Loftus Road Decision-Time: QPR Appoint Jim Magilton Manager

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QPR Official Site EXCLUSIVE: MAGILTON APPOINTED
- Queens Park Rangers Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Jim Magilton as the Club's new Manager.
- The 40 year-old, who made over 50 appearances for Northern Ireland during an illustrious playing career for both Club and country, has put pen to paper on a two year deal at Loftus Road.
- Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk, QPR Holdings Ltd Chairman, Flavio Briatore, expressed his delight at Magilton's arrival, commenting: "We had an incredibly high number of applicants, but Jim was the stand-out candidate for the role.
- "We (the Board) sat down with him on four separate occasions over the last month to discuss our goals and ambitions and he has really impressed myself, Mr Ecclestone, Mr Mittal and Mr Bhatia with his knowledge, understanding and passion for football.
- "He did a very good job at Ipswich Town, playing some fine, attacking football, and he has great ambition to achieve in this next chapter of his managerial career. We are all really looking forward to working with him."
- Magilton enjoyed three seasons at the helm at Portman Road, inspiring the Tractor Boys to an eighth place finish in season 2007/08, before guiding them towards a comfortable top-half finish prior to his departure in April.
- Speaking exclusively to www.qpr.co.uk, the R's new boss said: "I'm really looking forward to the challenge of managing this great Football Club.
- "The Board are highly ambitious, but they are very realistic at the same time. I have huge ambitions to achieve as a Manager though, and our aim is to keep progressing, year after year.
- "There is a very strong group of players at the Club and with one or two additions over the summer, we can expect to be in a position to drastically improve upon the eleventh place finish secured last season."
Magilton will be joined at the Club by a new Assistant Manager in the coming weeks.
*The Club will be making no further comment at this stage. QPR

QPR Official Site JIM MAGILTON: IN PROFILE
- Born in Belfast in 1969, James 'Jim' Magilton served as an apprentice at Liverpool.
However, he failed to make a single appearance for the Anfield Club and was transferred to Oxford United in 1990, at the age of 21.
He went on to make 173 appearances in all competitions, scoring 42 goals, before moving to Southampton.
Arriving at The Dell as Alan Ball's second signing following his recent appointment as Manager, Magilton established himself as a key component of the Saints' midfield, with his exquisite range of passing really coming to the forefront.
- He was an ever-present for the South Coast side in the 1994/95 campaign, and went on to feature regularly under both David Merrington and Graeme Souness.
However, his decision not to sign a new contract following the appointment of Dave Jones in the summer of 1997 resulted in a £1.6million move to Sheffield Wednesday.
Magilton enjoyed mixed fortunes at Hillsborough though and soon moved to Ipswich Town on loan.
It was there that he enjoyed arguably the finest chapter of his playing career, making more than 300 appearances in all competitions, and firmly establishing his place in Tractor Boys folklore.
Sandwiched in between his time at the four aforementioned Clubs, Magilton made 52 starts for his native Northern Ireland, scoring five goals.
As his playing days reached a conclusion, Magilton made a tentative approach to fill the vacant managerial role following Joe Royle's departure and he was officially handed the role in early June 2006.
He guided the Tractor Boys to a 14th place finish in his first campaign at the helm, before leading Town to a highly satisfactory eighth place finish 12 months later.
Town were desperately unlucky not to book their place in the end of season play-off's, falling just one point shy of the top six, with an exemplary home record.
However, following changes at Boardroom level at Portman Road towards the end of last season, Magilton was relieved of his duties in April 2009, with the Club in ninth place. QPR

- Magilton Background)


Daily Mirror - Jim Magilton appointed fifth QPR manager since October 2007
- QPR have named former Ipswich boss Jim Magilton as their new manager.
- The 40-year-old, who was sacked by the Tractor Boys in April after failing to guide them into the Coca-Cola Championship play-offs, has signed a two-year deal at Loftus Road.
- Magilton will now be expected to ensure Rangers are challenging for promotion back to the Barclays Premier League after a disappointing 11th-placed finish last term.
- "There is a very strong group here and with one or two additions we can expect to be in a position to drastically improve upon last season," he said.
- Magilton becomes the fifth permanent manager at the west London club since chairman and co-owner Flavio Briatore arrived on the scene in October 2007.
- John Gregory, Luigi De Canio, Iain Dowie and Paulo Sousa have all come and gone, along with caretakers Mick Harford and Gareth Ainsworth - who has been at the helm twice.
- With the wealth of Briatore and fellow investors Bernie Ecclestone and Lakshmi Mittal at the club's disposal, Magilton will be expected to mount a swift challenge.
- The former Northern Ireland, Ipswich and Southampton midfielder was given funds at Portman Road, but despite falling short last season he has impressed Briatore.
- "We had an incredibly high number of applicants, but Jim was the stand-out candidate for the role," said Briatore.
- "We (the board) sat down with him on four separate occasions over the last month to discuss our goals and ambitions and he has really impressed with his knowledge, understanding and passion for football.

"He did a very good job at Ipswich Town, playing some fine, attacking football, and he has great ambition to achieve in this next chapter of his managerial career. We are all really looking forward to working with him."

Magilton, who will name his assistant manager in the coming weeks, added: "I'm really looking forward to the challenge of managing this great football club.

"The board are highly ambitious, but they are very realistic at the same time. I have huge ambitions to achieve as a manager though, and our aim is to keep progressing, year after year." Daily Mirror


LONDON INFORMER/Paul Warburton - Magilton named new QPR boss
- JIM MAGILTON has beaten a score of candidates to secure a two-year contract and become QPR’s eighth manager in three years.
- The former Ipswich boss signed on the dotted line this morning – and starts work on rebuilding the team immediately.
- The appointment of the ex-Northern Ireland international comes almost two months after Paulo Sousa became the last incumbent of the Loftus Road hot-seat to feel the wrath of the board and get sacked.
- Magilton beat off the likes of Aidy Boothroyd, Steve Cotterill, Colin Calderwood, former boss Luigi Di Canio, not to mention another 16 or so managers who also chucked their names into the hat, ‘because he has the finger on the pulse of what championship football is all about’ according to one Rs insider.
- The source added: "He has exactly the background for Championship success – and after three years with Ipswich, he knows what to do.
- "He’s twice come very close with Ipswich – and QPR believe he can take the final step up and take the team into the Premiership."
- Chairman Flavio Britaore privately admitted he got burned by appointing Sousa, who came with a recommendation from Fabio Capello, but no knowledge of the second tier of English football.
- Interestingly, Magilton was reportedly fired by the Tractor Boys in April because he failed to get them in the play-offs despite heavy investment in the team.
- Briatore is reluctant to shell out millions in order to secure a dream return by Rangers to the top-flight after 13 years.
- So the new man at the helm has been told he needs to wheel-and-deal with the squad he’s inherited or pick up Bosmans to change the team into his own image.
- Magilton’s first decision is to decide whether to go ahead with the combined £2.5 million switch of Dexter Blackstock and Lee Camp to Nottingham Forest, as well as allowing Roy Keane to buy Damien Delaney and spirit the defender away to of all places – Ipswich. London Informer


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