Glentoran Pursue Cliftonville Manager Jim Magilton to End Slump
Glentoran have set their sights on Cliftonville boss Jim Magilton as the man they want to lead the club out of its early-season slump.
Declan Devine’s two-year spell at the Oval ended on Monday after a poor start to the campaign, leaving assistant managers Paddy McCourt and Tim McCann to take temporary charge. Their first night in the dugout brought little respite – a home defeat to Irish Premiership leaders Coleraine on Tuesday that underlined the scale of the task facing whoever comes in next.
That man, Glentoran believe, is Magilton.
The east Belfast club have made a formal approach to speak to the Cliftonville manager, who has quickly become the frontrunner for the vacancy. The timing adds an extra edge to the weekend: the two clubs are due to meet at Solitude on Saturday in a league fixture that now carries a heavy dose of intrigue.
Jim Magilton's Tenure
Magilton, 57, took over at Cliftonville in 2023, succeeding Paddy McLaughlin, and wasted little time in reshaping the club’s fortunes. He delivered Irish Cup glory the following year, ending a 45-year wait for the trophy and restoring a sense of silverware expectation among the Reds support.
His impact did not stop there. The former Northern Ireland international, whose coaching and managerial journey has taken him to Ipswich Town, the Irish FA, Dundalk and Melbourne Victory, added the 2025 BetMcLean Cup to Cliftonville’s haul, defeating Glentoran in the final. Two months later, his side returned to the Irish Cup final but lost out to Dungannon Swifts.
Now the man who has tormented Glentoran from the opposite technical area is at the top of their wish list. With a formal approach lodged and a high-stakes league meeting looming, the next 48 hours could reshape the dugouts of two of the Irish Premiership’s biggest clubs.
