Looking Through the Baloney of Maloney

Why Shaun Maloney would be Dundee’s boldest move in years

The reaction to Shaun Maloney being linked with the Dundee job has been largely cynical — even among Dundee supporters. Dismissed by many as a failed Hibs manager or too inexperienced, the move has raised eyebrows. But look a little deeper, and it becomes clear: this could be one of the boldest, smartest appointments the club could make.

Maloney has been shaped by elite influences: Brendan Rodgers, Thierry Henry and Roberto Martinez, to name just a few. He’s not just a promising coach — he’s one with elite pedigree and the ambition to match.

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Belgium: A Graduate of the Game’s Highest Level

In 2018, Maloney became assistant manager of the Belgium national team after their third-place finish at the World Cup. Critics can scoff at CVs, but being part of one of the world's most technically gifted teams is no small thing. For three and a half years, Belgium topped the FIFA World Rankings — and Maloney was in the room, learning how modern football works at its highest level.

He worked closely with world-class talents like Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Vincent Kompany. That kind of exposure is priceless.

He was even reportedly considered for the Scotland job in 2019 — before he had managed a senior side — alongside names like Derek McInnes, Jack Ross and eventual pick Steve Clarke. Roberto Martinez, then Belgium head coach, praised him as having “an elite brain” and “incredibly high standards,” calling Maloney someone he “really admires” for his intelligence and emotional awareness with players.

At Euro 2020, Maloney and Martinez took Belgium to the quarter-finals, losing narrowly to eventual champions Italy.

(Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)

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Hibernian: A Harsh Judgement on Limited Opportunity

Maloney’s time at Hibernian is often used to discredit him. But the context matters.

If Hibs sacked David Gray after 15 league games this season (the number of games Maloney had), it’d have been deemed understandable because they were second bottom on 12 points. In comparison, Maloney joined in the middle of the season with the club struggling and quickly lost Martin Boyle to a £3M transfer and Kevin Nisbet to a long-term injury. Despite this, he amassed 15 points — 3 more than Gray — and guided the club to a Scottish Cup semi-final.

With the absence of Boyle and Nisbet, Hibs were toothless upfront. Boyle had provided 3 assists across the 3 games he served under Maloney and come the end of the season he was still the club’s top goal scorer in both the league (7) and in all competitions (14). Nisbet would also finish as the second highest scorer with 5 in the league and 9 in all competitions.

Defensively, however, the team was solid – seven clean sheets in the league, a clean sheet rate of 46.67%, the same as Hearts and only behind Celtic and Rangers (9). They conceded just 16 goals in the league – the 3rd best concession record in the league in that timeframe, once again joint with Hearts and only behind Celtic (8) and Rangers (13).

His record (6 wins, 6 draws, 7 defeats) included losses to the Old Firm, Aberdeen, and a double-header with Hearts, all of which were away from home.

The spell as Hibs manager only lasted 4 months and while some questioned his man-management, others felt players responded to his ideas — just not with enough time. Ironically, the patience now shown to David Gray, a rookie himself, might have served Maloney well.

Put simply: Maloney inherited a sinking ship and was offered neither a summer window nor pre-season to rebuild. He needed more time — and would likely be stronger for the experience.

Some of the best coaches in the game — from Mikel Arteta to Ange Postecoglou — had to wait until their ideas truly clicked.

(SNS Group)

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Wigan Athletic: A Trial by Fire

Taking over Wigan in January 2023 was an enormous risk. The club was a financial mess, eventually reporting a £7.7M loss, repeated player wage delays, and an eight-point deduction the following season.

Maloney’s first job was survival with 16 games to go. He lost only six, but the damage was done before he arrived. Following relegation, the club announced a loss of £17.5M — the largest published loss in the history of the football club.

Then came 2023/24. Starting with -8 points and under a transfer embargo, the task at hand was once again survival. He guided Wigan not only to safety but also a top-half finish in League One and brought much-needed stability. He didn't just stop the rot — he inspired growth.

