Latest news with #Magilton
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Jim Magilton highlights transfer window frustrations but welcomes new eyes on Irish League
Jim Magilton is hoping there is still business to be done for Cliftonville after a challenging transfer window so far. The Reds have had to deal with players moving on, European football, the final stages of the club takeover and player demands "going through the roof". And while Magilton has been pleased with the deals the club have completed so far he admitted it has not been without its challenges this summer, and that's despite bringing a second trophy in as many years back to Solitude. READ MORE: Are you the most generous in your group? Find out your social spending persona READ MORE: Rory McIlroy's true character shines through as PGA Tour star drops telling comment "The last two years have helped us in terms of competitiveness," said Magilton. "We won an Irish Cup and finished third, we won a League Cup and lost an Irish Cup and won a play-off. "And whilst players do their due diligence and they see all of that, you still have to meet their financial needs. "That's difficult because at the moment we're still where we are. There's still a lot of talk about the takeover. It is in the last throes of completion, it's all with the solicitors and everything else. "We'd like that to happen sooner rather than later, but we're on Cliftonville time and Cliftonville time is slightly different. "Again we have to cut our cloth accordingly financially and make sure that we get the right people in and do our due diligence around who we bring, which is important. "Between Gerard Little and myself, we probably receive 30 calls a day. And that started from the Sunday after the play-off game. "And you go through that list and continue to go through the list until you narrow your list down. And then can you meet the financial needs, which have gone through the roof, they really have. "But that means that there's more attention brought to the league, and anything that can profile the league and enhance the reputation of the league is great "Unfortunately we couldn't get through round one in Europe, and that would have been the first time the four clubs got into round two. "So, we let them down. But anything that can bring attention and, you know, that sort of focus is only a good thing. "I saw David Jeffrey talking about the influx of players into the league. Well, as long as they've got the necessary quality, no doubt they have, then, again, that enhances the reputation too. "The problem we had when we came back is that everyone's away on holiday. So, the English and Scottish clubs are enjoying it. But we're, you know, back in for pre-season on 16th June, and we're back focused on the European games. "Our conversations with clubs don't really gather momentum until now when, obviously, they're taking stock of who's there and who's not and who's available and who's not. "So, unless we have nailed on certainties and the ones that we did get in, we got in pretty quickly, which is good, but it's slower than I would love, but it is what it is."
BBC News
17-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Linfield draw Shelbourne in Champions League qualifying
Irish Premiership winners Linfield have been drawn against Shelbourne in the first round of Champions League qualifying. Shelbourne, managed by former Chelsea and Republic of Ireland winger Damien Duff, won their first League of Ireland Premier Division title in 18 years in 2024 after a dramatic final-day victory over Derry Healy's Linfield won the Irish Premiership by 22 points in an impressive campaign for the first leg in will take place at Tolka Park on Tuesday 8 or Wednesday 9 July, before the return fixture at Windsor Park on 15 or 16 will find out their Uefa Conference League opponents in the first-round draw at 15:00 Magilton's European play-off winners are unseeded and will face one of Icelandic side Vikingur, Partizani of Albania, Floriana from Malta and Gibraltar side St Joseph' Cup winners Dungannon Swifts will discover their second-round opponents on Wednesday.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jim Magilton has simple message for his Cliftonville players as he reflects on his own playing career
Jim Magilton had a simple message for his Cliftonville players after they secured European football for the second year in a row under his leadership. Despite the challenges the Reds have faced this season they finish on a high with qualification to the UEFA Conference League qualifiers secured following their 2-0 play-off win over Coleraine on Sunday to add to the BetMcLean Cup they won earlier in the season. Magilton wants his young charges to embrace playing on the continent again as he did despite it coming late on in his playing career. READ MORE: Rory Hale calls for one final push from Cliftonville to reach European dream READ MORE: KSI warned James McClean would 'do him damage' in a boxing fight 'I didn't play in Europe until I played in the Uefa Cup for Ipswich when I was around 30 and I cherished every second of it,' said the Reds boss. 'I want these lads to cherish every second of it because they so deserved it. They have been in for 10-and-a-half months and it's a long season. They got their just rewards at the end. We were really good, took our chances and it is huge credit to the team.' After ending their long wait for Irish Cup glory last season Cliftonville have had to deal with a lot of challenges this campaign, none more so than the death of Michael Newberry. Magilton was full of praise for his players with how they dealt with everything this season and still produced the goods on the pitch when it mattered. 'It's still probably too soon for reflection,' said Magilton. 'But you go into a season ready and then wallop, you get hit with the devastation around Michael and we had to regroup and get the players back on side and focused. 'People don't really discuss the League Cup Final. We came up against a buoyant Glentoran team but managed to win it. 'We got to a second consecutive Irish Cup Final and lose it on penalties, then we go into the Play-Offs. I make that three Finals in a season and we have won two. We are greedy, we wanted three but it is just magnificent. "Our supporters have come out in their big numbers, and they are so passionate about this club. It is just a magnificent achievement. 'It takes courage to come back from losing a Final. You have to dig really deep to win at Glentoran and then come here where there is massive expectations on both clubs. 'Finals are about winning, and they can go either way. You can play poorly and win it. I wasn't too disheartened; I was very determined. I didn't like the negativity and we galvanised everyone. 'We said 'right, let's go again' and I knew they had it in them to do that. I'm just overwhelmed by it all. I was really emotional after the game because they deserved it." Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox
