Steven Naismith says he is solely to blame for Hearts’ early-season troubles, but insists they have not been as poor as results suggest.
The Tynecastle side finished third in the Scottish Premiership last season under Naismith, but have lost their last seven games in all competitions and are rooted to the bottom of the table with just one point from their opening five league games.
Naismith believes a win is just around the corner, as he prepares his side for a trip to St Mirren on Saturday.
“We need to be better,” he said. “That’s ultimately my mistake and my problem, and I’m the one that’s at fault for that.
“It’s been a tough start. There’s been some poor moments; there’s been good moments. I think we’ll get a break and the results will pick up. Some of our new players are getting more comfortable, which eases things for us as well.
“I’ve got full confidence in the squad, and I’ve got a real belief that we can get a result [against St Mirren].”
Fans and pundits alike have criticised Hearts for lacking an identity under Naismith, and while he acknowledged their attacking play has been below-par, he says they first have to return to the fundamentals that brought success last season.
“Last season our identity was that we won games consistently, and that needs to be the first thing people identify with you, that you are hard to beat,” he said.
“We’re probably a team that has more possession than the opposition, but I don’t then think our attacking style has been clear and that’s something we need to improve on.
“You need to find other ways to put other teams under pressure. We’ve not done that well enough. For me, that’s been the biggest thing.
“We’ve been punished for every mistake we’ve made. I don’t think that will continue. I think we’ll get a bit of luck in some respects, but we need to be creating more chances.
“Ultimately we need to win games to bring that confidence back and for the players to play their best football.”