Ex-Celt Shaun Maloney has a right to feel as aggrieved as he will be shocked this morning, with Hibs announcing both he and former Celtic teammate Gary Caldwell have been relieved of their duties after just 18 games in charge at Easter Road.
The Edinburgh club’s owner released a statement to his club’s website announcing the sacking:
“Our hope in appointing Shaun Maloney as a young, highly regarded coach was that he would help us take the club forward, but ultimately it didn’t work out.
“We thank Shaun and his coaching staff for all their hard work and efforts and wish them all the best for the future.”
You really do have to wonder what on earth Ron Gordon was thinking with this one. Hibs may well have fallen out the Top Six – and with six wins in those 18 games, it is far from inspiring form – but surely a modicum of patience should have been afforded to Maloney. After all Hibs knew fine well when they appointed Maloney, he was a rookie boss and would need time to get used to being a number one.
It was also clear Maloney’s footballing principles would take some time to seep in at Easter Road, with his high press and playing out from the back appearing an uncomfortable transition for his defensive players in particular. As such to dispense with his services after one transfer window in which to bring in his own players, with no risk of relegation and a summer ahead, and where time on the training field could have seen progress made, then surely Shaun Maloney deserved the time the summer would have afforded him to bed in his style of play.
That at least would have ensured he could target players who could cope with his philosophy. Would it not have made more sense to wait until the first few months of a new season and trust the manager they appointed knowing full well they had a beginner on their hands?
For Maloney this must be a tough pill to swallow and it may well impact his chances of being a manager going forward, but in truth it shouldn’t. Instead, what he needs is another club out there to realise given time Maloney’s footballing philosophy would bear fruit, and to recognise that during his short tenure his squad has been decimated by injuries and to strikers – such as Christian Doidge and Kevin Nisbet in particular – any club, including Celtic would struggle with the loss of two top strikers, and Hibs inability to convert chances has been an evident issue in recent weeks.
For Ron Gordon this smacks more of a trigger-happy response to his city rivals’ successful season, rather than someone adopting a sensible approach of backing their man as a long-term solution rather than a short-term route to success.
Gordon surely must have known appointing Shaun Maloney would require patience. To then dispense with his man after just 18 games in charge sends out a message the owner has little clue what he’s doing and will bend to the court of public opinion.
Perhaps Shaun Maloney is therefore better out of such an environment and any other self-respecting manager, aware how their choice of club could impact on their own reputation, may also think twice before committing to Ron Gordon and Hibs, as it appears commitment at Easter road is a one way street.
Hibernian FC can confirm that Shaun Maloney has departed the Club.
— Hibernian Football Club (@HibernianFC) April 19, 2022
Niall J
Agree totally. For goodness sake, Hibs, give your Managers a chance! Just a knee-jerk reaction to losing a semi-final! OK, we know that can be painful … but just how many Managers have Hibs had this century? When I get bored, I will start counting!
This is Hibs loss, but Shaun is far too good for them. He will go on to something much better I hope and expect. Hibs fans should be asking hard questions to those who supposedly run their club. These are the people who should be sacked. They have no patience and no long term planning. If Hibs fans just take this on the chin, they deserve what they get. This was an excellent appointment and he should have been given next season to prove himself.
However, it seems clear to me that Shaun has had a lucky escape when you think of some of the types associated with running that club (Petrie etc etc).
Good luck for the future Sean. I wish you well.