{"id":67572,"date":"2025-05-02T05:22:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T05:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/67572\/"},"modified":"2025-05-02T05:22:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T05:22:09","slug":"my-first-pro-deal-with-liverpool-memories-of-st-oliver-plunkett-playing-against-ronaldo-and-the-best-sick-note-jim-magilton-heard-the-irish-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/67572\/","title":{"rendered":"My first pro deal with Liverpool, memories of St Oliver Plunkett, playing against Ronaldo and the best sick note Jim Magilton heard \u2013 The Irish News"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Cliftonville boss Jim Magilton<\/b> prepares his side for Saturday\u2019s Irish Cup final, the former Liverpool and Southampton midfielder takes a trip down memory lane with Brendan Crossan<\/b>…<\/p>\n

Brendan Crossan: Who was the biggest influence on your career\/life?<\/b><\/p>\n

Jim Magilton: <\/b>My Dad because he quietly motivated me. He wasn\u2019t loud, outspoken or abrasive in any shape or form. He\u2019d watch the games and say very little. It would be maybe a few days after a game he would give me a little pointer here or there. <\/p>\n

I used to think how does he do that and not get caught up in emotion of the game, and as I\u2019ve got older I\u2019ve kind of adopted that attitude even though I can be quite vocal and emotional on the sideline at times too. So, definitely my Dad had the biggest influence.<\/p>\n

\"Friday’s<\/a>\"Erling<\/a><\/p>\n

BC: Who was the best player at St Oliver Plunkett while you were coming through the youth club\u2019s ranks?<\/b><\/p>\n

JM:<\/b> Philly Mulryne coming through was really special. He was technically brilliant. Wee Paul \u2018Maxi\u2019 McVeigh was brilliant too. He was unbelievable as a kid. We used to drop him off at the bottom of the Grosvenor Road in Jack Maxwell\u2019s green Volvo. \u2018Maxi\u2019 was a special talent. With Mulryne, you could tell he was just different, a different attitude towards the game. He was younger than me coming through but you knew he would do well in the game. <\/p>\n

BC: What\u2019s been your greatest achievement?<\/b><\/p>\n

JM:<\/b> Playing-wise, signing my first pro deal with Liverpool was special because they were my club and signing for Kenny Dalglish, as he was player\/manager at the time. That was an unbelievable moment for me and my family and friends too. Making my debut for Northern Ireland and scoring [against Poland] was a big moment too. And, of course, getting promoted with Ipswich.<\/p>\n

BC: Are you superstitious?<\/b><\/p>\n

JM:<\/b> No, I\u2019m not. But I used to sit in the changing room where I could see everybody. Wherever that was in any changing room I wanted to see everybody. I don\u2019t know if that was superstitious but for what came next in my career I could tell how players behaved before a game, how they tied their boots, and if a keeper was ringing their hands before a game, that made me really nervous! So that was the only real superstition \u2013 I had to see everyone in the changing room before a game.<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/b> Reds have \u2018belief\u2019 to land cup double says Jim Magilton<\/a><\/p>\n

BC: Any regrets in your career?<\/b><\/p>\n

JM:<\/b> Yeah. I think I was hasty leaving Southampton at the end of the 96\/97 season. I was playing every week in the Premier League, I was captain and I left because I felt that Sheffield Wednesday was the next step for me as they were close to qualifying for Europe. They had Des Walker, Paolo Di Canio and David Hurst but when I actually analysed it, I wasn\u2019t particularly happy. I did it on emotion. Matt Le Tissier was going through a will-I-won\u2019t-I sign and the chairman rang me to say he\u2019d signed this bumper contract, and my contract was still up, and nothing was discussed with me. So, I said, \u2018Thanks very much – I\u2019m about to leave.\u2019 I was too quick to make that decision. So that was a regret.<\/p>\n

BC: What\u2019s your ideal day off?<\/b><\/p>\n

JM:<\/b> I like quiet days, but I love a game of golf. Our golf used to be very regimented but we haven\u2019t managed to do that as much this year. I like time on the golf course. For the first three or four holes we don\u2019t talk about the game and then after that, when we start shanking balls, we start talking about the game and players and talk about everybody!<\/p>\n

BC: What does Jackie Maxwell [famous St Oliver Plunkett youth coach] conjure in you when I mention his name?<\/b><\/p>\n

JM: <\/b>The most wonderful football person I\u2019ve ever been around. His love for the game was monumental. His love for the kids \u2013 he would have done anything for them, and I mean anything. He gave his heart and soul to St Oliver Plunkett. <\/p>\n

He would have done anything for me. It was one of his great joys that I\u2019d signed for Liverpool because he was a huge Liverpool fan.<\/p>\n

