DONEGAL COACH JIM McGUINNESS has revealed that a move to professional football, and Glasgow Celtic, ‘wouldn’t be something that would scare me’.
McGuinness, who coached Donegal to All-Ireland Football Championship success last month, insisted he was happy to remain with the county, in an interview on Highland Radio’s Shaun Doherty Show, but he is open to further challenges in the future.
The 39-year-old trained League of Ireland First Division side Finn Harps for a season before, as well as coaching Derry City and Limavady United.
He supported Arsenal and Celtic ‘growing up’ and was delighted to get an invite to attend the Glasgow club’s training facilities the day before he watched them take on Benfica in the Champions League.
Nobody has approached me, to be honest with you,” McGuinness told host Shaun Doherty, “I was invited over to Celtic a number of weeks ago for a Champions League match. It was a great experience to go over and see it.” He added:
The day before, I was invited over to the training grounds, got a look around (there), met everybody. Fantastic people there from recruitment, talent identification, conditioning, the coaches themselves and the facilities.
“It was a great experience for me to go over there and see that. It was something I was obviously going to take with open arms when I was asked did I want to go over.”
During his time in Glasgow, McGuinness had ‘a nice chat’ with Celtic coach Neil Lennon about player recruitment and preparation.
Glasgow air kisses
He responded to speculation from Doherty that the invite must mean Celtic were interested in him. He said:
It is very flattering if that is the case but, from my own point of view, I’m coming from a sports science background so to go over there was a good experience.
When asked if he would say ‘no, never’ to a job offer from Celtic, McGuinness responded, “No, not at all.”
He added, “If a professional football team or any professional sporting organisation come in and say that they are interested in working with you … it is obviously something you would have to (consider). I’m a young man with three kids, I’ve got a young family, it is obviously something you’d have to consider.
“There has been a few different things since the final, from a consultancy point of view. Football teams and different sports that would be looking for me to do work with them but that would be happening on an ongoing basis.”
The Donegal coach pointed out that his background is sports science and psychology and he is keen to keep up his work in those fields.
Friends in golf places
McGuinness added that golfer Paul McGinley had extended a similar invite for him to go along to the Irish Open earlier in the year and see the preparations and science behind golf conditioning and analysis.
He revealed that McGinley sent him a text after the Ryder Cup win of the European team, of which he was vice-captain, on 30 September.
“He said it was like being 10 points down by half-time and winning the match by a point,” McGuinness remarked.
McGuinness stated that his aim was not to win a solitary All-Ireland with Donegal but to win ‘three or four’.
“The main aim is the players being the best that they can be,” he said. “(The aim is) as much as they can possibly achieve within their time-frame.”
“Donegal is where I’m from. It’s my love, my passion,” he added.
Jims ego is a bit mad.
Quite the opposite in fact. If you listen to the aforementioned radio interview you will discover he is quite a humble and well grounded individual. The interviewer was the one who kept pushing the question. What’s the guy going to say…”If a large soccer club wished to employ me I would say no”…? Besides the guy is clearly a motivational genius. What he did with the Donegal squad was exceptional and he desreves all the plaudits he gets.
To equate a bit of coaching for Celtic, who are let’s face it not Barcelona, with the American Presidency is a bit of a stretch.
Jim could do it in his sleep!!!
The SPL is a one horse race now anyway. A change in management is unnecessary
No talk of a change of management, just a humble coaching role.
Sorry didn’t read it properly. I reckon he’ll enjoy more success at Donegal. But I suppose there’s money in coaching at Celtic so who knows!
Being open minded is one of the greatest assets in sports coaching drawing on the experiences in different sports and examining how they could improve the athletes you work with in your chosen field. Fair play to Jim for looking outside the box and maybe his experiences with Finn Harps, Derry City and Limavaddy brought an extra 1% or 2% in performance that Donegal thrived on. Similarly fair play to Liverpool and Celtic in being open to learning the strategies Jim used to take a group of Amateur athletes and instil the level of commitment and discipline Donegal has shown over the last two years.
that’s very well put
Interview was about a possible role with Celtic and not about a managerial role with them. He was linked with a similar role with Liverpool last week.
They are welcome to him !
thanks but no thanks Jim, Lenny is doing a great job.
Yep he’s as mad as a bag of cats
thanks but no thanks Jim, Lenny is doing a great job.
Once again, spin the story. The image the media has created of this man, couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Please stop comparing the GAA to the professional set up that is the premier league.An amateur like our Jimmy would be eaten alive,regardless of his big ego.Big fish.Very small pond.
Barry
Celtic are not in the Premier League & why could a successful Gaa coach not have a coaching role with them?
Both himself & Brian Cody could certainly teach them a thing or two about not being big girl’s blouses
The words pot, kettle & black spring to mind!!
Justin is Jim’s number one fan!!
And proud of it !!!!!!!
Sum begrudgery goin on here folks. The man is a decent fella. Humble and a true professional. Suck it up all ye cryers. Jimmys winnin matches and ye are all singin it into yourselves if yed only admit it :)
Jeasus, there are some bitter whingebags on here.
I’m curious as to how many of those that are commenting on the size of Jim’s head have actually ever spoke to him? Yep, that’s what I thought…
I’m also curious as to how many of you would would refuse to entertain the idea that you’re job/career could ever get any better? Yep, that’s what I thought…
As for getting eaten alive up in Scotland? No offence to Celtic fans but the SPL can no longer be called a competitive league. Therefore it would be a perfect environment for a sports psychologist to work in, given the teams current level of success there would be little chance of them going backwards.
And sure if it didn’t work out, you can’t blame a man for trying.
how was he over for the Celtic v Anderlecht CL game a few weeks ago? They aren’t even in Celtic’s group!
Benfica – sat through the 0-0 glory of it too. Repressing memories again.
The picture shown is an old one of him before the all Ireland final. His head is much larger now.