MARTINEZ ON MALONEY
BELGIUM BOSS EXPECTS CELTIC YOUTH COACH TO MAKE A BIG IMPACT ON INTERNATIONAL FRONT:
DESPITE being physically small in stature, lofty ambition was always an essential part of Shaun Maloney’s DNA. The winner of 14 major honours on both sides of the border as well as 47 Scotland caps, there was never any question of the forward’s every desire being satisfied by a highly successful career which was somewhat curtailed through injury.
A cerebral student of the game, the 35-year-old’s move into coaching with Celtic’s youth team surprised no one. It seemed a logical step.
The same cannot be said for his elevation into Belgium’s backroom staff. Frankly, it’s no slight on Maloney to wonder if the needs of Romelu Lukaku, Dries Mertens and Eden Hazard might be better served by employing a more experienced coaching hand.
These are the World Cup semi-finalists after all. A nation who have had the last laugh on the old joke about having no famous citizens. Their international football team is presently brimming with superstars.
Roberto Martinez gets the line of question. From the minute he took Maloney from Celtic to Wigan in 2011, though, he viewed the diminutive figure as a giant among men. Belgium, he feels, are fortunate to have him.
‘I know the person, the footballer and the potential coach,’ said Martinez.
‘Every coach has to start somewhere and the big advantage I have with Shaun is that I know his career inside out.
‘I tried to sign him a few times until I got him to Wigan from Celtic.
‘I knew the type of player he was and you get to know the person. You know the way he thinks about the game, the way he thinks about players. He will become a great coach one day.
‘For now, it’s an opportunity and one that after a few days I already feel will be very influential for us.
‘Shaun can be a great asset for Belgian football in general.
‘I had no doubt about what he could bring.
‘It’s a role he knows well in that he knows how I work, having experienced that as a player, and he can bring his own touch to the role.’
No supporter of Wigan would ever question the chemistry or trust between the pair. Famously, it was Maloney’s corner which allowed Ben Watson to head home the winning goal in the 2013 FA Cup final against Manchester City.
Such moments in history tend to forge an unbreakable bond.
‘He was always someone who saw the game in the same manner as I did,’ said Martinez.
‘You appreciate this and the effort he put into his career.
‘He was always a very special British player, quite unique in that respect because of his awareness of space and technical ability. ‘When you bring that into the coaching side, it can be a good mixture. ‘He created some big moments for me at Wigan, from scoring the winning goal against Manchester United to delivering the corner for our goal to win the FA Cup at Wembley. ‘He has given me a lot as a player and I know he can do the same in his coaching career.’ Maloney wouldn’t be human if he didn’t find tonight’s events a little bizarre. Four years ago, he was the toast of the Tartan Army after his ingenious goal unlocked the Republic of Ireland at Celtic Park. This evening, his assignment is to help Belgium’s array of striking talent wreak havoc with Scotland’s back-line.
‘I’m sure that one anthem won’t get mixed up with the other,’ smiled Martinez.
‘We all know Shaun is a very proud Scotsman but, in this case, nationality doesn’t play a part.
‘We will never take away Shaun’s feelings and what he has for Scotland. But he’s a professional and while he’s developing as a coach this will help him grow.’
Martinez won’t experience any such feelings of divided loyalty but the Spaniard has genuine reason to hold Scotland dear to his heart.
While his brief playing stint at Motherwell stretched to only 16 appearances before administration saw him shown the door in 2002, he would not have met his wife Beth had he not moved to South Lanarkshire.
‘Scotland is like one of my adopted countries,’ said the 45-year-old. ‘At Motherwell, the club went into administration and that was a different side of the game for me to cope with.
‘It helped me to understand players’ feelings in those situations. I learned a lot about that as a player myself.
‘I am attached to Scotland now because I met the woman of my life and half of my family are now in Scotland.
‘The attachment is very clear and strong. I’m very proud of it.’
It might well have been stronger. Back in 2009, as Celtic sought a successor to Gordon Strachan, Martinez and Owen Coyle were the initial front-runners before Tony Mowbray was appointed.
Having guided Swansea to the League One title, both Wigan — where he began his playing career in Britain — and Celtic were on his tail. So why did he end up at the former?
‘I had conversations (with Celtic) and I was always very impressed with the need to bring silverware,’ he recalled.
‘There was also the prospect of getting to the Champions League through the qualifying rounds and it was always a club that people are attracted to because of the intensity of the fans and what it means.
‘At that time I had to go back to where I started my career in the UK and where I started my coaching career at Wigan.
‘In life, there has to be the right timing for moves and at that time I wasn’t prepared to go away from my beginnings in the UK. It was a chance to go and work again with Dave Whelan — the man who had brought me to Britain. It was a case of unfinished business.’
It would take a brave man to argue with his career choices. Immortality with the Latics on account of that Wembley triumph, three years at Everton and now manager of one of the finest international sides around. Maloney is back in good company.