BBC News
03-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'We lacked conviction' - Magilton on final defeat
Cliftonville boss Jim Magilton said his side "didn't do enough to win" as they fell short in their bid to win back-to-back Irish Reds lost out 4-3 in a penalty shootout against Dungannon Swifts after a 1-1 draw after extra Kearney scored a fine goal to equalise after John McGovern had opened the scoring for the Swifts, who had Steven Scott sent off on 70 playing with a man advantage for the end of the second half and extra time, Magilton felt his side failed to make it count."We lacked real conviction today. I just didn't think we had enough about us to go out and win the game and it was a bit hopeful," he said."That's a real disappointment for us, but I want to congratulate Rodney [McAree] and the club, they've done a great job this year."We've got to take it on the chin and move on." 'You can't begrudge Dungannon' Magilton praised the Swifts' display and believes they were worthy winners in the end as they lifted the Irish Cup for the first time."They go down to 10 men and you think you're going to capitalise on that, but Declan [Dunne] had a really good day in goal," he added. "They showed unbelievable character, defensively, I thought they were absolutely outstanding. "If you looked at [Dean] Curry, he hasn't played for, a month, since the semi-final, it's an unbelievable shift he and they put in, so you can't begrudge them, you really can't."The Reds boss was perturbed, however, that a coin toss did not take place to decide which end the penalties would be taken in the spot kicks were taken at the Dungannon end due to an IFA decision, who in a statement said: "The decision was taken based on safety advice in accordance with Law 10.3 of the IFAB Laws of the Game."The law states that: "Unless there are other considerations (e.g. ground conditions, safety etc.), the referee tosses a coin to decide the goal at which the kicks will be taken, which may only be changed for safety reasons or if the goal or playing surface becomes unusable"."I would be amazed if Cliftonville agreed to that, that is pretty amazing, I have never heard that," Magilton said."Did it ultimately cost us the game? No, because that would be taking credit away from Dungannon and we don't want to do that. Would we have liked to be shooting into our end? Yes."It is pretty startling though a penalty shootout being decided on safety measures, what was the security risk, our supporters getting exuberant? I think it is pretty poor if they thought that."If we take the penalty shootout out of it, though, we had to do more, and they were pretty composed with their penalties." 'We need European football' The north Belfast club have endured an incredibly tough season despite winning the BetMcLean Cup in Michael Newberry died suddenly in December with the Cliftonville players again wearing his number five on their jerseys at Windsor Park. The heartbreaking cup final defeat means that the Reds will now compete in the Irish Premiership play-offs for a place in are away to Glentoran in the semi-final on Wednesday night and captain Rory Hale said it is now his job to pick up his devastated team-mates for a massive game."We can't cry over spilt milk, it's over and done with now, but it's very disheartening for myself," he said."I put a lot into this season, and it's been really, really emotional for us."The young players have gone through a lot, the highs of winning a trophy, the lows of, losing a team-mate and finishing in the bottom half of the table, and now another bit of heartbreak for them, to try and cope with."It's up to myself, Jonny Addis and Joe Gormley, to really get these kids motivated again for Wednesday night because we need European football."
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reds board & members 'all delighted' with takeover
Cliftonville manager Jim Magilton says that the club's board and members "all seem delighted" with the takeover proposals accepted by the club's membership at an extraordinary general meeting on Wednesday night. The takeover by Canadian consortium, the Toronto Investment Group (TIG), could see the north Belfast club moving to a full-time model and making improvements to their Solitude home. Following Wednesday's meeting, a Cliftonville statement said the next stage in the process would involve the club's legal representatives engaging with their counterparts at TIG. Speaking on Thursday, Magilton said he hasn't "been involved in any of it". "The club wants to redevelop and I think they're looking forward to that aspect of it," added the Cliftonville boss. "The competition in the league is so fierce now. Obviously finances does and will help you try and bring maybe a different level of player. "We'll still go about our business the way we do in terms of recruitment and try and look at the characteristics of the player and that won't change. "I haven't spoken to anybody from the group, so I won't know that until I'm invited into that conversation." Magilton added that "somewhere down the line, I [will] get an opportunity to speak to them and see what their vision is". "Even when I was an outsider looking in, it's a club with massive potential," continued the Reds boss. "That's brought to the fore with an Irish Cup final, when you see the numbers coming in, the tickets selling so quickly and the redevelopment of the ground etc. It puts Cliftonville on the map."
