Former Celtic and Aston Villa star suffers sack after club relegation fears ramp up as ex-Villan replaces him

A former Celtic and Aston Villa star has been sacked as manager of English side Wigan Athletic.

Shaun Maloney had previous management experience at Hibs, coming in during the back end of the 21/22 season. He was binned in the April of 2022 but returned to the dugout in 2023 at Wigan, where he won the FA Cup as a player. Despite relegation in his first campaign, he installed stability at a club dealing with an eight-point deduction in League One. Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Reading has the club just six points above the relegation zone in the third tier and that has been a game too far.

Maloney had two stints as a Celtic player, winning five titles as a man in Hoops. His stints with the club are sandwiched with time at Aston Villa who signed him for a reported fee at the time of £1m by ex-Celtic boss Martin O’Neill. Another former Aston Villa man in Glenn Whelan is his replacement as he takes on the job in a caretaker capacity.

A Wigan statement reads: “Wigan Athletic can confirm that Shaun Maloney has departed his role as Wigan Athletic Manager with immediate effect. Shaun was appointed Wigan Athletic Manager in January 2023 during what would be an extremely turbulent period in the Club’s history. Whilst he could not prevent the Club’s relegation from the EFL Championship, Shaun ensured that the Club returned to the third tier with fighting spirit.

“Furthermore, through a change of ownership in the summer of 2023, Shaun stuck by the Club and helped us overcome an eight-point deduction and a squad overhaul to retain our 2023/24 League One status comfortably with matches to spare.

During his tenure, Shaun and his young team have provided the Club and its supporters with some proud moments, including an Emirates FA Cup Third Round tie with Manchester United, as well as three memorable victories over rivals Bolton Wanderers, just to name a few.

“Shaun has also helped develop a number of our young players, some of whom have moved on to further their careers to the mutual benefit of the Football Club. However, 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.

“The timing of such change will allow the club the necessary time to appoint a successor and enable the Club to look forward to the future. Wigan Athletic Assistant Manager, Max Rogers, has also departed. The process of appointing a new Wigan Athletic Manager begins immediately. In the interim, First Team Coach, Glenn Whelan, will take charge of the first team supported by Club Ambassador and former Manager and Assistant Manager, Graham Barrow, along with Lead PDP Coach, Frankie Bunn.

“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. We hope that in the years to come Shaun’s time as Manager is remembered fondly by supporters, as is his time as a player for the Club. Shaun and Max will always be welcomed back to Wigan Athletic Football Club and the Brick Community Stadium.”