Charlie Hughes and Theo Asgaard had been promoted from the club’s youth academy and through Maloney’s tutelage came on leaps and bounds before their transfers to Hull City and Luton Town for a combined fee of over £7M.

Goalkeeper Sam Tickle, also a product of the youth academy, was given his breakthrough through the former Hibs manager. Maloney revealed that he had known since his arrival that the Englishman would be his first choice. He went on to label Tickle as ‘The best in the EFL’ as he forced his way into the England U21s set-up — who at the time were European Champions.

By the end of the 2023/24 campaign, Tickle was named Wigan’s Player of the Year (the first goalkeeper to win the award in thirteen years), Wigan’s Players’ Player of the Year, and earned a place in the EFL League One Team of the Season. A testament to Maloney’s eye for talent.

His Wigan side also impressed in the FA Cup. On average, 60–70% of League One teams get knocked out by the Second Round (albeit this depends on the luck of the draw), and in 2024 he guided his men to the Third Round of the cup where they were knocked out by Premier League giants and eventual winners Manchester United.

The Tics were up against a line-up that cost the Red Devils approximately £269.4M, featuring the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Raphael Varane and Rasmus Højlund — and high-profile academy graduates like Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobe Mainoo.

They went a step further the following season and made it to the Fourth Round, hosting another Premier League side in Fulham and gave a good account of themselves in a 2-1 defeat. Only Premier League sides knocked them out — and the five wins in the cup through these campaigns all came away from home.

Maloney navigated Wigan through a turbulent time. His leadership brought stability — not just tactically, but institutionally. It says a lot about Shaun Maloney to take this job on in the first place. He backed himself to balance a club in meltdown on the back of his stint at Hibernian. This speaks volumes of his tenacity and self-belief.

Many accomplished and veteran managers wouldn’t be as bold to risk marking a likely relegation on their CV — but given Maloney’s past ties with the club, this maybe indicates a heart-over-head decision. Regardless of the motive, he can hold his head high with his work at The Brick Community Stadium.

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Dundee: A Perfect Fit?

So what boxes does Shaun Maloney tick for the Dens Park hotseat?

He is proven in youth development — a major factor in the appointments of his predecessors Tony Docherty and Gary Bowyer. Players like Luke Graham, Billy Koumetio, Imari Samuels, Finlay Robertson and Aaron Donnelly are expected to be nurtured into assets for Dundee.

The Dundee fans can feel agitated over the lack of experience, or at least lack of positive experience, in previous managers in the past decade. While Maloney has only been a manager for 3 years, he is far from a rookie. He’s overseen 134 matches — the bulk of them in the chaos of Wigan.

On average, managers in League One last about 35–40 matches. A small number complete a full season — and between both the Championship and League One, Maloney has served for 97 league games.

This is not a novice rising through the ranks from the lower Scottish leagues, nor a youth coach ascending to the senior level, or even a long-term assistant finally making the leap to management. This would be something very different to what Dundee have ever appointed before.

This is someone with an elite-level coaching pedigree, experience with world-class players, and something to prove.

Crucially, Dundee can offer him what Hibs didn’t:
A platform to build.
A pre-season to implement his ideas.
A summer transfer window to bring in his own core players.

At face value, Dundee fans are justified in feeling cautious about the risk of the appointment. A further in-depth look equally justifies the Dundee higher-ups' interest in luring a coaching prodigy to Dens Park.

Would he need to prove people wrong? Of course. But the potential appointment of Maloney should be seen as a club thinking big, not settling small.

If given backing and time, this could be a turning point for Dundee — not just a managerial switch, but a cultural shift.

What’s Next?

My upcoming post is inspired by Lyall Cameron’s exit from Dundee with the club expected to receive a compensation fee from Rangers. Dundee have a reputation for underselling / not profiting enough from the departures of their best players.

Has this record improved in the last decade? You’ll soon see!

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