Heart of Midlothian

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.

Goalkeeper Craig Gordon made some fine saves as Hearts were beaten by his former club Celtic.

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Arne Engels makes his first Celtic start after featuring as a substitute in the 3-0 win over Rangers before the international break. The Belgium midfielder replaces Paulo Bernardo, who is on the bench.

Defender Auston Trusty, who joined from Sheffield United before the transfer deadline, is also among the substitutes.

Three changes for Hearts. Gerald Taylor replaces the ill Frankie Kent while Blair Spittal and Yutaro Oda are benched in favour of Kye Rowles and Beni Baningime.

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Celtic: Schmeichel, Johnston, Carter-Vickers, Scales, Taylor, Engels, McGregor, Hatate, Kuhn, Kyogo, Maeda.

Substitutes: Sinisalo, Trusty, Palma, Idah, Valle, McCowan, Bernardo, Forrest, Ralston.

Heart of Midlothian: Gordon, Taylor, Rowles, Halkett, Kingsley, Penrice, Baningime, Grant, Boateng, Shankland, Vargas.

Substitutes: Clark, Kent, Oyegoke, Devlin, Spittal, Forrest, Dhanda, Musa, Salazar.

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Celtic have a full squad, with several players overcoming issues that affected their international duties.

Hearts midfielder Beni Baningime is set to be in the squad for the first time this season after recovering from a knee injury but Calem Nieuwenhof (hamstring) remains sidelined.

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Cammy Devlin insists Hearts' dismal start to the season did not affect his decision to sign a new contract with the club.

Devlin - who signed for Hearts in 2021 - has penned a new two-year deal at Tynecastle, with his previous contract set to expire at the end of this season.

Steven Naismith's side are yet to win in all competitions this season, and have lost their last six outings, with both head coach and players coming under fire from fans and pundits alike.

"No, definitely not," said Devlin when asked if Hearts' poor form had caused any doubts about committing his future to the club. "The talks started over the summer but these things take time.

"You've just got to talk and then at the same time I was kind of saying 'I just want to focus on winning a game of football'. But it's done now and there was no doubt in my mind.

"I'll work as hard as I possibly can and that will take me wherever in football, but I'm in a very fortunate position to be sitting here today."

Hearts travel to Celtic on Saturday looking to end their winless run, with the champions yet to drop a point and yet to concede in the league.

"I think even if you've won five in a row, it's still such a tough place to go," Devlin said.

"You saw in the Old Firm game before the international break just how good they are at the moment.

"We haven't been good enough in recent games to get results but when you play for Hearts you've got to stand up and be counted.

"We know we're a good team, we went there last year and kept a clean sheet and won, and we beat them at home. We know we can do it. It's just about turning up on the day and making it happen."

Devlin says he understands the discontent among the Hearts fanbase, but insists it is the players' responsibility to get them back on side.

"The support is massive and they're paying their hard-earned money to come every single week," he said. "I'm sure when we look into that small corner at Celtic Park they'll be there singing.

"We need to give them something to cheer about. The management is really good and it's hard when they get scrutiny and we get scrutiny, but we started bad last season and we turned it round and came good.

"We're fully behind the management staff, that's not in question. It's about us as players taking responsibility."

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Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin has signed a new contract with the club, keeping him at Tynecastle until the summer of 2026.

The 26-year-old Australia international signed for Hearts in 2021 from A-League side Newcastle Jets and has gone on to make 109 appearances, scoring six goals.

Devlin's deal was due to expire next summer and head coach Steven Naismith said: "I'm really happy that Cammy has committed himself to the club.

"Cammy's story should be an inspiring one to younger players; a guy who came halfway across the world, established himself as a top player in a completely new environment, gained international recognition and went to a World Cup.

"He gives his all in training and in matches, and has a real desire to improve himself and the team.

"His character is second to none and I'm delighted that he will continue to be part of this side for the next two years."

Can struggling Hearts stun the champions in Glasgow on Saturday? Former Celtic and Scotland goallkeeper Gemma Fay doesn't fancy the visitors' chances.

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What a difference a few weeks make in football.

Hearts had gone into the new season having strolled to a third-place finish and with the promise of consolidation as Steven Naismith made his moves to strengthen the squad early in the summer transfer market.

In contrast, champions Celtic spent much of the summer being berated by their fans for their lack of activity while waiting for the almost inevitable departure of star midfielder Matt O'Riley.

However, a late flurry of activity on the back of a record sale to Brighton and Hearts on Saturday face the prospect of meeting a side seeking their sixth consecutive win while poised to hand a first start to their own record signing.

