Steven Naismith facts for kids
Naismith playing for Everton in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Steven John Naismith | ||
| Date of birth | 14 September 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Irvine, Scotland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2002 | Rangers | ||
| 2002–2004 | Kilmarnock | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2007 | Kilmarnock | 102 | (29) |
| 2007–2012 | Rangers | 98 | (28) |
| 2012–2016 | Everton | 103 | (18) |
| 2016–2019 | Norwich City | 44 | (6) |
| 2018–2019 | → Heart of Midlothian (loan) | 33 | (14) |
| 2019–2021 | Heart of Midlothian | 37 | (10) |
| Total | 417 | (105) | |
| International career | |||
| 2006–2008 | Scotland U21 | 15 | (5) |
| 2006–2009 | Scotland B | 3 | (1) |
| 2007–2019 | Scotland | 51 | (10) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2023–2024 | Heart of Midlothian | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Steven John Naismith (born on September 14, 1986) is a Scottish football coach and former player. He played mostly as a forward or midfielder.
Naismith started his career at Kilmarnock in 2004. He played there for four years. He won the SFWA Young Player of the Year award in 2006. The next year, he won the SPFA Young Player of the Year award.
In 2007, Naismith joined Rangers. With Rangers, he won three league titles in a row. He also won the Scottish Cup in 2009 and the League Cup twice. In 2012, he moved to Premier League club Everton. Later, in 2016, he joined Norwich City.
Naismith had two loan periods with Heart of Midlothian (Hearts). After leaving Norwich in 2019, he signed with Hearts permanently. He played 51 games for the Scotland national team and scored ten goals. He made his first international appearance in 2007.
Steven Naismith stopped playing football in 2021. He then became a coach at Scottish Premiership club Hearts. He was the interim manager for Hearts in April 2023. Two months later, he became their permanent manager. He left his manager role in September 2024.
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out at Kilmarnock
Steven Naismith was born in Irvine, Scotland. He grew up in Stewarton. He played for a local boys' club team called Stewarton Annick. As a young player, he was also part of Rangers' youth teams. Naismith has dyslexia and now helps the Dyslexia Scotland charity.
He played for Kilmarnock's youth team for several years. He became a professional player in August 2002. His first senior game was in April 2004 against Hibernian. He also won the Scottish Youth Cup with the under-19s team. Naismith scored his first senior goal in February 2005 against Heart of Midlothian.
In the 2005–06 season, he played very well. He won the SPL Young Player of the Month award twice. He also won the SPL Player of the Month award once. He signed a new four-year contract. He scored twelve goals that season and won the SFWA Young Player of the Year award. He scored his first hat-trick in a League Cup semi-final against Falkirk. In March 2007, he won the SPL Young Player of the Month again. He also won the SPFA Young Player of the Year award for the 2006–07 season.
In August 2007, Naismith joined Rangers.
Time at Rangers
Joining Rangers and First Season
On August 31, 2007, Kilmarnock accepted Rangers' offer of about £1.9 million for Naismith. He joined the club just before the transfer window closed. The next day, he played his first game for Rangers against Gretna. He scored his first goal for Rangers on September 23, 2007, in a 3–0 win over Aberdeen.
Naismith played in the Champions League for the first time in November 2007 against FC Barcelona. He scored in games against Hibernian, Dundee United, Falkirk, and Gretna.
In April 2008, during a Scottish Cup semi-final, Naismith got a serious knee injury. He had surgery in May 2008 and was out of action for many months. He missed the UEFA Cup and Scottish Cup finals.
Returning to Play and Winning Trophies
Naismith came back to play in December 2008. He played in a reserve match and then in a first-team game in January 2009. He played in the 2009 Scottish Cup Final win against Falkirk.
In the 2009–10 season, Naismith scored against Falkirk. He also helped Rangers win a penalty against Hearts. He scored in a League Cup match in September 2009. In the 2010 Scottish League Cup Final against St Mirren, Naismith helped set up the winning goal. He scored two goals against Hearts in March 2010. He played in 25 league games and won his first SPL winner's medal. Rangers won the league title for the second year in a row.
In the 2010–11 season, Naismith scored in the first game against Kilmarnock. He also scored in games against Dundee United and Dunfermline. On September 29, 2010, he scored the only goal against Bursaspor in the Champions League. This was Rangers' first Champions League win in 12 matches. He scored the winning goal against Hearts in October. He scored against Motherwell, Kilmarnock, and St Mirren. By the end of 2010, he had eight goals. His good form earned him the SPL Player of the Month award for October.
On December 22, 2010, Naismith signed a new contract with Rangers until May 2015. After the new year, he scored the winning goal in the Scottish League Cup semi-final against Motherwell. He was sent off in a game against Celtic. He scored against Motherwell, Dundee United, and St Johnstone. He scored two goals in a 5–0 win over Motherwell in April 2011. In the last game of the 2010–11 season, Naismith scored in a 5–1 win over Kilmarnock. This win secured the league title for Rangers for the third time in a row.
The 2010–11 season was Naismith's best at Rangers, with 15 goals. He was nominated for the SPFA Players' Player of the Year award. He won both the Rangers players' player of the year and the supporters' player of the year awards.
