Former Town boss and skipper Jim Magilton has left his role as elite performance director with the Irish Football Association to become the sporting director at League of Ireland side Dundalk.

Magilton, 51, who had been in his position with the IFA since 2013, is sad to be departing.

“Today ends an incredible journey for me both personally and professionally,” he told the IFA’s website. “I would like to thank the Irish FA, and in particular [former manager] Michael O’Neill, for giving me the opportunity to be a part of it.

“I would like to thank all of my staff, past and present, in both the Club NI and academy programme and the coach education team who have shown me tremendous loyalty and support over these past seven plus years, and for their enormous contribution to the association and development of our young players.

“I have been involved in and enjoyed the most incredible time in the history of the association and I would like to wish [current manager] Ian Baraclough and the senior squad continued success in the coming years.

“I know that the creation of the academy will help to generate many more great footballing memories for Northern Ireland.

“We have seen the first green shoots of that work, with the inclusion of Ethan Galbraith in the senior international squad, and I know there will be more. Thank you and good luck.”

Irish FA chief executive Patrick Nelson added: “Jim goes with our best wishes after seven and a half years with the association.

“During that time he has helped us take major steps in both identifying and preparing our young talent for a future in the professional game.

“He masterminded the successful JD Club NI elite player development programme and more recently the opening and operation of the Irish FA JD Academy in collaboration with UEFA at Ulster University’s Jordanstown campus.”

Belfast-born Magilton, who was capped 52 times by Northern Ireland, will take up what is a newly-created position at Oriel Park on Monday 14th December, Dundalk having finished third in the League of Ireland Premier Division in 2020 after being champions for the previous two seasons.

The Northern Irishman was a player with the Blues between 1999 and 2006 - during which time he was a member of the team which won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs and finished fifth the following season - and manager from 2006 to 2009.

Magilton, who has also managed QPR and the Melbourne Victory and previously worked in the League of Ireland as assistant boss at Shamrock Rovers, spoke with TWTD about his time with the Blues early in the summer in very lengthy interview split into four parts over 18 pages: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four.

Photo: Action Images

Linkboy13 added 19:26 - Dec 9 Have upmost respect for Jim as a player head and shoulders above anything we've got at the moment. Unfortunately he had a terrible temper and knowing Steve Foley who was coach at the time some of the things he told me left the club with no alternative but to sack him. Also his personal life was in a mess which made it difficult for him to concentrate on the job in hand. But Jim will always be one of my favourite players one of the best passers of the ball who's played for the club.

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North_London_Blue added 19:32 - Dec 9 I miss Magilton and remember him fondly. I would have liked him to have been given another season at least. However, I do remember that throughout large parts of his final season, we were very inconsistent and there was a lot of grumbling for him to go. Nobody was pleased about the way he was dismissed and there was a big buzz about the place when Keane came in. It's easy to look back with hindsight about this. I think it was the appointment of Keane which was the bigger issue. During Magilton's time we did spend over the odds and bought worse than the previous 18 months ie. Norris, Lisbie, Campo, Thatcher vs Legwinski, Walters, Pablo, Wright

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grumpyoldman added 19:59 - Dec 9 North London Blue exactly my point, we can all look back and call people legend, it does not rectify mistakes they made or ensure that if they had stayed things would have got better or worse. Given time even Keane may have improved unlikely but possible.
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dirtydingusmagee added 22:20 - Dec 9 GOOD LUCK MAGIC ! wish you were here .
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dirtydingusmagee added 22:28 - Dec 9 at least he was passionate about Town and Football, said it as it is. Lambert is the opposite.
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bobble added 06:43 - Dec 10 lets be honest , who was the better manger the dark lord /paul jewel/hurst/lambert or magilton ?
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bobble added 06:51 - Dec 10 lots of posters alleging he was a bad tempered manager, who have not also said that the dark lord was psychotic. and hurst was clearly a weird bloke.
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Saxonblue74 added 06:52 - Dec 10 Have to agree Grumpyoldman. Jumwas Town through and through, but so am I! That in itself is not qualification for great management. He was the last manager to have any degree of success, but he inherited a good squad and a large budget. Some may argue he could have done better with his resources. I also agree that he has achieved little or nothing in management terms since his departure. I remember bumping into him in a hotel bar in Cambridge at around 6PM on a Saturday evening just weeks before his departure. Cant remember who we played but it was an away game and we won. I remember thinking 2 things. How did he get there so quickly (must have left before the end of the game) and why did he look so miserable after a good away win?! I knew the writing was on the wall. No doubt a strong character with a hot temper......then Keane! Oh dear.

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Dissboyitfc added 08:59 - Dec 10 Whatever squad he inherited it was a squad put together whilst we were in administration! Thats why the club was sold to keep us afloat because we were totally broke, Jim did a great job on peanuts!
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markytitfc added 10:48 - Dec 10 The first and biggest mistake made by ME sacking Jim. I believe he would have takken us ro the Premier league
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grumpyoldman added 12:49 - Dec 10 Dissboyfc didn't he buy David Norris 2.7m Gareth McAuley 1.7m hardly peanuts
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Dissboyitfc added 13:44 - Dec 10 NO Grumpyoldman Jim Bought those players in after Evans came in, Jim did not inherit a great squad and only had peanuts to work with when building the squad initially, The players you mentioned were good buys and funded by Evans, But he did not inherit a great squad and did well on peanuts until Evans came in, shame he didnt give him longer is the point!
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Linkboy13 added 13:48 - Dec 10 Times a great healer and things always seem better when you look back. But time proved Jim was not suited to football management . Still admire and respect the bloke though.
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Dolphinblue added 14:13 - Dec 10 #thenegcrew hounded him out as well # numbskullsneverlearn
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grumpyoldman added 18:13 - Dec 10 Dissboyitfc, how can you look at parts of any manager's time in charge and only pick out the good bits, surely you should judge a person on all they do at a club not just parts that re-enforce your opinion. Paul Jewel steered us into the later stages of a cup competition but that does not make his time at Ipswich great.
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Dissboyitfc added 19:00 - Dec 10 Grumpyoldman... what cup run did we have under Jewel? i remember him replacing McParland after Keane took us to the semi final of the league cup! Is that the one you mean??? I make the point again, under Evans, Magilton was the best manager so far!
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grumpyoldman added 19:42 - Dec 10 Still a matter of opinion which we are all entitled to
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Dissboyitfc added 20:03 - Dec 10 of course but probably best to try and base your opinions around facts! You never said what cup run Jewell took us on?
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Edmundo added 10:56 - Dec 11 Jim is still our best manager of the Evans era for style and results. There's an interesting trend that suggests two things: 1. we don't give managers enough time anymore, and 2. ex-players are good to have around in some capacity (Magilton could be an excellent Ireland scout for us for example).
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