BC: Do you think you were underrated as a footballer?<\/b><\/p>\n

JM:<\/b> I don\u2019t know. When you go through your career, you\u2019re looking at the people who were buying you. I went from Kenny Dalglish to Brian Horton, who was an outstanding player. He signed me at Oxford. Alan Ball signed me at Southampton \u2013 a great midfielder. <\/p>\n

And then David Pleat brought me to Sheffield Wednesday and that was a great learning curve. <\/p>\n

He was on the verge of genius, football daft. He knew every player. And then George Burley to Ipswich, who was an outstanding player and manager. So they valued me. I remember I couldn\u2019t take my eyes off two players at Liverpool: Alan Hansen and Ronnie Whelan.<\/p>\n

Hansen never had to make a tackle. He was the most complete player I\u2019d ever seen. Ronnie Whelan used to get stick in the stands but he was an unbelievable player. <\/p>\n

I remember him playing in the reserves when he was coming back from injury. He was the most underrated player and so highly rated at Liverpool. <\/p>\n

I never listened to too much noise outside; it was inside the dressing room that mattered. So I can\u2019t answer that question. Managers who bought me saw value in me and I didn\u2019t miss too many games for them. That was how I would judge myself.<\/p>\n

BC: Who was the best player you saw \u2018live\u2019?<\/b><\/p>\n

JM: <\/b>I saw Messi play at Barcelona against Sevilla at the Nou Camp and I never saw anything like it. It was the Pep Guardiola team \u2013 you were spoilt. <\/p>\n

Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets \u2013 and then you watched Messi, and he was better again. People talk about how Messi stands still in games. He was standing still even then. His awareness of space and time\u2026 We\u2019d decent seats for the game and I was mesmerised by him. Watching Messi was an education.<\/p>\n

Read more: <\/b>Jim Magilton: MacRory memories and the death of a dream on Merseyside<\/a><\/p>\n

BC: Who are your top three players of all-time?<\/b><\/p>\n

JM: <\/b>Messi, Zidane and Xavi. <\/p>\n

The Brazilian Ronaldo would be close. But I\u2019d go for Xavi in third. I played against the Brazilian Ronaldo at the San Siro when he was playing for Inter Milan. I was playing with Ipswich at the time in a Uefa Cup match. We beat them 1-0 at Portman Road and we lost 4-1 at the San Siro. They brought Christian Vieiri off the bench for Ronaldo and he scored a hat-trick.<\/p>\n

BC: What\u2019s your favourite other sport?<\/b><\/p>\n

JM:<\/b> Golf is my favourite other sport to play. Hurling is my favourite other sport to watch. The All-Ireland Senior Hurling final is the most incredible occasion, and I managed to see epics at Croke Park. <\/p>\n

Galway versus Kilkenny (2012 drawn game) and Joe Canning\u2019s point in the last seconds of the game. People don\u2019t understand what it\u2019s like until you experience it. <\/p>\n

The All-Ireland Hurling final is one the greatest occasions in sport.<\/p>\n

BC: What\u2019s your favourite stadium?<\/b><\/p>\n

JM: <\/b>Listen, I have to say Anfield. The European nights there are special. Now, I\u2019ve played at the Stadium of Light in Portugal, played in the San Siro, played in many of the best stadiums in Germany but nothing compares to Anfield.<\/p>\n

BC: Best sick note you\u2019ve heard?<\/b><\/p>\n

JM:<\/b> I won\u2019t name names but there was allegedly a heavy snowfall over the Glenshane Pass and a couple of lads decided that they weren\u2019t going to make training. They made a phone call and back in the day you could hit call-back. <\/p>\n

So the manager hit call back and the guy on the other end of the phone said, \u2018Hello, Ponderosa Bar?\u2019 <\/p>\n

And the manager says: \u2018Are there a couple of lads there?\u2019 <\/p>\n

And he says: \u2018Yeah.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u2018Can you put them on the phone?\u2019 <\/p>\n

And they came on the phone and their manager says: \u2018Right, you\u2019re fined two weeks wages and put the phone down!\u201d<\/p>\n

BC: Best manager you played under?<\/b><\/p>\n

JM: <\/b>Joe Royle. Joe managed the end of my career and he did it with great humour. He had great knowledge of the game, great knowledge of players. <\/p>\n

He had that great Oldham team and the Everton team that beat Man United in the FA Cup final in \u201995. <\/p>\n

Joe was just a wonderful football man. Knew everybody and had so much respect in the game. <\/p>\n

I liked him because of his management style. He was very calm, a Scouser, had humour, he never undermined players and he could just sense a room which made him different. Just a wonderful football person. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Cliftonville boss Jim Magilton prepares his side for Saturday\u2019s Irish Cup final, the former Liverpool and Southampton…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":67573,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[748,34160,393,4884,34159,179,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-67572","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-cliftonville","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-irish-cup","13":"tag-liverpool","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114436567518684907","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67572"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67572\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}