As Arne Engels quickly followed his arrival from Augsburg by celebrating his 21st birthday with a first cap for Belgium, Naismith was having to admit his own summer arrivals needed more time to adapt to the pressure of playing for a bigger club than those for whom they had played previously.

The Tynecastle head coach is facing the heat after suffering six defeats in a row - just one point from their opening four league games being Hearts' poorest start to a top-flight campaign in the 21st century.

Talisman Lawrence Shankland embodies the general malaise, the Scotland striker having failed to score this season despite having the most shots of any player in the Premiership.

Hardly the ideal time to be visiting a side who have only conceded once this season - in a 3-1 League Cup win over Hibernian - and who are one game away from matching the feat of five opening league games without losing a goal achieved only once before - under Willie Maley in 1906-07.

Naismith proved he could conjure upsets against Brendan Rodgers' side with two wins out of four meetings last season, including a 2-0 win at Celtic Park in December.

Meanwhile, Shankland's six goals against Celtic in the league since the start of the 2022-23 are as many as he has against any other opponent.

What manager and captain would give for a repeat on Saturday.

Read all the weekend's Premiership picks

Hearts should be looking to challenge Rangers for second place despite a "horrendous" start to the season, says former Tynecastle and Ibrox forward Kevin Kyle. (STV), external

Midfielder Beni Baningime is adamant that players must take responsibility for Hearts' poor results and stresses the squad are fully in support of head coach Steven Naismith. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Finnish goalkeeper Antti Niemi, now 54, insists moving from Rangers to Hearts in 1999 was the best career decision he ever made. (Football Scotland), external

Read the rest of Friday's Scottish gossip.

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• Celtic have won 24 of their last 26 home games against Hearts in all competitions (D1 L1), scoring 72 goals and conceding just 12 times.

• Hearts have won two of their last three Scottish Premiership games against Celtic.

• Celtic have won all four of their league games this season without conceding a single goal. Only in 1906-07 under Willie Maley have they ever won their opening five matches of a league campaign without conceding.

• With just one point from their opening four matches (D1 L3), this is Hearts’ poorest start to a top-flight campaign in the 21st century.

• Despite having the most shots of any player in the Scottish Premiership this season (17), Lawrence Shankland is yet to score for Hearts this term.

• However, Shankland’s six goals against Celtic in the league since the start of 2022-23 are the joint-most any player has against a single opponent in the top flight in this time.

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Scottish FA head of referees Willie Collum has highlighted a controversial incident involving Hearts in the opening four weeks of the new season but concluded officials got the decisions correct.

Collum analysed eight controversial incidents in The VAR Review, a new monthly show on the Scottish FA's YouTube channel, concluding that he was "content with the start we've made".

However, he said that Celtic should have been awarded a penalty in their 4-0 win over Kilmarnock, while Dundee United ought to have had a spot-kick for hand ball in their 2-2 draw with Dundee - both on the opening weekend.

Hearts 0-0 Rangers - 3 August

Hearts thought they should have had a penalty when Yan Dhanda's cross struck Connor Barron's elbow at Tynecastle.

Collum said this incident "shows the direction of travel we want to take with handball" since he took charge, highlighting the short distance between the two players and Barron's arm being tight to his body.

"There was a lack of understanding of many hand balls last season," he said. "Probably last season, that would have been awarded.

"But, for us, the key point is that the arm is tucked into the body. The player does not make his body bigger."

Head coach Steven Naismith says some of his summer signings need time to realise the pressure that comes with playing for a bigger club like Heart of Midlothian. (Hearts Standard), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

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Hearts defender Kye Rowles had to settle for a late appearance off the bench as Australia's World Cup qualifying travails continued with a goalless draw at Indonesia.

Despite an improved performance from the shock opening home defeat by Bahrain, the Socceroos couldn't find a breakthrough in Jakarta.

Rowles played the final four minutes, while Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin was an unused substitute.

Earlier on Tuesday, Tynecastle full-back Gerald Taylor earned his eighth cap as Costa Rica drew 0-0 at Guatemala to make it four points from their first two games in Concacaf Nations League Group A1.

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Former Hearts and Scotland manager George Burley is being treated for cancer, Ipswich Town have said.

The 68-year-old ex-Scotland international, who also managed the national team from January 2008 to November 2009, was diagnosed after feeling unwell earlier this year.

Burley took charge at Tynecastle in summer 2005, leading Hearts to the top of the table with a superb 10-game unbeaten run at the start of the league season.

