There were times in the first half of last season when a fresh-faced 18-year-old Steven Naismith, who had just scored an 89th-minute equaliser for Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup in front of more than 10,000 fans at Tynecastle Park, was more popular amongst the Heart of Midlothian support than the Steven Naismith stood in the dugout.

Dundee away. Motherwell home. St Mirren away. Hibs home. Rangers at Hampden Park. Aberdeen away. Doubts, questions, noise.

No matter that it was his first management role - that in itself was an issue - minds were being made up. Had been made up.

How do you get from that point to now where the news of a contract extension for Naismith and his coaching team is being roundly celebrated?

A combination of hard work, learning, patience, the right structure and, of course, success on the pitch. 

When it comes down to it any manager or head coach is ultimately judged on what is delivered in the way of results. There were a couple of periods where it felt as though only a long unbeaten run would suffice in changing those made-up minds. That was delivered and vitally important in altering perception.

The perception now? Of a team who are ready to make an impact in Europe and ensure they maintain their position as the country's third force. Stability helps that. On and off the pitch. There will be plenty of focus on results and what Hearts can do this season. But there have also been great strides taken in delivering an even better service for players and staff, whether it is nutrition or quality of training pitches. Naismith and his team have been driving aspects of that.

Therefore the contract extension was a matter of when, not if.

What it does is solidify Naismith and his coaching team's future at a time when the former Everton striker will no doubt be on the radar of clubs south of the border, owing to his playing past and the work he has done in Gorgie. 

The final seven words of his chat with the media on Friday afternoon will be encouraging to Hearts fans and perhaps point to where he sees his future in the medium term: "Hopefully, it is not the last one [contract]."

Trying to analyse the extension from Hearts further is tricky because of how obvious a decision it was for the club to take up their option of a further year.

Steven Naismith scoring at Tynecastle Park nearly 20 years ago. (Image: SNS Group)

 "It's probably the hard work that has gone in and the success we had - and probably the things everybody doesn't see like progression behind the scenes," Naismith said when asked if the deal was a reward for last season. "Whether it be the recruitment, developing coaching staff, bringing Lee Wallace and Angus Beith, [into coaching roles in the academy] there has been loads of progress.

"The facility is getting better. It's partly seeing the bigger picture. With the way the deal was structured at the start, this was always something that could happen. I think it's been a good fit in our first year."

There will come a point when such articles no longer have to refer back to the coaching set-up that was announced in June 2023 with Naismith as technical director and Frankie McAvoy as head coach. At the time, there will have been a view held that Naismith had his coaching team of McAvoy, Gordon Forrest and Paul Gallacher foisted upon him without realising the existing relationships already in place. 

For example, Naismith worked under McAvoy at Norwich City and worked alongside him in the academy. Forrrest coached Naismith towards the end of his time as a player at Hearts.

"I think we fit really well together," he said. "When I was a player and you know you're going down this [management] route, you start to think of who would you have working with you. Right from the off, Frankie and Gordy were guys high on my list. It probably fell into place much easier than I expected.

"If I got a job somewhere else and you're trying to prise people away from jobs, it can be more difficult. Gordy and Frankie were in roles but, being at the club and it all being internal, it was something that could be done very easily. It probably didn't look as straightforward as that to the public. Gordy was a coach before and Frankie was in the academy but, being deadly serious, that's who I would have picked if I'd gone anywhere in my first job."

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On an individual level, Naismith feels he has grown into the role. It's perhaps hard to see from the outside looking in. He's maintained an assured presence in front of the media, willing to engage and offer insight in any topic. On the side of the pitch, he is still passionate and demanding, and, at times, Naismith the player appears as was seen during a back-and-forth with Ridvan Yilmaz.

It is the behind-the-scenes aspects of the job where he has become more "comfortable".

"The element of having hard conversations with players or the board or anybody," he said. "You don't get that from a coaching badge. The only way you get that is through experience.

"In the first year, I have had to do that a lot. I'm definitely much more comfortable in all aspects of the job now I would say."

The challenge for Naismith and the management team is to continue that progress and build on last season. 

In the statement announcing the new deal, chief executive Andrew McKinlay said: “By extending the coaching team’s contracts we are reiterating our trust in them and confirming our belief that they can continue to take the team on an upwards trajectory."

Watching Hearts last season, it wasn't a case of a team hitting their head against a ceiling. Maybe in terms of the league table but certainly not in terms of performance and style.

Naismith has been backed and carried out some, certainly on paper, excellent recruitment. And early signs are positive from the opening game of the season. Creative additions and Lawrence Shankland still at Tynecastle Park should ensure the team are even more of an attacking threat this campaign.

It is not getting carried away to suggest Hearts are ready to make a positive step forward onto another level, whatever that level may look like. It's not one that was on the mind 12 months ago but as one fan noted on Friday afternoon 'what a difference a year makes'.

Give it another year and the contract being offered may be even longer.