During Celtic’s season of chaos, one prominent figure who has perhaps gone under the radar is Shaun Maloney.
Martin O’Neill has taken the limelight during his two spells in charge, but Celtic’s legendary coach isn’t the one giving out the orders at Lennoxtown on a regular basis.
That role falls into the path of Maloney and his coaching staff, which includes several familiar faces, such as Mark Fotheringham, Gavin Strachan and Stephen McManus.
However, when Andy Halliday was told that Maloney only takes ‘30%’ of Celtic’s training, it took the Motherwell man by surprise compared to what he witnessed on the touchline from the opposite dugout.
“When I was on the bench at Celtic Park, Shaun Maloney was the one on the touchline barking all the instructions,” shared Halliday.
“If you are only taking 30% of the coaching. Why are you the one who is doing 100% of the talking on the side?”
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Chris Sutton thinks so!
Shaun Maloney’s role at Celtic is questioned
At the age of 74, O’Neill was never going to be on the Lennoxtown training pitch at every hour. Not only that, it’s not his natural style. He is and has always been a man manager.
The Celtic supporters are aware that Maloney is the one taking the main role; it’s just a case of how it’s being spread out.
Charlie Mulgrew shared that McManus and Strachan are the ones taking ‘70% training’, and then Maloney and Fotheringham ‘take the rest.’
Added to that, the man responsible for what the Hoops do on the ball is Maloney, and off the ball, Fotheringham.
Either way, that insight interested Halliday on Open Goal, who watched Celtic beat Motherwell at Parkhead just last month.
Mulgrew: “Shaun has come out and said that McManus and Strachan take 70% training. He and Fozzy take the rest. Fozzy takes off the ball, and he takes on the ball.”
Halliday: “Why has he come out and said that? Was he asked about it?”
Paul Slane: “Was it not Shaun’s job to do that. Is it not Shaun’s job to coach them if he is assistant manager?”
Halliday: “See, the only reason I am saying that. See, when I was on the bench at Celtic Park, Shaun Maloney was the one on the touchline barking all the instructions.
“If you are only taking 30% of the coaching. Why are you the one who is doing 100% of the talking on the side?”
Mulgrew: “My guess would be…”
Si Ferry: “A manager type thing. The coach do it, and Shaun is like the manager.”
Halliday: “He’s not the manager, though.”
Mulgrew: “I know. It feels like that a wee bit, though, doesn’t it?”
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