SMART MOVE
Roberto hails Hibees for snapping up his protege and backs deep thinker Shaun to make a lasting impact on our game
BELGIUM manager Roberto Martinez has backed Shaun Maloney to make a lasting impact on Scottish football.
The former winger left Martinez’s coaching staff to become Hibs boss on a threeand-a-half-year deal this month.
He’d spent three years with Belgium, helping them become the top-ranked nation in the world and Martinez believes Maloney will thrive in Scotland.
Martinez knows all about our game, having enjoyed a short spell at Motherwell towards the end of his playing career 19 years ago.
And he said: “I’m really looking forward to seeing what Shaun can change in the next 18 months because I know he can bring a different approach to Scottish football with the ideas of working in international football.
“It’s going to be good for Hibs and the development of Scottish football in general.
“He has really strong values, he doesn’t just want to manage a team and win games, he wants to build a football club, the philosophy, develop the players and have a long-term vision for recruitment.”
Martinez has watched Maloney develop as a coach and pick up experience at football’s biggest tournaments.
That will stand him in good stead for the challenge at Easter Road and the Spaniard believes his protege is ready for the step into frontline management.
Martinez said: “He is ready. For us it has been fantastic to have him working with the team for three years.
“He is someone I know as a player and that transformation to become an ultra-dedicated coach was fantastic.
“I would have loved to have kept him until the World Cup because it’s only round the corner. The reality is he got really intrigued by the project.”
Maloney has won his opening two games, beating Aberdeen and Dundee United, before Scotland’s winter break was brought forward following new Covid restrictions.
Hibs return to action at Celtic on January 17 and Martinez believes the players will immediately back Maloney because of the sacrifice he’s made.
He said: “It’s an important moment for the players and everyone to see someone who is happy to turn down the opportunity to coach at a World Cup because he is so dedicated.
“He could not turn the opportunity down. We loved his work so much, we know he is ready and we will support him from a distance. He will be able to build something at Hibs.
“There are great times coming to Hibs, his vision will be contagious. We wish him the best of luck.”
Maloney is already in no doubt the Premiership needs VAR sooner rather than later.
The Easter Road boss is a big fan of the system. His men actually benefited from a tight offside decision going their way against Dundee United on Sunday as Kevin Nisbet netted to open the scoring for Hibs.
And Maloney knows VAR would almost certainly have removed any element of doubt.
He said: “I’ve seen it not only at international level but other places and my preference is that it helps the referees so should happen.
“There are other things we can do to help them as well, such as making them full-time.
“It’s a tough job, a difficult job at this level because we’re asking them to make big decisions.
“So if we can give them as much support as possible it’s better for everyone.”