Final Season at Rangers
Naismith scored on the first day of the 2011–12 season against Hearts. He also scored against St Johnstone, Motherwell, and Aberdeen in August. On September 18, 2011, Naismith scored two goals against Celtic in the Old Firm derby. Rangers won 4–2. Six days later, he scored two more goals against Dunfermline Athletic. This brought his total to eight goals in eight league games.
During this season, Naismith started a goal celebration where he crossed his arms. This was a way to send a kiss to his girlfriend. On October 29, Naismith got another serious knee injury while playing against Aberdeen. This injury ended his season.
In June 2012, Naismith left Rangers.
Moving to Everton
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Steven Naismith signed a four-year deal with Everton on July 4, 2012. He joined his former Rangers teammate, Nikica Jelavić. There was no transfer fee because he left Rangers after the club faced financial problems. Naismith later said leaving Rangers was "one of the hardest decisions" of his career. He also said he felt he was given bad advice at the time.
He played his first game for Everton on August 20, 2012, against Manchester United. He scored his first goal for Everton on October 28 in a Merseyside derby against Liverpool. He scored the last goal of David Moyes' time as Everton manager. In his first season, Naismith was often used as a substitute.
In September 2013, Naismith started a league game and scored the only goal as Everton beat Chelsea 1–0. New manager Roberto Martínez used Naismith in a central role. In the 2013–14 season, Naismith played very well. Everton won seven league matches in a row. He was named man-of-the-match twice. He scored eight goals that season, helping Everton finish fifth in the league.
In the 2014–15 Premier League season, Naismith scored in the first three games. These were against Leicester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea. On November 6, 2014, he scored his first European goal for Everton in a UEFA Europa League game. In December 2014, Naismith signed a new contract with Everton. He finished the season with eight goals.
In August 2015, Everton turned down an offer from Norwich City for Naismith. In a game against Chelsea, Naismith scored a 'perfect' hat-trick (goals with his head, left foot, and right foot) after coming on as a substitute. By late December, he had only started four league games that season.
Time at Norwich City
On January 19, 2016, Naismith joined Norwich City. He signed a three-and-a-half-year contract. He played his first game four days later, scoring Norwich's second goal in a 5–4 loss to Liverpool.
Naismith had an ankle injury early in the 2017–18 season. This limited how many games he could play. He had not played for Norwich's first team since August. So, he was made available for a loan in January 2018.
Playing for Heart of Midlothian
On January 18, 2018, Naismith joined Scottish Premiership team Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) on loan. He played his first game for Hearts on January 21, 2018. It was a 1–0 win against Edinburgh Derby rivals Hibernian. He scored the winning goal against Hibs in a league game on May 9.
Naismith returned to Hearts on loan for the 2018–19 season. He was the team's top scorer that season. He also won the Player of the Year award for Hearts.
Norwich released him at the end of the 2018–19 season. Naismith trained with Hearts in July 2019. He then signed a four-year contract with Hearts on August 1. In January 2020, Naismith became Hearts captain.
At the end of the 2020–21 season, Naismith helped Hearts win promotion back to the Premiership. He then announced he was stopping his playing career at age 34.
Playing for Scotland
Naismith's father was born in Wales, and one of his grandmothers was born in England. He was asked to play for the Wales national under-21 football team, but he chose to play for Scotland. He scored in his first game for the Scotland national under-21 football team in March 2006. He also scored in his first game for the Scotland B team that same month. Naismith was captain of the Scotland U21 team in late 2007.
He was called up to the Scotland squad for the first time in June 2007. He played as a substitute in a friendly game against the Faroe Islands. He scored his first goal for Scotland on October 12, 2010, in a 3–2 loss to Spain. This was during the Euro 2012 qualifiers. He played in all three of Scotland's matches in the 2011 Nations Cup. He scored the winning goal against Lithuania on September 6, 2011.
Naismith was called back to the Scotland squad in September 2018. He earned his 50th cap (game) for Scotland on November 16, 2019, in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Cyprus.
How He Played
Steven Naismith mostly played as a forward. However, he also played as a midfielder. He could play on the right or left side, or in the center. His ability to play in many positions was a key strength.
People who coached him said he was committed and fearless. He had good awareness and was smart on the field. He was known for his attacking skills, hard work, and sense of responsibility. His former manager, Ally McCoist, said Naismith's natural energy and excitement were some of his biggest strengths.
Coaching Career
After Naismith stopped playing in June 2021, he became the player development manager for Hearts. He also joined the coaching staff for the Scotland national team. In 2022, he became the manager of Hearts' 'B' team.
In April 2023, he was named interim manager of Hearts' first team. He became the permanent manager in June 2023. However, he was called "technical director" at first. This was because he needed to get certain coaching licenses to represent the club in European games. In September 2023, he was made head coach.
On September 22, 2024, Naismith was no longer the manager of Hearts. Hearts was at the bottom of the Scottish Premiership. They had only one point from their first six games. They had also lost eight games in a row in all competitions.
Helping Others
Steven Naismith is an ambassador for Dyslexia Scotland. He helps people with dyslexia. He also started a program to help injured former service members find jobs. He supports centers for homeless people in Glasgow and Liverpool. In August 2014, he gave tickets for Everton matches to unemployed people looking for work.
Images for kids
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Naismith playing for Everton in 2015
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Naismith playing for Rangers in 2010
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Naismith (left) playing for Everton in 2015
See also
In Spanish: Steven Naismith para niños
