Lawrence Shankland Hearts future down to one thing as belief holds key to Rangers Hampden success

Steven Pressley insists the silence around Hearts outlines the excellence of Steven Naismith’s work.

But the Tynecastle club’s Scottish Cup-winning captain reckons making big noise at Hampden will lift the boss to the next level. Pressley is adamant genuine belief holds the key to Hearts success against Rangers on Sunday. In Naismith, the ex-skipper sees an individual who can provide it.

The Hearts manager has won admiration for his ability to come through a sticky period earlier in the campaign. But, for Pressley, it’s the lack of noise around the place that is just as significant. Having been through life with Vladimir Romanov, he knows what chaos looks like around Tynecastle. But Naismith has serenity in Gorgie and Pressley said: “There isn’t a lot of noise coming from the club right now and that’s a healthy sign.

“There was a lot of noise when I was there! Earlier in the season, there was. But not anymore. It feels calm and it tells me Hearts are in a good place.

“Hearts are in good form, better than Rangers are right now after the first period of uncertainty in [Philippe] Clement’s reign. The pressure is mounting on that side of the city, but there is a real calmness about Hearts.

“Steven is doing a good job. He’s shown good resilience from his early period of difficulty. I read that he had spoken about good stability and good support from within the club.

“I know from my own time as a manager in my first job, I was very fortunate to have Alex Smith behind me. People underestimate how important support is to a young manager and he seems to be getting that just now and that allows him to prosper and do his job properly.

“He seems to have got his group together, but, equally, around that, I think you need to give