McGuinness open on future

He has pledged his immediate future to Donegal, but Jim McGuinness hinted yesterday he would “enjoy” the challenge of managing a professional football team.

The county’s All-Ireland winning manager has been linked with clubs including Celtic and Liverpool since leading the county to All-Ireland glory last month.

Speaking in Belfast yesterday at the launch of the ‘Match for Michaela’ McGuinness confirmed he will be on the sideline next year as Donegal defend their Ulster and All-Ireland crowns. But it’s clear a switch of codes later in his career — and perhaps not before too long — is a challenge he would embrace.

“I’m hoping to be on the sideline for Donegal next season, definitely. That’s the bottom line,” he claimed.

“It [a move] is something that wouldn’t scare me, I would enjoy doing it. I suppose my life is in sport and will be in sport when I’m finished with Donegal.”

McGuinness is regarded as one of the best qualified coaches in the GAA with a degree in sports psychology.

His experience in that field is undoubtedly a big factor in Donegal’s success story over the last two years, and the county’s players and supporters will be relieved that he sees his future with the Tir Chonaill men.

However it seems a cross-channel move, or certainly a move into professional sport, would be viewed by him as a natural progression in his career.

The Glenties man didn’t exactly kill the speculation when he hinted: “If somebody came in and there was an offer there you’d have to look at it. But at the moment my focus is on Donegal and the match next week and then the start of the league.

“My heart is in Donegal, my passion is in Donegal.

“There’s a lot of rumour and speculation and I suppose it’s very flattering on one level because I do work in different sports and I work with individuals as well as teams.

“It’s part of my training in terms of my undergraduate and my Masters. My life is sport. I went to college to study sport. I see myself in sport and nobody knows what the future holds.”

McGuinness was in good spirits yesterday after Donegal’s haul of eight All-Star football awards. Although it was the joint second highest number ever awarded, behind Kerry and Dublin’s haul of nine in 1981 and 1977 respectively, McGuinness admitted he felt sorry for a number of players who missed out.

“I would feel that there would be legitimate opinions for every one of them,” he insisted. “I thought Eamon McGee had a very good quarter-final, semi-final and final, Paddy McGrath has been very solid and one of our better players all year and Rory Kavanagh would have been in one of my top three or four within the Donegal team from the very first game in Breffni Park.

“There will always be disappointments. It’s a game of opinions so there is going to be tough luck stories, and you are always a bit biased yourself in terms of your own players.

“You would just hope that the fellas who were unfortunate not to make it, will get their day sometime in the future because most of them are relatively young.”

The Ulster Council met last night to discuss possible venues for next year’s championship matches and McGuinness is hoping Ballybofey will be allowed to stage the quarter-final clash against Tyrone.

The ground’s capacity was cut from 18,000 to 11,250 for this year’s home tie against Derry but county chiefs are confident they can make the minor changes required to satisfy health and safety requirements.

“The players deserve to run out onto their own pitch as All-Ireland champions,” said the Donegal boss.

“To take that away would not be fair. It did not happen in 1992 when we were All-Ireland champions so we are hoping that it is not going to happen again.

“I believe that the MacCumhaills club as well as the county board have said that the stadium will be ready in time and that the necessary adjustments will be made.”