Shaun Maloney returned to Celtic Park last season with a whole lot of work to do in order to convince a lot of the support that he deserved to be given a second chance at Celtic Park. At the end of August against Falkirk the midfielder/forward replaced Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink in the first half after the big Dutch forward was injured and the wee man certainly looked the part as he and Georgios Samaras ran the Bairns ragged. But alas Maloney's own season was pretty much blighted by injury and at one point manager Strachan was even moved to say that he had a job convincing the player he was okay to play even after the medical staff had passed him fit.
"It was unfortunate for us the way the league unfolded last season." said Maloney. "I felt I let the previous boss down. I gave my all, but there were times with my hamstring injury at the end of the season when I wasn't contributing to the team. It was an awkward injury and I could see his point. It wasn't even my worst injury and I've been out longer because of other things. I got a wee tear in it again which was disappointing. I just felt I couldn't contribute. The previous manager had brought me back and I wanted to prove he was right to do that, but I didn't feel I could properly contribute for the last few months."
Maloney insists that he's fit and raring to go now and he's looking to impress Tony Mowbray and stake a claim in the new manager's side. "I have a few training sessions under my belt now and I feel fitter." he said. "This game in Australia will also help. We weren't at the races in the first hour but it got better. When you take the travelling into consideration it's been a pretty decent exercise for us."
"The manager has shown us the different formations he wants us to play." added Maloney. "And he made it clear we shouldn't read too much into the team he played in Brisbane. But to get into his starting side no matter who is available will be a tough task and we'll get a better idea of what's happening when we play our first proper game in the Champions League qualifying."