Shaun Maloney Becomes Manager of Wigan Athletic

Shaun Maloney was made a sensational return to Wigan Athletic as manager, ten years after he won the FA Cup with the club under Roberto Martinez. Maloney has worked at Celtic under Brendan Rodgers before moving to the international stage as Assistant Manager to Roberto Martinez with the Belgium Men’s National Team. During that time, he obtained a Masters in Coaching at the Johan Cruyff Institute and managed Hibernian in the SPFL.

Since leaving Hibernian, the former Scotland international paid visits to the likes of FC Barcelona and AS Monaco, as well as teams in this country, to gain a deeper understanding of methods and structures used across all levels of football ahead of taking the step back into management.

Speaking to the media team of Wigan Athletic, Maloney said: “I’m very proud to be back. I have amazing memories here and created some fabulous moments with teams and with fans, and I’m excited to get started.

“The feeling that I have from those times as a player is a big factor for me. I have been here previously and have always felt a great warmth from the supporters. “I want the fans to see a team that is giving absolutely everything, fighting to get better and the supporters need to feel that.

 

The connection is there, we just need to reawaken it. “We needed that support 10/11 years ago, and they were incredible for the team that I played in, and we’re going to need that again. “It’s a really big challenge but I believe that we can turn this around. A massive amount of work needs to be done, but I can’t wait to get started.”

Wigan currently find themselves rooted to the bottom of the Championship after a dismal nine-match spell in charge from Kolo Touré, and they’ll be hoping that their third manager of the season is the charm as they look to avoid relegation and stay afloat in England’s second tier.

By: Callum McFadden / @Callum7McFadden

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Rob Casey – SNS Group