Melbourne Victory appoint Northern Irishman Jim Magilton as coach

Home Football A-League Victory unveil Magilton as new boss

Melbourne Victory appoint Northern Irishman Jim Magilton as coach to take over from Mehmet Durakovic By David Davutovic with Fox Sports staff writers Herald Sun January 07, 2012 5:05PM Share

Melbourne Victory appointed Northern Irishman Jim Magilton as their new coach on Saturday, less than 48 hours after parting ways with former coach Mehmet Durakovic.

The former Ipswich Town manager touched down in Melbourne on Saturday morning and finalised his contract, which only runs until the end of the current season, just hours before the 7.45pm kick off against Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park.

Watch the Kevin Muscat-led Victory do battle with Newcastle Jets Live and Exclusive on FS1HD and FS1 from 7.30pm (EDT) on Saturday and follow the game with A-League Match Centre.

Victory held a press conference on Saturday afternoon to announce the appointment, with Magilton planning to be unveiled to the club's fans at the game.

Magilton appeared relaxed and confident as he explained to local media how the appointment came to happen.

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"It happened pretty quickly," Magilton said. "I got a phone call (in the middle of this week) when the opportunity arose and I snapped it up, to be honest.

When asked what he new about Melbourne Victory, Magilton admitted the stature and size of the club had surprised him, but also listed this as among the reasons why he was attracted to the job.

"Their thirst for success, their hunger to make it the best club in Australia, and also they're a very ambitious club and it matches my own ambitions.

"I had no hesitation, absolutely no hesitation. I packed my bags, left my family at home, and had no hesitation in coming here because from the initial conversations I had with the board, they matched my ambitions."

Magilton used plenty of adjectives when asked to describe his coaching style.

"I'm passionate, I'm meticulous, I'm astute - I hope - I'm very much hands on, I hope to get amongst the players, I like to get involved in the training aspect of the setup, and I'm a pretty amiable guy."

With the Northern Irishman only arriving in the country in the morning, assistant coach and former captain Kevin Muscat will take charge for the fixture against the Jets.

Magilton, 42, had a modest managerial record during his three years with English Championship outfit Ipswich (2006-09), who he also played for during a 700-game professional playing career.

He then spent six months with Queen's Park Rangers in 2009, a club that was notorious for sacking coaches at the time.

The former Southampton and Ipswich Town midfielder's last job was as assistant coach of Irish club Shamrock Rovers last season, where he worked under new Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill.

Victory chairman Anthony Di Pietro confirmed that the club pounced after Magilton was beaten to the Northern Ireland post by O'Neill earlier this week.

"Jim is an ambitious manager who is well credentialed, holding a UEFA Pro Coaching licence, and we're very excited to welcome him to Melbourne Victory," Di Pietro said.

Di Pietro also confirmed that they hoped they could convert the signing of Magilton into a long-term arrangement.

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[BifurPoint]

Jim's a legend, good Belfast man, hope he does well!!