Former Heart of Midlothian assistant manger Lee McCulloch says the Tynecastle club moved for Celtic winger Mikey Johnston in 2022 - but he didn't want to leave for another Scottish team. (Daily Record)
Read the rest of Tuesday's gossip.
Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter
After 22 minutes it seemed unlikely any Hearts players would make this edition of team of the week.
But Steven Naismith's side came roaring back in a clinical display to turn the tide and bag another three points.
Jorge Grant was the driving force in midfield and sparked the sensational comeback with the hosts' opening goal.
Once again, Lawrence Shankland made the difference in the final third, grabbing a goal from the spot and two assists for good measure.
However, the most pleasing aspect for the Tynecastle faithful may be the showing of Barrie McKay, who looked back to his best with an audacious range of passing on display. There's nobody quite like him in this Hearts side.
Pat Nevin and Richard Foster join Liam McLeod to pick over the bones of another incredible weekend of Scottish football drama.
They look back on Ross County’s historic victory over Rangers and discuss what impact it could have at both ends of the table.
They also assess the jobs done by Tony Docherty and Nick Montgomery as Dundee secure their place in the top 6 at the expense of Hibs and Motherwell.
Listen to today's episode of the Scottish Football Podcast here.
Highlights of Hearts' impressive comeback victory over bottom side Livingston.
We asked for your thoughts after Hearts beat Livingston 4-2 in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday.
Here's a taste of what you had to say:
Ian: Good to score a few goals but the deficiencies in the defence continue. Livingston had scored only 20 goals in 32 league games but managed to score two in under half an hour against us.
Jeff: Great to see Barrie McKay back, hopefully he can stay fit for a run of games; he's an absolute diamond of a player on form. You can see in the first two goals that he and Lawrence Shankland have the same level of football brain and imagination, which can take Hearts up a level.
Chris: A scary start but we had that little bit of quality to create some good chances and we managed to see them away. Shankland was quiet as a striker but his ability to create chances for us is phenomenal. By far the most bonkers 45 minutes of football I’ve seen at Tynecastle.
Matty: What a game! It was a concerning start and you have to wonder if we would have been further behind against better opposition. However, the reaction is testament to this Hearts team spirit. Some great play and good goals. Jorge Grant played well and was a nice gesture to give Shankland the ball for the penalty.
Image source, SNSHearts keeper Craig Gordon insists there was no panic among the Hearts squad despite their slow start against Livingston on Saturday.
A Stephen Kelly double put the Premiership's bottom club 2-0 up in the first half, but Hearts recovered to win 4-2 at Tynecastle.
“There hasn’t been [any panic] and that’s the reason this squad have done what they have this season," Gordon said.
“It’s just about getting back to the game plan and doing things a little bit better. That's all it was. Just carrying out the game plan a little bit better than we had been in the first ten or fifteen minutes.
"We slowly got ourselves into the game and got the goal and once we got one we were on the front foot."
It was Gordon's first league start of the season, and a first since December 2022, as the veteran stopper prepares for next Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final against Rangers.
"I’ve not had many games this season since coming back," Gordon added. "It’s good to get that one out of the way ahead of a huge game next week. One we will prepare well for all week and one we are looking forward to.”
The 41-year-old wants to stay between the sticks until the end of the season as he pushes for a place in Steve Clarke's Scotland squad for this summer's Euros.
“I need to play more," he said. "I need to play as many of these games between now and the end of the season as possible. If I can do that then I think I can give myself that opportunity.”
Steven Naismith talks to BBC Scotland after Hearts' 4-2 win over Livingston
Hearts manager Steven Naismith was pleased with the fight shown by his side to come from two goals behind to beat Livingston 4-2.
Were you at Tynecastle or following the match from home? Either way, we want your views on the game – have your say here.
Image source, SNSHearts manager Steven Naismith: "The two goals were a bit of a wake up call and we started finding that free player. I've spoken about being more ruthless...I just don't want us to be 2-0 down [first].
"It's the third time we've come from 2-0 down this season. That's a positive. I've been here a lot of times and it looks as if there's no hope of coming back in games like that. That's a big step forward. But to go further, is when you've hurt a team and you're 4-2 up and you can see there's opportunities, it's about keeping the tempo up and winning by more goals.
"That's me being pernickety but if we want o get better and be successful we should kill these games off."
Thomas Duncan, BBC Sport Scotland
Hearts move on to 62 points, one more than they managed in the 2021-22 season when they comfortably finished third - and there are still five games left.
That is a good benchmark of progress for Steven Naismith in his first full season as a manager.
Once they woke up they played some slick stuff, helped by the craft of returning midfielder Barrie McKay, whose clever passing helped set up two of Hearts' goals.
Jorge Grant was also excellent and is another example of a player who Naismith seems to have improved through good coaching.
Craig Gordon made his first league start since breaking his leg on Christmas Eve 2022 as a warm up for playing against Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final next week. His error for the first goal was poor, but he got valuable minutes nonetheless.
With third spot all but secured, all Hearts' attention goes to their showdown with treble-chasing Rangers at Hampden next Sunday. A trophy for Hearts would turn a good season into a sensational one.
Image source, SNS
Image source, SNSJorge Grant started the comeback and was influential in the final third. He had three shots and created two chances, and his energy was a big driver for Hearts.
Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon makes his first Premiership start since breaking his leg on Christmas Eve 2022.
Barrie McKay also comes in for just his second league start of the campaign as he continues his comeback from injury.
