Steven Naismith

The following day Naismith made his debut as an 83rd-minute substitute against Gretna.

Steven John Naismith (born 14 September 1986) is a Scottish professional football coach and former player, who is currently the head coach of Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian.

Naismith played several years in the Kilmarnock youth team before signing professionally in August 2002.

Naismith began his career with Kilmarnock in 2004.

He made his senior debut in the 2003–04 season as a substitute against Hibernian on 24 April 2004, but still continued to play for the under-19s side, with whom he won the Scottish Youth Cup, beating Rangers 1–0 at Rugby Park.

He scored his first senior goal for the club in a 2–2 draw with Heart of Midlothian in February 2005.

In the 2005–06 season his performances won him the SPL Young Player of the Month award in August and January and the SPL Player of the Month award in March of the 2005–06 season.

He signed a new four-year contract extension, and went on to win the Scottish Football Writers'Young Player of the Year award, after scoring twelve goals during the season.

He scored his first professional hat-trick in a 3–0 Scottish League Cup semi-final victory over Falkirk.

He spent four years with the Ayrshire side where he won the SFWA Young Player of the Year award in 2006 and the SPFA Young Player of the Year award the following season.

Naismith joined Rangers in the summer of 2007 for £1.9 million.

Naismith won 51 caps for the Scotland national team after making his senior international debut in 2007, and scored ten international goals.

He mainly played as a forward during his career, but was also used as a midfielder.

He retired from playing in 2021 and took a coaching position at Hearts.

He was made their interim manager in April 2023 and then permanently, two months later.

Naismith was born in Irvine, North Ayrshire and grew up in nearby Stewarton in East Ayrshire.

He played for local boys club team Stewarton Annick before being on the books at Rangers as a youngster.

Naismith overcame dyslexia and has since become an ambassador for the Dyslexia Scotland charity.

He won the SPL Young Player of the Month award in March 2007, and then the Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year award for the 2006–07 season.

In August 2007, following bids from both Rangers and Celtic as well as a reported submission and then withdrawal of a transfer request from the player himself, Naismith signed for Rangers.

On 31 August 2007, Kilmarnock accepted Rangers' offer for Naismith for around £1.9 million and he joined the club just 19 seconds before the transfer window closed.

He scored his first goal for Rangers in a 3–0 win over Aberdeen on 23 September 2007.

Naismith made his Champions League debut at the Camp Nou against FC Barcelona in November 2007, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute.

He scored in consecutive games against Hibernian and Dundee United at the turn of the year during season 2007–08.

A month later he then scored his fourth and fifth goals for Rangers against Falkirk and Gretna.

During Rangers' Scottish Cup semi-final against St Johnstone in April 2008, St Johnstone player Martin Hardie stepped on Naismith's left knee and appeared to injure him.

However, after initially limping off the pitch he returned to the field of play, only to collapse a short time later and required to be stretchered off.

After cruciate ligament damage, Naismith underwent surgery in May 2008 (missing the club's UEFA Cup and Scottish Cup finals) and was ruled out of action for up to a year; however, he returned to training eight months later.

Naismith returned to action in December 2008, playing in a reserve match against St Mirren and made a return to first team football in January 2009 during the Scottish Cup; coincidentally St Johnstone were the opponents.

While with the club he won three consecutive league titles, the Scottish Cup in 2009 and the League Cup twice.

Naismith featured in the 2009 Scottish Cup Final win over Falkirk after missing the majority of the season through injury.

Naismith opened his account for the 2009–10 season by scoring the fourth in a 4–1 win over Falkirk and followed this by winning a late and decisive penalty against Hearts at Tynecastle, which teammate Kris Boyd converted.

The penalty proved to be the winning goal.

Naismith then netted in the Scottish League Cup match against Queen of the South in September 2009.

The following week, he was deployed as a lone striker in a Champions League Group stage fixture against Sevilla at Ibrox and was unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty in the first half of an eventual 4–1 defeat.

Naismith made 25 league appearances during season 2009–10 and received his first SPL winners medal after Rangers clinched back to back titles.

In the 2010 League Cup Final win over St Mirren, Naismith set up Kenny Miller for the winning goal through a counterattack after Rangers had been reduced to nine men.

Towards the end of the season Naismith scored two goals against Hearts at Tynecastle in March 2010.

He signed for Premier League club Everton in 2012, and then joined Norwich City in 2016.

Naismith had two separate loan spells with Heart of Midlothian, and he signed permanently with Hearts after he was released by Norwich in 2019.