Home Sick Blues Or Green & Whites

Oh no! Shaun Maloney has admitted that he hasn’t settled and that he is struggling with homesickness.

Maloney, the scorer of the winning goal against Fulham yesterday, came to Villa for £1million in January when Celtic decided to off-load the striker as he wouldn’t sign a new contract and could have left this summer on a free. The move by Maloney seemed to put a good few noses out of joint after Celtic fans felt their club had developed him only for him to walk away for next to nothing.

However since the move there has been loads of talk about him being unsettled and wanting to move back North of the border to the Scottish giants.

He said: ‘What is the situation with my own future? I have struggled to settle. I have spoken to the manager and he seems to be all right with me at the moment. There is nothing really to say at the moment. Am I going to be here until at least January? Am I going to Celtic this week? I can’t say at the moment. Homesickness has affected my form. I haven’t played well enough to play in the team and I think that has shown so hopefully now things can change.’

Apparently he still spends a great deal of time commuting, he continued, ‘I haven’t found a place to live yet down here. I haven’t done myself any favours with the travelling I’ve ended up doing up to Glasgow and things. Hopefully things will get sorted out one way or the other and I can start playing well. I haven’t done that since I came here to Villa. Are talks planned with the manager? No, nothing like that. I spoke to the manager a few weeks ago and he is quite sound with me. I don’t need to see the manager.’

Homesickness. Hmmm, ok not nice BUT this is a lad old enough to stand on his own two feet, he is very well paid and at a great club where he is getting plenty of support. All he has to do is train and be ready for 90 minutes of football once or twice a week. I’d point to the young lads being shipped off to Iraq and Afghanistan. They have every right to be homesick and upset, not sure a pampered footballer does. I know where my sympathies lie anyway. In life, sometimes, you just have to grow a pair and grow up.

As I said in my match report, I really hope he settles as it looks like we have a bargain. If he does return to Celtic, I wonder if he could do us a huge favour and take Stiliyan Petrov back with him!