Shaun Maloney breaks silence on Hibs sacking and thanks fans for support

Shaun Maloney has said he wished he had been given more time at Hibs and thanked the club’s fans for their support during his brief spell at the club.

Maloney was sacked earlier this week after just 19 games in charge, with the Easter Road hierarchy ending his tenure following back-to-back defeats to rivals Hearts.

The former Scotland international, who was in his first job as manager, was dismissed after just four months in charge and said he wishes he had been allowed to work with his players for longer to improve the team’s fortunes.

“It’s been an honour and a privilege to be manager of Hibernian, a club with such a proud and distinguished history,” he said in a statement released on Thursday.

“I’m disappointed not to have had the time to move the club forward to a position where we could consistently challenge the top teams in the country for domestic honours and European football.

“It was my deepest desire to be able to deliver for the fans a team which they could feel proud and inspired by.

“Even though the pain of our defeat last week remains raw, I was convinced even more by the nature of our performance and the desire we showed, even reduced to ten men, that given time we would have achieved this.

“From day one, the players have been a pleasure to work with and I’m grateful for their enthusiasm and commitment to my coaching ideas.

“To the fans, I can only say that I wish I had been able to make you happier more often. I wish you and the team every success in the future.