OLD PALS' ACT
‘Do I fear for him?’ – Kris Boyd opens up on struggles of ex-Rangers and Kilmarnock team mate Steven Naismith at Hearts
He's predicted how long Naismith will be given to turn things around at Tynecastle
KRIS BOYD fears for Steven Naismith’s job if Hearts’ horrific run continues.
Naisy’s Jambos finished third at a canter last season to secure European group-stage football.
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But they have yet to win a game this time round and have lost their last six matches in a row, including defeats in the Premier Sports Cup to Falkirk and in Europe to Viktoria Plzen.
In the league they have only scored twice, losing on the road to Dundee and Motherwell and at home against Dundee United, with an opening-day draw with Rangers giving them their only point.
The Tynecastle club handed boss Naismith and assistants Frankie McAvoy and Gordon Forrest new contracts last month.
But SunSport’s Boyd reckons that will count for little if the poor results continue.
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And asked by Sky Sports to predict where they’ll finish at the end of the season, he picked fifth spot.
He said: “I’ve been very disappointed by Hearts so far.
“They’ve played two European games in addition to their domestic duties, it’s not as if it has been a hard shift for them.
“Do I fear for Steven Naismith? Yes, if their poor run continues for another week or so.
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“They have to start getting results.
“I’m predicting fifth purely on the size of the club and the expectations because right now they’re a million miles away from where they should be, but I do think they’ll improve.”
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Fellow pundit Chris Sutton believes that Naismith has credit in the bank given the job he did last season.
But he believes keeping Lawrence Shankland is key if they are to fulfil his prediction of them going on to finish fourth this season.
He said: “Just because they’ve had a bad start doesn’t mean that it is over.
“I do think Steven Naismith did a great job last season and they’ve got a really decent squad.
“They are in the Conference League too and that balance may be tricky for them.
“Keeping Lawrence Shankland is a big deal. They do have reasonable strength and depth and they’ll get it together soon.
“When they do, they’ll go on a run. I’m not going to write Hearts off after four games. I do think there’s a need for patience from fans.”
Meanwhile, Hearts are awaiting clarification from the Costa Rican FA as to why Kenneth Vargas did not feature against Guatemala on Tuesday.
The striker missed his country’s win over Guadeloupe last week with a foot injury.
Boss Claudio Vivas put the 22-year-old’s absence from their second match down to an administrative issue.
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He said: “We were working on the situation, but it was an administrative error.”
Team-mate Gerard Taylor did feature, playing 78 minutes in the 0-0 draw.
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