However, rumours persisted of an uneasy relationship with major shareholder Vladimir Romanov, and Burley's tenure lasted just four months before he departed because of what the club called "irreconcilable differences" with the board.

Burley played for Ipswich from 1973 to 1985 and completed 500 appearances for the club. He was manager at Ipswich from 1994 to 2002.

"It has been a difficult time, but I am feeling much brighter now," Burley said. "In fact, I am able to get to matches at Portman Road and I am enjoying watching the team playing back in the Premier League.

"We are grateful to the club for the support they have shown me and my family and I would ask that everyone is respectful of our privacy at this time."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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Seven games. Six defeats. One draw. Zero wins.

After cruising to a third-placed finish last term, Hearts' start to the new campaign has been a miserable one.

It is a sharp demise few have seen coming, especially after delivering an impressive opening-day performance in their draw with Rangers last month.

Since that Premiership opener, it has been a run of six straight losses, during which Hearts have been dumped out of the League Cup and Europa League qualifying.

Heading into the first international break, Steven Naismith's side sit second bottom of the table with just one point from four league games.

So where has it gone wrong?

At the top end of the pitch, goals have dried up big time.

The two Hearts have scored across all competitions this season have come in the league - neither of those have come from talismanic striker Lawrence Shankland, who is yet to get off the mark after scoring 31 times last term.

However, the team's total expected goals (xG) of 4.1 across their first four league games shows the chances have been there for Naismith's side to have at least double their current goals tally.

The Gorgie men have also posted 120 touches in the opposition box - the third-highest total in the league - which proves the team are getting themselves into attacking areas.

Although only 11 shots on target have come from those touches, underlying numbers like these can often suggest the goals will eventually arrive, but there are also concerns to address defensively.

According to Opta, Hearts have made two errors leading to goals they have conceded - the most the league - while conceding seven from an xG against total of 6.06.

Following the news of his contract extension last month, coupled with last season's success, no knee-jerk reaction can be expected in relation to the future of Naismith, who has has demonstrated his ability as a promising young coach.

But the above issues will need fixing soon before they spiral into damaging trends.

Midfielder Calem Nieuwenhof, 23, was omitted from Hearts' Conference League squad over concerns about a hamstring problem. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

BBC Sport Scotland chief sportswriter Tom English has been answering your questions.

Stephen asked: Such a disappointment thus far and the exit from Europe exposed the lack of energy on the pitch and the void of technical expertise off it to make changes and motivate the team. Does Steven Naismith have the football IQ to pull Hearts out of this decline or should the board make a brave decision and make an early change of management?

Tom answered: I know a lot of Hearts fans want the change made now, Stephen. I suspect that the board will give the manager another three or four or maybe five games to see if he can turn it around.

They'll want to be seen to be giving him every chance. That's fair enough, but I was never a fan of the appointment in the first place. A club like Hearts needs an experienced operator in the chair. Now that Lawrence Shankland's goals have dried up, the manager's inexperience is being seen in its full light.

One of the problems is that in their next five games they have Celtic (away), St Mirren (away), Dinamo Minsk (away) and Aberdeen (away). That's a fiendish run when you're looking to prove you have things under control. They also have Ross County at home in the middle of that run - the most must-win game in Naismith's brief managerial career.

Publicly and privately they're backing the manager, but they're not blind to what is going on. The Tynecastle crowd has made its feelings abundantly clear. 'Improve quickly or else' seems to cover the situation as it stands.

Gez asked: Hearts fans deserve much better than the miserable start we've had, but bearing in mind we are similar in size of support and resources to Aberdeen, Hibs and Dundee United (when they fill the ground out), do you think some of our frustration is born out of expecting third and cup finals every season when that won't always happen?

Tom answered: I think the fans now expect third, Gez, and it's not an unreasonable expectation. There are only a very small number of teams who are in with a realistic shot at third and I'd say, on paper, Hearts have the best squad of the lot.

The team is boring to watch right now. They're not scoring goals, not entertaining, there's very little cohesion and no discernible sign of a gameplan and they're losing games. The constant chopping and changing of players and systems does not inspire confidence in the management team. These are tricky times.

About the fans expecting third in the league and cup runs, it's not unrealistic for supporters to expect better than what they've been getting this season.

BBC Sport Scotland chief sportswriter Tom English has been answering your questions.

Ian asked: Has Steven Naismith lost the dressing room, with rotation and different formations every game?

Tom answered: Hi Ian. The honest answer is I don’t know. There’s no leaks coming out that I know of, but things are not right. That's obvious.

