Welcoming Jim Magilton

Cliftonville Football Club are delighted to announce the appointment of Jim Magilton as Manager.

Selected following a rigorous recruitment process, the 54-year-old is the first full-time Manager in the history of Ireland’s Oldest Football Club and has immediately started making preparations for the 2023/24 season.

“It’s an honour to be appointed Manager of a great Club with such proud traditions,” he said.

“I’m very excited about the job and really looking forward to working with such a talented squad of players. A new Manager coming in will always cast a fresh pair of eyes over things, but Paddy McLaughlin did a wonderful job at Cliftonville and I want to build on the successes that he had.

“I’ve been very busy already and there are conversations to be had with players at the Club, plus some we will be looking to bring in. There’s a very tight turnaround between now and the start of the new season but I’m experienced enough to deal with that and the work has already started to make sure we’re in the best possible shape.

“It’s such a competitive League and I want our fans to enjoy the brand of football that we will play. I want them to be proud of their team and I want them to play a role in helping us be successful. I may be new to the place but one thing I do know about the Club is that a united Cliftonville is a strong Cliftonville, so having the Manager, players, fans and everyone else behind the scenes all united and all pulling in the same direction from top to bottom can make us a real force in this League.”

In a playing career that saw him make his Irish League debut for Distillery at the age of just 15, midfielder Magilton signed professionally with Liverpool before going on to represent Oxford United and played Premier League football for Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town, where he took up his first managerial role in a three-year spell between 2006-09.

A stint in charge of Queens Park Rangers preceded the 52-times capped former Northern Ireland captain being appointed as Michael O’Neill’s Assistant Manager during an historically successful spell at Shamrock Rovers prior to his installation as boss of Melbourne Victory in the Australian A-League.

In 2013, Magilton was appointed Elite Performance Director by the Irish Football Association and later served as Manager of the Northern Ireland Under-21 side ahead of taking up a Sporting Director position at Dundalk, where he also briefly served as Interim Manager in 2021.

Jim will be assisted by former Cliftonville player, coach and boss Gerard Lyttle, who was part of Tommy Breslin’s backroom team during the Club’s iconic Premiership title successes of 2013 and 2014 and who guided the Reds to a record-breaking fourth consecutive League Cup triumph in 2016.

Chairman Paul McKeown was pleased to welcome Jim to Solitude.

“Following the departure of Paddy McLaughlin, it was important for us to undertake a review of the football landscape and our position in it,” he explained.

“Club Member and former Chair of the Irish Football Association, Dr Leslie Caul, was asked to assist us in that process. We are indebted for his assistance.

“It was apparent that for us to continue to compete at the top end of the football ladder, a new approach was needed. This entailed appointing a full-time Manager to not only oversee first team affairs, but also to ensure continuity and development throughout our football structure, in which of Head of Academy Marc Smyth will continue to have a pivotal role.

“I would also like to place on record all our thanks to Declan O’Hara for stepping up as acting manager after Paddy McLaughlin’s departure. No one will be surprised that Declan put all his energy into the role and myself and all at the Club are very grateful for his dedication.

“As previously stated, it is our intention to develop a new model to encompass the needs of ensuring our players can train and develop in an environment conducive to the demands of professional football. This is our ambition and, contrary to some reports, will take time to put in place, as and when the conditions allow us to move to the next step.”

The Chairman also addressed the prolonged nature of the managerial recruitment procedure, adding: “I understand the frustration of some of our supporters in the time taken to appoint a new Manager.

“The process took longer than anticipated. However, it was important that options were explored, and we thank the many candidates involved throughout the process for their time and those who provided their knowledge and advice.

“We are delighted to have secured the services of Jim Magilton and I look forward to working with him. Jim and the coaching staff will get to work immediately to look to strengthen the squad.

“Having played in the English Premier League, made more than 50 international appearances for Northern Ireland and managed Ipswich Town, QPR and others, it’s clear that Jim fits the bill of what we were looking for in terms of a candidate with a background in the full-time game at the highest level.

“He was the Club’s top target for the position and we’re very pleased to have made this appointment. As everyone involved in football knows, the close season passes in the blink of an eye and Jim is already working hard in the countdown to the new campaign, which will be here before we know it.

“While last season tailed off disappointingly, I believe we have the right team in place to take the Club forward and give our fans the success that we all crave.”