Heart of Midlothian

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.

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.

Image source, SNS

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.

Image source, SNS

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.

Listen and subscribe to the Scottish football podcast on BBC Sounds

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.