Naismith has a tendency to push the blame on to his players - sometimes fully deserved - without saying much about his own endless tinkering with players and formations. That's never a good look. Stephen Kingsley at right-back? Er... that cannot be going down well in the dressing room.

Lawrence Shankland made Naismith's life a whole lot easier last season, but the Shankland of before is not the same as the one we're seeing now, so there's no protection for the manager, no free-scoring striker papering over the cracks.

Does the manager know his best team and best formation? I really don't think he does. There's a lot of confusion. Hearts have become very dull to watch. This will only go on for so long before a change is made. He needs to get his skates on.

Ross asked: Do you think the Hearts board's conservatism on player and staff budgets (ie bargain basement player shopping and no head-hunting of top managers) is hampering ability to take the next step?

Tom answered: Promoting Naismith was always a gamble. No managerial experience, no real suggestion he he had the experience and ability to take Hearts on as his first job in management. His spell as interim manager was overblown, I think. There was nothing in there to point to him being the solution.

At least one board member wanted Marti Cifuentes, now at QPR, but Naismith’s 'star quality' won the day. That and his apparent support for playing young players from the academy. No sign of that happening this season.

Last season went well, in fairness, but the Shankland Factor was enormous. Lord knows where Hearts would have finished without him.

The squad is okay, it's just punching below its weight right now. If Shankland finds his best stuff then things will change quickly. Otherwise, well, we know what's going to happen.

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Calem Nieuwenhof and summer signing Musa Drammeh have been omitted from Hearts' squad for the Conference League.

Also missing out is third-choice goalkeeper Ryan Fulton after Steven Naismith named a 42-man pool, including 'B' list academy players.

Australian midfielder Nieuwenhof has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring injury in March, although he is back in individual training.

Spanish forward Drammeh, 22, has yet to feature for Hearts since arriving from Sevilla.

Gerald Taylor, Yan Dhanda and Andres Salazar are among the summer signings that have been included in the squad.

Image source, Getty Images

Local favourite Kye Rowles endured an unhappy homecoming as Australia were stunned 1-0 by Bahrain in a World Cup qualifying upset.

Hearts defender Rowles played the full 90 minutes on the Gold Coast, where he had grown up and played junior football.

Tynecastle team-mate Cammy Devlin was an unused substitute in the defeat that saw the Socceroos reduced to 10 men in the closing stages when striker Kusini Yengi was shown a straight red for a high kick to the neck of Sayed Baqer.

Former Dundee United defender Harry Souttar then netted an 89th-minute own goal to hand Bahrain a shock win.

The defeat in the opening game of the third round of Asian qualifying leaves the Aussies playing catch-up in a group that also features Japan and Saudi Arabia, with the top two guaranteed a place at the 2026 World Cup.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

This season could barely have started more poorly for Hearts. And yet after the opening draw with Rangers all appeared to be rosy on the horizon.

However, five straight defeats against teams who last season would barely have tested Hearts means serious questions are now being asked.

Regular readers of this column will know my thoughts on how recruitment is the most important part of any football club.

And while many will feel the pre-contract signings of James Penrice, Yan Dhanda and Blair Spittal were good to have on board, none of those have started the season strongly and are taking time to adjust to life at Tynecastle.

The 'project' signings of Andres Salazar and Gerald Taylor have also had mixed results and the jury is still out on whether either of those will make a significant impact at the club.

Then you look at the established players. Lawrence Shankland, Barrie McKay, Craig Halkett, Liam Boyce and others have for various reasons failed to fire this campaign.

As so often happens though when things go wrong, the buck stops with the manager. Steven Naismith has admitted he has made mistakes, particularly in the changes he made after that opening match against Rangers.

The appointment of Graeme Jones as sporting director should help. He leaves his job as performance director at the SFA and will quickly realise there is little honeymoon period in club football.

But he will not have a magic wand to change things immediately.

The match calendar has also not been kind to Hearts with trips to Celtic, St Mirren, Dynamo Minsk in Azerbaijan and Aberdeen all coming up in the next five weeks. Hearts' only home match in that period is Ross County at the end of September.

Naismith knows results must improve. He also knows the fans will not take much more of the fare on offer so far this season.

He is an honest guy, though, and if he feels he cannot take this team forward then he will walk before any decision by the board is taken to move him on.

There will be lots of talks taking place behind the scenes at the club in the next two weeks to ensure an upturn in fortunes occurs and the fans will want to see that happen sooner rather than later.