Steven Naismith very much had an up-and-down spell in charge of Hearts.
The rookie boss had his struggles to begin with at the start of his first season but stayed calm to lead the side on an incredible run of form to finish third in the Premiership by a comfortable distance.
The following campaign saw the Jambos slow out of the blocks again but this time they were unable to recover and the 38-year-old received his marching orders.
Naismith has previously opened up on his Hearts exit and some of the struggles he had in his first managerial job.
Most notably was trying to get new signings bedded in after scouring the globe for transfers.
He has also passed comment on the way things have gone since in his role as a pundit, detailing what was ‘strange’ about one Jambos game.
What Naismith found ‘tough’ at Hearts
During yesterday’s goalless draw with Aberdeen, Hearts found it tough to break their hosts down.
Very often they would be able to progress the ball into the Dons half before running out of ideas and being forced back.
Naismith admits he found it tough when Jambos boss to get players low in confidence to play forward quickly.
Instead, they would think about the risks too much and take the easy option, an issue which he still sees in the team.
Speaking on BBC Sportscene, he said: “They’re so valuable in any team, forward passes that break teams’ structure. Hearts had a couple of opportunities but very quickly Aberdeen took control and Hearts found it tougher.
“Players when you’re not on a really good run of form, they tend to either make the safer pass or take that extra touch.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 6 |  HibernianHibernian | 23 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 34 | 36 | -2 | 29 |
| 7 |  ST MirrenST Mirren | 23 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 27 | 38 | -11 | 27 |
| 8 |  DundeeDundee | 22 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 34 | 38 | -4 | 26 |
| 9 |  KilmarnockKilmarnock | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 25 | 37 | -12 | 25 |
| 10 |  Ross CountyRoss County | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 23 | 42 | -19 | 25 |
| 11 |  Heart Of MidlothianHeart Of Midlothian | 23 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 25 | 31 | -6 | 24 |
| 12 |  ST JohnstoneST Johnstone | 23 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 25 | 47 | -22 | 15 |
“I found this tough when I was in control of Hearts. Just play forward, don’t think about it, just play forward.
“When it doesn’t happen, Aberdeen in a 4-4-2 asking you ‘right come and play a pass that is going to break us.’
“It’s a confidence thing. You can do that in training every day of the week.
“You must break the opposition. If you don’t fans get frustrated, it’s frustrating from the touchline, and ultimately you end up playing a long pass which is percentage play and the ball turns over. You lose that control of the game.”
Is Elton Kabangu Hearts’ solution?
One man who could make a difference to the way Hearts play is new signing Elton Kabangu, a pacey forward whose runs can offer defenders and midfielders a quicker route forward.
The Belgian had a fairly lively debut off the bench at Pittodrie and almost helped make a breakthrough.
On him, Naismith said: “The presence of having two forwards caused a bit more problems and probably for the last 15 minutes Hearts looked like the most likely team to score.
“I think he’s got qualities other strikers don’t have. Hearts have had Boyce playing off the front and that helped them, but today they probably missed him.”
On the header Kabangu came close with, he added: “Striker instinct, not trying to put too much on it and guiding it to the corner, and forces a great save.”