Scottish top flight manager's Daniel Farke rejection story mirrors Leeds United transfer example

Steven Naismith was a vastly-experienced forward in the Canaries squad, with 200 Scottish Premier League appearances and 116 in the English top flight to his name, when Farke arrived in May 2017.

"They changed the manager and, looking forward, it’s going to be really exciting," said the ex-Rangers man after Farke was appointed. "I’ve got two years left of my contract there, I still think I can contribute massively and help the club get to where they want to be, and we’ll see how it goes in pre-season. You’ve got a new manager, a German, so it’s something new for me.I’m hoping to learn lots from him."

But in what will be a familiar sounding story for Leeds fans given the events at Elland Road since Farke arrived in the summer, Naismith's time at Norwich would come to an end in the January 2018 transfer window. A three-month injury and the manager's decision to change things up in the attack made game time a scarce commodity for Naismith, who was lauded as a 'brilliant character and professional' by Farke.

"We had a pretty honest and open chat and we spoke about this chat, in this age you want to play football," said Farke. "I told him I'm totally convinced of his character and ability as a football player but I can't promise you anything." There are obvious shades of Luke Ayling's situation at Leeds this season in Naismith's story. An older head with plenty of experience but no outlet for it, being left in no doubt as to where he stood in terms of the pecking order as Farke went in a different, younger direction. At Norwich the emergence of James Maddison at 10 made life harder for Naismith, while at Leeds this season Farke’s preference for 17-year-old Archie Gray kept Ayling out of the team. In each case, Farke expressed his admiration for the professionalism and leadership qualities of the player but did not offer promises he could not keep or make guarantees that would assuage a popular dressing room character’s frustration. Armed with the reality of their situation the players ultimately sought opportunities elsewhere.

Naismith is now a manager himself, at Hearts. He celebrated a major win over Celtic at the weekend, Hearts' second of the season against the Old Firm side, and his side sit comfortably third in the Scottish Premiership. In pre-season, he welcomed Farke and Leeds to Tynecastle for a friendly. Speaking on Five Live's Monday Night Club this week, Naismith confirmed there was no bitterness over his treatment by Farke, but appreciation. And the lesson he learned from the German's management style is one of the cornerstones of his own methods.

"The last five years of my career I had been building what are the main things I need to be as a manager if I want to be successful," he said. "Being honest with players. The best managers I had, I didn't enjoy them telling me I wasn't playing or they didn't want me in the squad, but as long as they were honest. I look back now and every manager that was honest with me, I understand the football decision. Daniel Farke came in at Norwich, I was over 30, he wanted to change the dynamic. I trained really hard, good attitude, but he was honest, the club was honest with me saying they were going in a different direction. That's all you want. I try to be like that as a coach and a manager as well."

As for Farke, he has been speaking about honesty this week too, confirming that it remains a key part of his man-management at Leeds. He believes it to be the best policy when talking to players about their performances and Saturday's outing at Huddersfield Town was a timely example.

"I don't like vanity in the dressing room and from my experience that's what players want," he said. "They don't want it sugar-coated. There are always a mix of reasons why you're not there with your best performance. It's also important to point them out, what we can't influence is a quick turnaround, schedule didn't help, pitch didn't help, way the opponent plays didn't help, but we spoke self-critically about what we could do better, quite honest. They want the manager to be brutally honest and this is the best way to judge a game."