There was a telling moment during last weekend’s Scottish Cup Final that revealed a great deal about the coaching dynamic at Celtic.
The Hoops were looking ragged and Dunfermline were enjoying a sustained period of pressure on the game.
Callum McGregor came over to the side of the pitch, much like he did in that now infamous image of his confused exchange with Wilfried Nancy.
There was no tactics board this time, though, as Martin O’Neill was present alongside Shaun Maloney on the touchline.
It quickly became clear that it was McGregor and Maloney sorting things out together, while O’Neill backed off and left them to it.
Within minutes, Celtic had shuffled things around and regained their grip on the match entirely.
That moment was not about power or control, but rather about whose strengths were needed most at that particular time.
It served as a timely reminder of the importance Maloney’s role played in delivering the Double for Celtic this season.
O’Neill joked afterwards, saying: “I’m a passer by in these proceedings, talking to me tactically as if I didn’t have a clue – and I didn’t!”
Maloney himself admitted that no one but O’Neill could have held Celtic together last season and secured success in the end.
There should equally be no doubt about the major part Maloney and Mark Fortheringham played in Celtic’s achievements throughout the campaign.
Which is why it appears strange that Celtic seem keen to move Maloney into a head of operations role rather than keeping his boots on the training ground.
There is no question Maloney has the intelligence to handle such a role, given that Paul Tisdale’s 12 months at Parkhead left little behind in terms of progress.
Maloney served as pathways boss before stepping up to assist O’Neill, meaning he could slot into the operations role without significant disruption.
However, it would represent a significant waste of a man who clearly has so much to offer on the grass itself.
The uncertainty surrounding the manager position is not helping matters, with O’Neill and Dermot Desmond unable to reach an agreement this week before agreeing to reconvene in the coming days.
If O’Neill commits to another year, it would be logical to expect him to retain his coaching staff rather than lose his key right-hand man upstairs.
Celtic’s sustained success over the past 15 years has been built on continuity, with figures like John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan providing stability across multiple managerial regimes.
It was no coincidence that trophies accumulated when Kennedy was in the dugout alongside Ronny Deila, Neil Lennon, Ange Postecoglou, and Brendan Rodgers across two separate spells.
The failure of Wilfried Nancy to walk across the Lennoxtown car park and speak to Maloney was described as a bigger sin than only spending 15 minutes talking to O’Neill on arrival.
If Maloney was good enough to serve as Roberto Martinez’s right-hand man with Belgium, he is surely worth a place on the staff of whoever takes the Celtic helm next season.
Celtic will also need to ensure they are far better prepared for the Champions League qualifiers in August than they were last year.
The club stumbled into the Kairat game with gaping gaps in the squad and were hit by what was described as around £30m in what the article called Eijit Tax.
This will also be the final season in which Scotland’s champions have a one-match opportunity at the group stage, before qualifying returns to multiple rounds from 2027 onwards.
A swift decision on Maloney’s role should not be beyond the club, and getting it right could prove important to how the season ahead unfolds.
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