Shaun Maloney
Shaun Maloney was an excellent servant to Celtic and it’s good that he’s back at the club in a coaching role now.
I can think of few players who our young stars can learn more from than this wizard on the wing who was equally comfortable playing a role behind the strikers of even up front as one of them.
Not only was he a great creative force, but he was a hard working player who gave a lot for the team during both of his spells with the club.
Shaun was capable of tremendous moments of magic as a player.
He could find a gap in a defence and exploit it like few other players I’ve seen. That he was a product of the youth academy made it all the more impressive; fans love it when a home-grown kid pops up to stake a claim. And what a claim. Amongst his most memorable moments was the sensational goal he scored against Rangers – one that was to be bettered only once – and his free-kicks could be breath-taking.
Apart from his goals, Shaun laid on enough of them to make him more than just a potent scorer.
He could drive at and open defences with ease.
He left the club under a cloud the first time; a lot of people blamed the player for the way it ended, but I do believe some sort of deal could have been struck had we not been going through one of our periodic cost cuttings.
His love shone through when he returned to the club, and his decision to come back as a coach is symbolic of someone who cares and ought never to have left in the first place. There has always been a suspicion that he was led by an overly greedy agent.
Whatever it was, he scored one goal in every four appearances for the club and laid on a pile more.
A player in his mould is just what’s required.
Here’s a short video of some of his career highlights … and because it shockingly doesn’t include the best … that’s underneath it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhRD0b2bB8k&list=PLLBaqwFGKtm09p18DSq7kvlQui2kiNCOF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cizC1Rc-Ops