Naismith’s high praise for coaching trio Forrest, Mcavoy and Gallacher
expected because of the amount of hard work and change we have managed to do,” he said, reflecting on his first year as a manager.
“That's the way we play, the squad in general. It's the whole bigger picture, the facility, the way we prepare, our nutrition, the chefs we've got. I would argue in some areas we have got the best in the league.”
Naismith – who was promoted from the role of Hearts' B team manager following the sacking of Robbie Neilson – did not headhunt any of Forrest, Mcavoy or Gallacher from elsewhere as they were already at the club, but he revealed how they have forged an effective coaching unit.
“I've worked with Gall at the club, I worked with Gordy as a player and a coach, and I worked with Frankie when I was a player at Norwich,” he said. “Then I worked with him up here in his role with the academy. I think we fit really well together.
"When I was a player and you know you're going down this [management] route, you start to think of who would you have working with you. Right from the off, Frankie and Gordy were guys high on my list. It fell into place much easier than I expected. If I got a job somewhere else and you're trying to prise people away from jobs, it can be more difficult.
“Gordy and Frankie were in roles but, being at the club and it all being internal, it was something that could be done very easily.
“It probably didn't look as straightforward as that to the public. Gordy was a coach before and Frankie was in the academy but, being deadly serious, that's who I would have picked if I'd gone anywhere in my first job.”
Announcing the new contracts, Hearts said in a statement: “The club has taken up its option to extend the contracts of Steven Naismith, Gordon Forrest, Frankie Mcavoy and Paul Gallacher by a year, meaning the quartet will continue to lead the Jambos through until the summer of 2026. The first team has gone from strength to strength since they took on their roles at the start of last season.”