DONEGAL MANAGER JIM McGuinness has come out swinging in response to criticism of his tactics for last year’s All-Ireland final.
Speaking after this evening’s three-point win over Dublin in Round 1 of the football league, McGuinness was asked to reflect on how his team set up against Kerry last July, and the criticism that followed.
Kerry’s Paudie Clifford enjoyed 76 possessions in that game with many of those uncontested, just outside Donegal’s deep, zonal defensive screen.
But McGuinness sounded a defiant note when he said ‘I don’t listen to anybody’ unless the comments are coming from ‘an All-Ireland winning manager or a top coach’.
Reigning Ulster champions Donegal have started 2026 with three wins from three, regaining the McKenna Cup and moving joint top of Division 1 after this evening’s win.
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“I don’t have an opinion, you guys are the ones that have the opinions,” McGuinness told media.
“You have the opinions, we just do our work. That’s the bottom line, I don’t listen to anybody, I just coach the team.
“So there’s loads of opinions out there and there’s loads of people saying loads of things but at the end of the day, that doesn’t have any impact on my thinking whatsoever.
“I don’t listen to those people. Most of them have never coached at inter-county level. Most of them have never stood on the sideline. Most of them have never won anything as a coach. So I don’t take counsel from those people, I only take counsel from people that have been there and done that.
“If it’s an All-Ireland winning manager or a top coach, I’ll listen to them and I’ll listen to what they have to say. But I don’t listen to anybody outside of that because it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense, otherwise they should be on the sideline competing against me.
“So there’s a lot of noise and there’s a lot of talk. We’re going to do what we feel is right every single day and that won’t change.
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Jim McGuinness during tonight's game. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
“Just because 10 people say that’s what happened, and that’s the right thing (that should have been done in a game), that doesn’t mean that’s going to change our mind the next time around. If we feel it’s the right thing to do, that’s what we’ll do. That’ll always be the case. You cannot have a situation where outside influences impact on your group.
“That’s football, I learned that a long time ago. There’s loads and loads of people with opinions. There’s loads of people that have opinions that are having that opinion to have a go at you. There’s loads of people that have their opinion because that’s what they believe.
“All of that is in the mix but at the end of the day, you know all that, and you don’t listen to that. You just get on with going to the pitch, trying to coach the lads and trying to win football games and that’s not going to change.”
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Jim McGuinness: 'I don't listen to those people. Most of them have never coached at inter-county level'
DONEGAL MANAGER JIM McGuinness has come out swinging in response to criticism of his tactics for last year’s All-Ireland final.
Speaking after this evening’s three-point win over Dublin in Round 1 of the football league, McGuinness was asked to reflect on how his team set up against Kerry last July, and the criticism that followed.
Kerry’s Paudie Clifford enjoyed 76 possessions in that game with many of those uncontested, just outside Donegal’s deep, zonal defensive screen.
But McGuinness sounded a defiant note when he said ‘I don’t listen to anybody’ unless the comments are coming from ‘an All-Ireland winning manager or a top coach’.
Reigning Ulster champions Donegal have started 2026 with three wins from three, regaining the McKenna Cup and moving joint top of Division 1 after this evening’s win.
“I don’t have an opinion, you guys are the ones that have the opinions,” McGuinness told media.
“You have the opinions, we just do our work. That’s the bottom line, I don’t listen to anybody, I just coach the team.
“So there’s loads of opinions out there and there’s loads of people saying loads of things but at the end of the day, that doesn’t have any impact on my thinking whatsoever.
“I don’t listen to those people. Most of them have never coached at inter-county level. Most of them have never stood on the sideline. Most of them have never won anything as a coach. So I don’t take counsel from those people, I only take counsel from people that have been there and done that.
“If it’s an All-Ireland winning manager or a top coach, I’ll listen to them and I’ll listen to what they have to say. But I don’t listen to anybody outside of that because it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t make sense, otherwise they should be on the sideline competing against me.
“So there’s a lot of noise and there’s a lot of talk. We’re going to do what we feel is right every single day and that won’t change.
“Just because 10 people say that’s what happened, and that’s the right thing (that should have been done in a game), that doesn’t mean that’s going to change our mind the next time around. If we feel it’s the right thing to do, that’s what we’ll do. That’ll always be the case. You cannot have a situation where outside influences impact on your group.
“That’s football, I learned that a long time ago. There’s loads and loads of people with opinions. There’s loads of people that have opinions that are having that opinion to have a go at you. There’s loads of people that have their opinion because that’s what they believe.
“All of that is in the mix but at the end of the day, you know all that, and you don’t listen to that. You just get on with going to the pitch, trying to coach the lads and trying to win football games and that’s not going to change.”
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