PERFECT MATCH
Maloney the ideal man for Celtic role, says Brown
SCOTT BROWN last night welcomed the prospect of an emotional return to Celtic for old pal Shaun Maloney.
The Parkhead club are seeking a replacement for Jim McGuinness after the Irishman quit coaching the Under-20s to move to China.
And, as Sportsmail first revealed, the former Scotland attacker is in talks over filling the vacant role at Lennoxtown.
Maloney has also held a series of conversations with Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes over moving to Pittodrie as a player.
Concerned by the lingering effects of an injury, however, the 34-year-old will reluctantly hang up his boots for an opportunity to begin his coaching career at the club where he won four league titles, four Scottish Cups and three League Cups.
‘The wee man would be brilliant,’ said Celtic skipper Brown. ‘I had some great playing times with Shaun. He was here when I first came and was here underneath Lenny (Neil Lennon).
‘He would be brilliant, would bring a lot of class. He works well and is willing to learn. He’s a great guy.
‘He was in today, seeing the
facilities and the gaffer’s coaching. I am sure Shaun (below) hasn’t forgotten too much about Lennoxtown, though.’ Celtic fly out to Norway this afternoon ahead of their Champions League, third qualifying round, second leg clash with Rosenborg tomorrow night. Last week’s 0-0 draw in Glasgow has placed the prospect of Scotland’s champions competing for a second successive year in the group stage in doubt. Insisting panicked European away nights are now a thing of the past under Brendan Rodgers, however, Brown believes Celtic have the composure to secure a berth in the final qualifying play-off round. Striker Leigh Griffiths — missing from the first leg in Glasgow — is expected to board this afternoon’s flight, with Brown saying: ‘For us, it is a totally different team from any that I have played in. ‘We have that belief that we can go anywhere and score goals, even when we are playing against some of the top teams in the world. ‘We played against Manchester City away last season and pressed them up the park, made them make mistakes and got a goal from that. ‘It is totally different from the old Celtic, where we used to sit back and get 12 per cent of the ball against Barcelona, although we won that game 2-1. ‘There’s a belief, even from the fans as well. They believe we can go through whether we are playing at home or away. ‘That’s brought in from the manager and his backroom staff. That’s been battered into us, to relax and take the ball under pressure when there are two or three men on you and keep possession when you are away from home. ‘Before, people would maybe press us and we’d just look for big (Georgios) Samaras up the park and play off him. ‘It’s different now. We don’t have that 6ft 5in centreforward that you can just ping balls to. ‘It is a different manager with a different philosophy and he believes we have enough energy that we can go and press teams and create chances. We have good players as well.’ The failure of Griffiths to prove his fitness would come as a blow to Rodgers’ side. Heartened by the performance of James Forrest coming in from a wide position during a 5-0 thrashing of Sunderland, however, Brown believes Celtic can claim the away goal they need to progress. ‘You have Tom Rogic, Scott Sinclair, James Forrest and Jonny Hayes in there as well,’ he continued. ‘All these players know where the back of the net is and that is the main thing. If we have to play six midfielders or Griff is fit, it won’t be an issue. ‘You get nervous, but you also have to have that wee bit of belief. If we get a wee bit of luck, we can get that away goal. ‘Every game is huge for us including European games. We have managed to keep a clean sheet for going over there, so an away goal could be huge for us. ‘We have a manager who is very relaxed and he understands what we have to go out there to do. He knows that if we go out there and deliver then we’ve got a great chance. I know we didn’t have any strikers on Wednesday night, but we still created chances and we need to put the ball in the back of the net.’ Meanwhile, Celtic have confirmed they will reopen the Green Brigade section of their stadium after Saturday’s league opener — but some fans will remain suspended. The Glasgow club announced a two-game closure of a 900-capacity section of the safe-standing area at Celtic Park for their Champions League home tie against Rosenborg last week and the Premiership visit of Hearts on Saturday following ‘serious incidents of unsafe behaviour’ at their previous two home fixtures. However, a club statement revealed the majority of season-ticket holders would be readmitted after the Hearts game.