Former Heart of Midlothian striker Kevin Kyle has urged the club to target second place, despite a poor start to the season.

Manager Steven Naismith has come under intense scrutiny following a winless start to the Scottish Premiership campaign.

Kyle wants his fellow ex-Hearts forward to remain in the role but acknowledges that results must improve.

And he has warned that the board may face tough decisions if the slump continues. 

The 43-year-old, who also played for Rangers, believes Hearts should always aim for third place and sees this season as a rare chance to challenge Rangers, who are also struggling.

“They (Hearts) are off to a horrendous start, I was at the first game of the season, I took my youngest up to watch the game against Rangers,” Kyle told STV Sport at the Scottish Legends Golf Series event. 

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“I thought Hearts were quite good that day, but since then they haven’t quite kicked on from that or performed as well, whether that is from having the games in Europe or whether it is the new bodies trying to bed in.

“There are a few fans starting to make noises and pressure is building on Steven Naismith, but it only takes one game to turn things around.

“I think this happened last season as well, when they had a run of three or four defeats, and they managed to turn that around and finish third, so hopefully it’s just a blip and a bump on the road and they can turn it around and get going again.

“Some of the fans just aren’t having him, it was the same with Robbie (Neilson). The fans pay their money and are entitled to their opinions, but you can’t always agree with their opinions and have to look at it from a wider aspect.

“The reality is that Hearts need to be winning games and ultimately finishing third each year, then looking to challenge the top two.

“That’s always difficult, but I think looking at the way Rangers are just now there is no reason to say Hearts shouldn’t be up there challenging.

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“They’ve got off to a bad start and puts more pressure on the club as a whole but I would like to see them give him (Naismith) time, he is a young manager and sometimes it isn’t straightforward for young managers who finish playing and then jump straight into management and there is a learning process.

“Whether he gets the time or not is up to him, if he starts getting results again he’ll be fine, but if he doesn’t then the Hearts board will have a decision to make.”