FORMER Celtic four-time title winner Shaun Maloney has been sacked as manager by Wigan after two years in charge.
The axe fell on the former Hoops favourite following the 2-1 home loss to Reading yesterday with the club on a sequence of just one win in eight games.
The Latics are in 15th place in the third-tier – six points above the relegation zone – and the board have reacted by parting company with the ex-Scotland international midfielder and his assistant Max Rogers.
GLORY DAYS…Shaun Maloney celebrates with Stiliyan Pterov after scoring against Stuttgart on Celtic’s route to Seville in 2003.
Martin O’Neill introduced Maloney to the Hoops first team as a teenager in a 3-0 victory over Rangers at Ibrox in April in 2001 and he became a regular member of the squad.
He played in Celtic’s unfortunate defeat to Porto in the UEFA Cup Final in Seville in May 2003 before catching up again with the Irishman in a £1million switch at Aston Villa in January 2007.
Maloney returned to Parkhead in August the following year for double that fee before leaving again in an £850,000 move to Wigan in the summer of 2011 where he spent four years as a player.
He teamed up with another ex-Celt, James McCarthy, to win the FA Cup in 2013 with a shock 1-0 victory over Manchester City, who had Joe Hart in goal.
HIBS EXIT…Shaun Maloney on the brink of the sack from the Easter Road club in April 2022.
Maloney, now 42, had a spell with the Celtic Under-20s before being appointed manager of the Lancashire club in January 2023 after a four-month stint at Hibs.
A Wigan statement read: “It cannot be overlooked that the current League One campaign has clearly not progressed as anticipated.
“Home results and performances, in particular, have been disappointing and below the standard at which our supporters expect. For this reason, the Board felt that it was time for a change.
“As a Board of Directors, we would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Shaun and Max for their service, efforts and dedication to the club.”
