New Melbourne Victory coach Jim Magilton said he had no hesitation in flying in from the other side of the world to take up his role with the club.
New Melbourne Victory coach Jim Magilton said he had no hesitation in flying in from the other side of the world to take up his role with the club.
Magilton was unveiled as the Victory boss at a press conference on Saturday evening, just one day after the club sacked Mehmet Durakovic and just under three hours before their A-League clash against the Newcastle Jets.
It was a quick turnaround for the former Ipswich Town and QPR manager, who received a phone call from the club on Thursday following Victory’s mid-week loss to the Central Coast Mariners before he flew in to Melbourne on Saturday morning.
“It all happened pretty quickly,” Magilton admitted.
“I got a phone call, the opportunity arose and I snapped it up.”
Magilton missed out on the Victory job when Durakovic was appointed in the off-season, but the club was impressed with the way he had handled himself during the interview process.
The 42-year-old said he had watched a lot of Australian football on Sky Sports in Northern Ireland and was ready to bring his own style to the side.
“I am fearless, I am meticulous, I am astute, I am very much hands on and I like to get amongst the players and be involved in the training aspect of the setup,” he said.
“And I am a pretty amiable guy.”
“But the immediate effect I can have on the team is confidence, morale in the dressing room and lift the confidence and morale of the supporters.”
“That is something that I am easily equipped to do as it is in my nature.”
And Magilton said he would have no problems handling any of the big egos at the club.
“It is no different here or with any player anywhere in the world,” Magilton said.
“Some are going to need an arm and a shoulder, some are going to need a little bit of a carrot and some are going to need a stick.”
“But it’s finding out about them and profiling them very very quickly as we have got to hit the ground running.”
“I am sitting here because the season thus far has not been as productive as we would all have hoped, but that is not to say that the second half of the season can’t be great.”
Kevin Muscat will lead Victory in Saturday’s home match against Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park and then act as Magilton’s assistant for the remainder of the season.
