Gary Keown makes Steven Naismith sack claim at Hearts, ‘Rangers are a shambles’
Hearts boss Steven Naismith will face “serious questions” if he does not beat Rangers in their upcoming fixture, according to Gary Keown.
Writing in the print edition of the Scottish Mail on Sunday (29 October, pg 98-99), Keown claimed that Rangers were “there for the taking” amid the club’s continuing struggles.
Hearts take on the Gers on Sunday (29 October) in Philippe Clement’s second league game as Rangers boss, but Naismith’s side could move to fourth with a win at Ibrox.
Keown said: “Rangers are a shambles and, as Clement keeps pointing out, that can’t be overcome and solved in a matter of weeks. They are there for the taking. They are certainly there to be competed with.
“If Naismith can’t take advantage of that and, at the very least, find a way to ask serious questions of his former club, it will be time to start asking serious questions of him,”
Needed win
Clement’s first league game gave fans hope that life post-Beale would be much more fruitful, but their issues remain. The Belgian took the job knowing the extent of the issues at the club and knew it would take a while to get Rangers back to where they should be.
Meanwhile, Naismith is trying to recover from Hearts’ 4-1 defeat to Celtic, which left them fourth in the league table. While the Gers are a better side on paper, an inability to defeat the recovering side would be seen as a big loss for the Jambos.
Rangers are still a club in transition, or in a “shambles” as Naismith claims, so the moment to take advantage is now. Keown claimed that Hearts must finish in third place this season, and beating an in-progress Rangers would be an ideal way to achieve that goal.
Clement’s first Europa League clash, a 0-0 against Sparta Prague, was not a perfect performance and was seen as a strong point in the group stage, but did show that the Gers could be defeated.
Despite Rangers’ huge reputation, the likes of Hearts will be looking at them and seeing a clear chance to get points as they attempt to get back on track. However, Naismith’s job may well be on the line if a victory is not earned.
In other Rangers news, a journalist has slammed the club over “incompetence” they showed with a recent decision.