Kris Boyd drinks in Steven Naismith's management rise as Rangers hero remembers Hearts boss cleaning his BOOTS

He was a top cleaner of boots back in his early days - but Kris Boyd insists former teammate Steven Naismith has to brush up well as Hearts interim boss.

The former forward shared a dressing room with the new Jambos caretaker at Kilmarnock and Rangers before going their separate ways when Boyd left Ibrox for Middlesbrough in 2010. Naismith is the Tynecastle boss until the end of the season and his task is getting them back into third in the Premiership after the sacking of Robbie Neilson.

After delivering them back to the top flight on top of a best of the rest place finish last season - not including two Scottish Cup finals and a Europa Conference League group stage spot - Boyd reckons Neilson earned more time in the hotseat. But with a pressure cooker Edinburgh derby coming this weekend, the pundit tells Sky there's huge expectation on his ex-teammate's shoulder: "I just think with what Robbie has given to that football club over the years, he deserved a bit more time.

"There's no doubt that losing five games in a row isn't good enough but I think he would have backed himself to turn it around. I get the feeling something isn't right at Hearts at this moment.

"You see Robbie and Lee McCulloch leaving, Robert Snodgrass has reportedly been told not to come back to training. It's not what you need at this time in the season."

Boyd was in a changing room with Naismith at the start of the latter's career and added on his interim chances, in tongue-in-cheek fashion: "He was very good at cleaning boots when he was younger as mine were always sparkling! But it's a good opportunity.

"He obviously has been with Scotland and it's a big step up, a huge challenge. You only need to look at how fans have gone about their business in