Former Celtic attacker Shaun Maloney has been discussing his difficult spell in charge of Hibernian and the steps he’s taken since to ensure his next team benefits from the bruising experience.
Maloney was given a massive opportunity at Easter Road after coaching spells at Celtic and with the Belgium national team. However, it just never went to plan with too many draws and just a 31.7% win record from 19 matches.
Some argue he wasn’t given enough time, but the former player of the year is more interested in analysing what went wrong and putting learnings into place for his next opportunity.
Speaking to The Scottish Daily Mail [24/09 print edition, page 125], he said: “It was a difficult experience. But I think it will be invaluable for me. I have a real fondness for the club, I love the history and the passion of the supporters.
“I will look back on it in a few years as a big learning experience. I hope the club can go and achieve what the supporters want. I was at big clubs that held extraordinary pressure so I was not disturbed by that at Hibs.
After reviewing all 19 games, Maloney found that defensively his Hibs side were sound, but that the problems stemmed from chance creation and a lack of goals.
He continued: “I have taken this on board and travelled Europe, been down to Championship and League One games, to see how teams produce chances. I want to give my next team the best opportunities to score goals. I got knocked down. I get back up. I need to be better. I will be.”
There will still be a lot of intrigue in Maloney’s coaching career from Celtic fans given he had multiple spells here as a player and even a stint as staff at Lennoxtown.
You’d hope for better for him than what happened at Hibs – but it’s really all on him to prove himself now after such a high-profile failure.
In other news, Celtic coach earns UEFA Pro Licence.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
