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Jim Magilton has become the favorite to become the new Director of Soccer at Dundalk FC.
The 51-year-old is currently IFA’s elite performance director in Northern Ireland, a position he has held since 2013.
However, the former Liverpool, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town midfielder is understood to have been offered a newly created position at Oriel Park that would see him supervising Louth’s men off the field.
President Bill Hulsizer admitted today that there were three candidates in the running for the job.
“We have a short list and it has three people,” the 78-year-old confirmed.
“We have not reached an agreement with any of the three yet, but we are trying and we hope that will happen in the next few weeks. We have been looking for a while and now we have found three candidates and I will choose one of them at some point in the next two weeks “.
I don’t care if you call him the Pope of football in Dundalk, it doesn’t matter. He will be there to command
When asked what the exact title of the new person would be, Hulsizer said: “Boss. I don’t know how else to put it. I don’t care if you call him the Pope of football in Dundalk, it doesn’t matter. He will be there to be the boss “.
Hulsizer, who has been criticized by supporters at times this season for alleged interference in field activities, said he would step back from day-to-day affairs once the new appointment was made, having admitted that the current arrangement of PEAK6 was trying to run things from America had its flaws.
“Whoever we choose must have business skills, soccer skills, soccer knowledge, soccer contacts, business contacts. We need someone to run the club. I can’t do it from the United States. We haven’t done a great job, so far except the qualification for the Europa League.
“The new man’s job will be to run the club. There should be no daily communication between the board of directors and the people who run the club in Ireland.
“It needs to be organized and it is not. That will be its first mission.”
Magilton, who has managed Ipswich Town and Queens Park Rangers, has known the League of Ireland since his time as assistant to Michael O’Neill when Shamrock Rovers won the title in 2011.
However, Dundalk is expected to confirm Italian Filippo Giovagnoli’s full time as coach later this week.
Hulsizer said: “They have offered him a contract.
“He is reviewing it, but Filippo is Italian and English is not his first language. Irish law is complex and if the contract were in Italian he would probably have signed it by now, but right now he is trying to get it revised.”
“I see him being the manager next year. We are proceeding on that basis and trying to sign contracts and everything, and hopefully we will make it through next week.”
When asked if the new Director of Soccer would be hired to identify the goals, Hulsizer said that would fall on Giovagnoli’s shoulders.
You are certainly not familiar with the Irish quirks.
“That will be Filippo’s job. He is the coach,” he said.
“Now I hope that person will help him and supervise him because if Filippo has a weakness it could be in the administration. He is certainly not familiar with the Irish quirks.
“All the candidates have a good football background, so I hope they completely ignore the football aspect? No, I would expect them to participate and help where they can. If you hire a boss, he is the boss.”
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