• Head coach signed contract extension to 2026 last month
• Chief executive: ‘There is little evidence of any upturn’

Hearts have sacked the head coach Steven Naismith before claiming there was little evidence of him lifting the club out of a run of eight consecutive defeats.

Naismith led Hearts to third place in the Scottish Premiership in his only full season in charge but he will not be in the dugout when they open their Uefa Conference League group campaign against Dynamo Minsk on 3 October. A 2-1 defeat by St Mirren in Paisley on Saturday left Hearts bottom of the table with one point from six matches.