Steven Naismith: Everyone in Scotland needs to put aside agendas and create a better product

STEVEN NAISMITH will be back in Scottish football sooner or later.

He hopes it will be as a player – but it might just be that he pays his money and joins the fans watching a game.

Either way, the Norwich City striker hopes there’s change north of the border before his arrival.

He joined Everton from Rangers in 2012 after the Ibrox club had been demoted to League Two.

In the five years since, he has watched teams in his homeland struggle to keep their heads above water.

Naismith is a little dismayed by the way things are developing at home.

He’s frustrated at the quality of the game he left behind, and sad that plastic pitches are being used at the top level.

A series of hard-hitting views show that the man with 45 Scotland caps isn’t your typical footballer.

The 30-year-old said: “I watch the football and think that I want to live the rest of my life in Scotland, go to matches and enjoy them.

“I would like to think: ‘What a product we have here’.

“But we’re bringing youngsters through just to make money. It’s a constant conveyer belt.

“We’re a small country compared to England, and that is a comparison that’s unfair. They have a league that’s amazing and is marketed in an amazing way.

“But we need to know where we’re at, and what we can do.

“We need to give youngsters the best opportunity.

“However, we have 42 professional clubs in a country with five-and-a-half-million people. Is that too many?

“Everyone has a vote, but who’s going to decide they don’t want to be a club? It’s not going to happen.

“That’s where everyone needs to put aside their own agendas to create a better product.”

Scottish clubs are slowly making progress when it comes to the way players are developed.

There are, however, still several top-flight outfits that operate without a proper training ground.

Naismith believes the facilities he has found in England will help to extend his career.

He went on: “The main thing that has changed is my routine.

“That goes from the start of the week to the recovery process. I spend more time in the gym.

“You stretch off a lot more, you do more rehab.

“This has come into football and you spend more time on it. You get a taste of that and you feel fresher. You like it.

“You do it now because you know it helps you, not because someone says it’s good for you.

“Every club I have been at has been different.

“When I moved from Kilmarnock to Rangers, it was a more professional set-up, and there were more resources at your disposal.

“Then I went to England, and at Everton they had a brand-new training facility.

“They had more staff and so new ideas came in.

“Without a doubt, the clubs in Scotland are lagging behind when it comes to facilities.

“How big is the problem? It’s massive – but so many other changes need to be made.

“We need to get fans back to generate money for clubs, and then use that money sensibly, not just for a bigger player budget. You need a bigger structure than that.

“Don’t get me wrong, clubs are trying. But change needs to come from the top, not at each individual club.

“The relegation play-off games between Hamilton Accies and Dundee United were good, entertaining games.

“There were a lot of guys going at 100 mph to do it for their team, but there was a bit of quality lacking.

“We have teams playing on artificial surfaces because it benefits them budget-wise.

“But, for the good of Scottish football, we need to be of a high, professional standard that people want to watch.

“Whether that’s changing to summer football or changing to one body controlling everything in football, there’s so many things that need to change.

“People need to put aside their individual interests for the best thing for Scotland overall.”

There will be no quick return home for Naismith.

He still has two years on his contract at Norwich City and hopes to make an impression on new boss Daniel Farke, who has arrived after being in charge of Borussia Dortmund’s reserve side.

He said: “I’d like to finish my career in Scotland and give some younger players the benefit of the experience I’ve picked up.

“But I’ll have a conversation when I go back to the club this summer.

“With any older professional and a new manager, it’s either going to work or it’s not.

“There is a decision to be made by him. But any time I’ve had a new manager, I’ve gone in and tried to work my socks off to impress him.

“I’ll hopefully be able to help Norwich get out of the Championship and back into the Premier League.”

While Naismith may remain at Carrow Road, his team-mate Graham Dorrans is wanted by Rangers.

It’s an open secret that the player would relish a move to Ibrox, but the financial side of the deal is not as straightforward.

Naismith, though, believes the Light Blues would be getting a player that the Canaries didn’t see enough of last term.

He added: “Graham was the biggest miss of the season for us with his injuries.

“From him being a young, really attacking player, he now has that calmness on the ball.

“That has come as he’s dropped deeper and played in the playmaker role.

“Our best performances were when he was in the team.

“When you are a forward and you are playing with Dozzy, you know you can find the wee pockets and he’ll deliver that pass.

“He’ll not play safe and knock it side to side. He wants to force the issue and that’s a big thing.

“I’m slightly surprised he might be leaving us, but the club is in a transitional period.

“Sacrifices may have to be made, and he might be one of them.

“He’s a big player and he could be a big player going forward.”

After spending a week with Scotland, Naismith now takes a break before looking to his future at club level.

The all-action style remains, and he has no thoughts of slowing down.

He said: “When I started out, as soon as anyone turned 30, they were done, they were old.

“Now you see guys going to their mid-30s before it starts going down.

“Ronaldo is 32 and is still ripping it up in the world.

“So hopefully I can play on for a few years yet.”