There are four other changes made by Steven Naismith from the win over St Mirren. Nathaniel Atkinson, Beni Baningime, Yutaro Oda and of course, Lawrence Shankland, also start.
Image source, BBC SportHearts boss Steven Naismith says his side have to be wary of Livingston's threat despite their league position.
Naismith added that David Martindale's side "have never lost hope" and knows they'll put up a fight on Saturday.
“The one thing from watching Livingston is yes, they are in a struggling position at the bottom of the table but I don’t think they have ever lost hope," Naismith said.
“There has not been a feeling watching them that the expectation is that they are going down or they have lost fight.
"They have always shown they have been a threat and certain players in the team do carry a threat.
“At times, yes, we will have the ball and we will try to break them down but that has been more normal this season than in previous seasons.
“So we are comfortable in that setting but we have to be sharp on the ball, and see what opportunities there are for us and if we get that win it takes us that bit closer to being third and for the individual, playing for a place in the semi-final.”
Image source, SNSHearts head coach Steven Naismith says there is no pressure on Craig Halkett to return before the end of this term, with the main focus on making sure the injury-hit central defender is ready for a full pre-season. (Edinburgh Evening News), external
Read the rest of Saturday's Scottish gossip.
Hearts will have Lawrence Shankland and Beni Baningime back from illness and Calem Nieuwenhof hopes to recover from a hamstring injury in time. Finlay Pollock is back in training while Craig Halkett and Peter Haring (both knee) and Liam Boyce (hamstring) remain out.
Livingston boss David Martindale is unlikely to be able to fill the bench again with the likes of James Penrice (hip), Andrew Shinnie (groin), Joel Nouble (ankle) and Cristian Montano (hamstring) struggling.
Image source, SNS
Image source, SNSHearts have been allocated 21,000 tickets for next weekend's semi-final
Steven Naismith has appealed to Hearts supporters to buy the remaining Scottish Cup semi-final tickets to prevent losing equal ticket allocations in the future.
The Tynecastle club were allocated an initial 21,000 tickets, an equal split with opponents Rangers, and still have 4,000 tickets to sell before next Sunday's match.
“Hopefully they have [the fans] enjoyed what we’ve done this season, and we manage to get them all sold," Naismith said.
"I think we’re on the cusp of getting to the next level at different parts of the club, one of them being our travelling support. In our league games we’ve shown that we consistently sell out. Come to semi-finals, when you’re asking for a big chunk, you want to be able to sell that out.
“Not many clubs in Scotland would take 16,500/17,000, but can we get over the line? That’s the biggest thing for us as a squad, we want to have a packed stadium.
“I think we have gone beyond to get that and had to push to get that. The consequence of that is that you potentially lose that in the future. But listen, we’ve had great support all season and hopefully we can sell it out and everybody turns up on the day, on a successful day, to get us into the final.
“Growing up, some of the best memories are at those games. You maybe have a thought before the game but you’re glad you ended up going when it’s a successful day because you remember the memory for a while.
“Hopefully we can get over that line in the next week to sell out and we then put on a performance that deserves that backing.”
Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSHearts head coach Steven Naismith has been speaking to the media ahead of his side's meeting with St Mirren on Saturday.
Here are the key poitns:
Lawrence Shankland and Beni Baningime return to the squad after missing last weekend's visit to St Mirren through illness. Craig Halkett, Peter Haring and Liam Boyce are the only players still sidelined due to injury.
Urges fans to buy tickets for next weekend's Scottish Cup semi-final. Hearts have already sold 17,000 of their initial 21,000 allocation.
Naismith expects Livingston to carry more of a threat than they did the last time the two clubs met, saying that David Martindale's side are not playing like a team that has accepted relegation.
He thinks Hearts have made "big progress" and that he has "learned a lot" in his first year in charge. He was appointed interim boss at Tynecastle exactly one year ago on Thursday.
The Hearts boss will start his Uefa Pro License coaching qualification before the end of this season. The club will not have to list Frankie McAvoy as their official head coach for Uefa competitions next season.
Image source, Getty ImagesWhy should Scottish football fans care about Czech side Viktoria Plzen drawing with Italian heavyweights Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League?
The result on Thursday night has serious consequences for the Premiership, with the Czech Republic now having leapfrogged Scotland in the coefficient standings.
Not only will the winners of the top flight no longer gain automatic qualification to the Champions League from 2025/26, but there's also a knock on effect for those finishing further down the table.
Image source, SNSHearts lost their first two home games against Livingston in the Scottish top-flight back in 2001-02, but are unbeaten in 13 matches against them since (W7 D6).
A home victory in September 2022 is Livingston's only win in their last 11 league games against Hearts. They have lost both league meetings between the sides this season.
Hearts are unbeaten in eight home league games (W5 D3). This is their longest unbeaten home run in the Scottish Premiership since November 2021 (10).
Livingston are winless in their last 14 away league games (D3 L11). Only from September 2018 to August 2019 (18) have they had a longer winless run on their travels in the top-flight.
Only Dundee (26y 66d) have a younger average starting XI age than Hearts (26y 67d) in the Scottish Premiership this season, whilst Livingston have the oldest (28y 218d).
Hearts forward Lawrence Shankland insists he does not have nightmares about his miss while playing for Scotland in the 4-0 defeat by the Netherlands. (Sun), external
Hearts conclude their pre-split schedule when they welcome bottom side Livingston on Saturday.
Will Lawrence Shankland return? Pick your preferred XI here.
