise.

What do you make of the potential investment? Can Bloom's expertise only benefit Hearts or are there pitfalls?

Give us your thoughts here, external

Motherwell forward Tony Watt believes Steven Naismith can turn things around at struggling Hearts.

Listen to the full episode of the Scottish Football Podcast.

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Australia international Nathaniel Atkinson has left Hearts to join A-League side Melbourne City on a permanent deal.

Hearts signed the 25-year-old from Melbourne City in January 2022, but he returns to his homeland having not featured for the Tynecastle club this season.

In total, Atkinson made 72 appearances for Hearts, scoring three goals.

We asked for your views on Hearts 2-0 defeat against Celtic.

Here's what some of you said:

David: Another defeat (though not a surprise). Bottom of the league. Can't score goals. Can't stop conceding goals. Two of our most creative players, Yan Dhanda and Blair Spittal reduced to bit part players. No recognition that another experienced striker was an absolute necessity for the start of the season. Sorry times at Tynecastle.

Chris: It's another game we never looked like scoring. The football is insipid and the players don't look nervous any more, they just looked resigned to losing. VAR is used for obvious errors, so we were told, so did the referee make an obvious error in giving us a penalty from an incident he viewed five yards away? I'm over it.

Mike: A strong defensive performance until the penalty. Not expecting much against Celtic away. Must give Steven Naismith much more time. The return of Beni Baningime gave more composure in the midfield. Not sure how Jorge Grant gets into the team ahead of Spittal, Dhanda, Cammy Devlin etc. I’m confident we will finish in the top-six. Too many doomsayers wanting to change the manager, for who?

Ian: Having seen both penalty incidents on TV, I think the correct decisions were made on both occasions. If we remain without a win in our next games, Naismith has to go with someone outside the club being appointed.

Jim: The way Celtic are playing losing 2-0 to them ironically is an improvement on Hearts, I thought they'd score more. Hearts have a fight on their hands this season but if the manager can decide on a stable line-up and stop them looking as though they've never met their teammates maybe they might do something against a good Paisley side.

Sinx: Naismith needs to be given more time. This Hearts squad is full of talent and I can see they will come good soon. The penalty award for Celtic was a handball but if the SFA go on YouTube to explain why Hearts didn't get a penalty v Rangers on opening day, then I can’t see the difference between that and James Penrice's handball - double standards!

Alan H: Naismith has to go. Have to give a new manager the chance to get the team ready for Europe in October. No more waiting from the bosses and the fans.

Alan: Sitting at the foot of the table is unacceptable for any team in the Premiership, let alone Scotland's third force, but let's get a bit of perspective here - every team outside the Old Firm struggle with balancing European and domestic fixture demands. There's plenty time, so stick with Naismith, give him a proper shot at this and he'll come good.

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• Celtic have won their last 11 games in the Premiership - they are now just one game off equalling their 12 game winning streak from January to April last year.

• Meanwhile Hearts have lost their last four games in the Premiership - leaving them just one match short of equalling their losing streak from March last year.

• Celtic have now kept a clean sheet in each of their last five Premiership outings.

• Hearts attempted seven shots in this games - their lowest total in the Premiership this season.

Heart of Midlothian head coach Steven Naismith is left frustrated by the two VAR penalty calls in his side's 2-0 defeat at Celtic Park.

Celtic continued their 100% start to the season as the champions and Hearts experienced contrasting fortunes with VAR.

The visitors had a first-half penalty award overturned after Lawrence Shankland's header came off Liam Scales' arm.

And, after the break, Nicolas Kuhn's cross hit James Penrice's hand and the review resulted in record signing Arne Engels scoring his first Celtic goal from the spot.

Luke McCowan also opened his Celtic account with a late strike, confirming Hearts slipped a point adrift at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership.

Were you in attendance in the away end or following from home? Click here, external to have your say on the match.

Hearts head coach Steven Naismith spoke after the 2-0 defeat at Celtic Park, where his side were awarded a penalty that was overturned by VAR before VAR awarded the hosts a spot-kick from which they scored.

And he said: "The key moments in the game are the penalties. For me, they're both in the same camp.

"If one's given, they should be given. If one's not given, the other one shouldn't be. They both hit the hand.

"These moments are big in these games. The luck was against us."

BBC Scotland's Andy Campbell

Hearts head coach Steven Naismith has been criticised this season for flitting between formations but, tactically, he made the right calls for the trip to Glasgow.

The 3-5-2 formation pitched Lawrence Shankland and Kenneth Vargas, later replaced by Musa Drammeh, as the attacking outlets and they battled hard to get their team up the park.

They had to make the most of set pieces and from one, Shankland's header was kept out by Schmeichel.

A long-range effort by Shankland effort had the keeper diving but it always looked like a comfortable save for the Dane.

But a late Drammeh chance could have put a completely different complexion on the game and their start to the season.

A league trip to St Mirren next Saturday, while other clubs are on League Cup duty, at least gives Hearts the chance to make up some ground.