Steven Naismith swerves Rangers boxing match as he warns Hearts stars caution is the key to Ibrox upset

Steven Naismith admits Hearts CAN’T dare to go toe to toe with Rangers in Glasgow.

The Tynecastle boss will have seen Hibs head along the M8 last weekend for Philippe Clement’s first game in charge with an attacking line-up. But being so open backfired on Nick Montgomery as the Hibees found themselves on the wrong end of a 4-0 thumping, which got the Clement era started with a bang in Govan.

Naismith knows only too well how quickly things can go pear-shaped in Glasgow despite grand plans. He plundered enough goals in light blue himself. But now, heading back to his old stomping ground for the first time since becoming permanent gaffer in Gorgie, Naismith aims to box clever rather than try to trade punches with the Premiership heavyweights.

He said: “With a team that has the fortune of a bigger squad and more resources to bring players in then it minimises the risk in the mentality stakes. You can’t go toe to toe with them. But you still need to carry a threat.

“There are moments in the game when we need to gain control of the ball. It’s not about thinking, ‘Right we are going to score’ it’s about getting us into their half of the pitch and having the ball for a two or three-minute period that leads to you having an opportunity.

“If we think, ‘Right we need to score!’ inevitably you lose it within 10 seconds. Then you are having to defend and the game gets deeper and deeper and it becomes harder.

“It’s about having a plan for the whole game rather than thinking we are going to go head to head and match them in every aspect. If you don’t have much of the ball that is not going to happen.”

Much has been made of ‘taking the next step’ at Hearts. After a comfortable third-place finish in 2022, cutting the gap to the Old Firm