Sacked Hibs gaffer opens up on 'lessons learned' in brutally short Easter Road stint

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Former Scotland and Celtic star Shaun Maloney has opened up on the soul-searching that followed his sacking as Hibs manager. And the Wigan boss insists he learned valuable lessons during his stormy four-month stint at Easter Road.

Maloney, speaking to the respected Coaches Voice website about his time working with Celtic, the Belgium national team, Hibs and now Wigan said of his departure from the Edinburgh club in April of 2022: “After we left, my staff and I spent many hours reviewing everything before we met up for three days to reflect, in detail, on our time there. There were so many things to discuss, but I was very clear on the team and players.

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“I knew why we were one of the best teams in the league, defensively – behind only Celtic and Rangers – and why we were really struggling in attack. I was also really clear on where we were headed. The big thing I had to take away was about how I could have made the team more efficient and clinical in the final third – the areas we could get into, and the numbers we could attack with. 

“We had some really young attacking players – we’d sold Martin Boyle, our best attacking player, and our number nine Kevin Nisbet, a Scotland international, suffered a season-ending injury – but that could happen to me again. So the level and detail of the work will always need to keep improving to keep whichever team I’m managing even more creative and attacking.

“Once the club made their decision, my biggest concern became the staff I’d brought with me. My assistant Gary Caldwell, for example, had left Manchester City, and I was disappointed for them all that they never got to see how good Hibs could be. They needed a lot of work, but it could have been a really enjoyable club to work for.”

Maloney, currently enjoying a revival as he looks to build on last season’s miraculous efforts as Wigan manager, had replaced Jack Ross at Easter Road in December 2021. Hibs are now on their third manager since his departure, with rookie gaffer David Gray looking to succeed where Lee Johnson and Nick Montgomery came up short.

Recounting his spell as a boss in the Scottish Premiership, Maloney’s personal tale of grief is beginning to look like part of a wider pattern, the 41-year-old recalling: “I loved their history, their support and the city of Edinburgh – and I loved how they sold their vision of the role to me. It was everything I wanted in a first managerial job. 

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“I learned so much in my time there. I learned that I absolutely love the role, and that I love working with players as a manager. The intensity of working with the players every day, a game every three or four days, and managing the different individuals within a group. 

“Our objective was to try and make the top four in the league. We made the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup, which was a really good achievement, but we missed out narrowly on the top six in our final game before the split. That led to me leaving in April 2022. I was very aware of where the team was deficient, so the way the squad was meant I knew that making the top six was going to be 50-50. But I also knew what was needed to reach the top four.”