Settled Shau finds key to contentment with Wigan

Maloney puts memories of homesickness at Villa in the past by confounding critics who wrote him off

SHAUN MALONEY gave the impression he’d have settled better on Mars than in the Midlands during his time as an Aston Villa player. When he transferred from Celtic five-and-a-half years ago, the forward moved only 300 miles from Glasgow but cut a figure a world away from happiness whenever returning north for Scotland duty or to chat about life in the English top flight.

So when he headed back south last August, leaving Parkhead for the second time, fans of Maloney could be excused for fearing when the first bout of homesickness might hit.

‘There was no trepidation on my part,’ he stressed. ‘I don’t think I’m a worrier, but I can be self-critical.

‘I’m older now, a little bit more relaxed about things, and was pretty open to the idea of moving to Wigan. I played reasonably well at Villa at times, but I was in a hotel for months and that was my own fault.

‘At Wigan, the major difference was I found somewhere to live within weeks and have friends in that area. It was a seamless move, really.’

Even with a happy household, a miserable total of 34 minutes in six months of English Premier League action for a struggling Wigan side rooted to the bottom of the division appeared to suggest that this latest mission was doomed.

Yet it is hard to pick out a player in the league who finished the season in better form than Maloney. Along with his fellow miracle men at the DW Stadium, Wigan escaped with a week to spare under manager-of-themoment Roberto Martinez.

From the 10 games in which Maloney featured from the moment it all clicked in mid-march with a draw at Norwich, Wigan won six and drew two.

The 29-year-old’s performances were the highlight of a remarkable streak of results. Maloney scored in wins over Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle. They made do without him when beating Arsenal at The Emirates.

Wigan had been accustomed to slotting in as the last game on Match Of The Day. With Maloney helping to orchestrate the thrilling relegation rescue act, no one could wait that long and he starred on a weekly basis.

Quizzed on where this dazzling talent had been during the woeful winter months for the club, Martinez was even moved to defend the decision not to introduce Maloney until that Carrow Road substitute outing.

‘The confidence snowballed,’ said the player himself. ‘It’s funny because we were on runs of eight and nine games without a win. You couldn’t imagine where the next win was going to come from.

‘ Yet we start to win games and went into the next one believing that we could beat any side, including the top four. I don’t tend to dwell on these things but, yeah, it was a nice one to beat Manchester United and score the winner. That doesn’t happen too often.

‘I have found it an enjoyable time, but there’s been nothing revolutionary for me. Maybe the way the team plays at Wigan suits the way I play. Yeah, that might be a difference.’

Maloney was among the sharpest operators in Scotland training last week in the searing Florida heat, a further hint that he currently possesses the confidence and physical reserves to go with the undoubted talent.

After an injury-interrupted close season with Celtic last summer, Wigan realised they had spent almost £1million on an international ill-equipped for Barclays Premier League football.

‘There had been a couple of years at Celtic when I couldn’t help the team enough,’ he explained. ‘At the start of every season, I’d contribute for the first dozen games and it would go well.

‘Then I’d miss five or six massive chunks of the season. I just got to the stage where I was disappointed I couldn’t contribute enough to the team. I felt pretty helpless.

‘I wouldn’t have been able to cope with what is needed to play in this Wigan team at the start of the season.

‘The physical demands of the league are vast. I wasn’t near to the standard. The manager was positive with me at the start. He told me what I’d need to do the first couple of months.

‘I did double training sessions at the start to get my level up. I was going through what felt like a second pre-season. After that, I was fine and it then became about getting an opportunity to get into the team.’

MARTINEZ’S system switch to 3-4-3 was in full cry by the time Maloney slotted in to confirm himself an accomplished Premier League performer — a far cry from the lad who had penned a deal with Villa in January 2007 and immediately looked as if he regretted doing so. He said: ‘The penny dropped with two or three months to go about the work-rate that was required to make the system work properly. That was the biggest factor in the change of results. ‘The front three and the wide players need to work really hard. A huge amount of effort and a high level of fitness was necessary.

‘The overriding feeling in all the successes, for me, is relief. Every Saturday is such a big occasion down south. Wigan is one of the smaller clubs and for us to stay in the Premiership means so much. It was a pressure that had been lifted. ‘Yet, for long periods of the season, it looked as though we weren’t going to be able to achieve that. I hope we can kick on next season and that’s something I’m looking forward to trying to do.’