Jim McGuinness says there wasn’t a single day he didn’t think about Donegal’s 2014 All-Ireland defeat to Kerry until he returned to take charge of the team two years ago.
McGuinness, who guided Donegal to All-Ireland glory in 2012, was hoping to add a second Sam Maguire triumph to his managerial CV in 2014 only to see his charges come up short against the Kingdom, 2-9 to 0-12.
He stepped down as Donegal manager just two weeks later.
“I would say until I got back involved, I would say there wasn’t a day I didn’t think about it [the 2014 final],” says McGuinness.
READ MORE
“I can remember walking about the hotel after we lost, in a daze, I didn’t know what happened, didn’t know where I was, didn’t know what actually had gone wrong.
“It’s very painful, you’re in a banquet and there’s 1,200 people and you don’t want to see anybody. That’s not a nice place to be.
“But losing always sharpens the pencil. There’s nothing better than winning an All-Ireland and there’s nothing worse than losing it.
“It’s probably the best day of your life and the worst day of your life and that’s the reality. I’ve been on both sides of the fence and I suppose trying to get that message across to the players now is very important.
“But you have to live those moments as well and it’s difficult. When you’re 18 or 19 years of age and Anthony Molloy is telling you to make the most of this because it’ll fly in, you’re thinking, ‘It won’t really fly in, I’m in a good place here.’
“And all of a sudden you’re retired. So, we’ll be imparting that to the players, that it’s a brilliant day but also there’s a football game to be played. And if you don’t win that game, it’s tough.
“But I do think that if you go out and you give it everything you’ve got and you fall short, at least you’ve done that.
“I think where regret falls sometimes is if you’re coming down the road in the bus and you feel there was a bit left in the tank, I think that’s when it becomes really hard.”
McGuinness has lived a life less ordinary between his two stints as Donegal manager.
He was also working as a performance consultant with Glasgow Celtic during the latter stages of his first term as Donegal boss, and eventually graduated to coaching youth teams at the club before taking on the role of assistant coach to Roger Schmidt with Chinese Super League side Beijing Sinobo Guoan in June 2017.
But after six months in China, McGuinness left Beijing and in December 2018 he was appointed manager of Charlotte Independence in the US. However, he was sacked halfway through the season, with his spell at the helm of the club ending in June 2019.
McGuinness believes the learnings from his coaching journey in soccer have made him a better manager.
“Definitely, all those experiences help. Being in that environment, sitting with other coaches that are elite and listening to them, how they problem-solve and how they put game plans together.
“Sharing information amongst yourselves, that’s all very important stuff as well that can help you along the journey. I’ve been very fortunate in that regard, people that I’ve worked with have been brilliant with their time.”
The return of Michael Murphy has added another layer of depth to Donegal’s charge this season but on Sunday the Ulster champions will be challenged with curtailing one of the greatest footballers to have ever played the game.
“Myself and [son] Mark Anthony were chatting about it on the way up in the car and we were talking about the fact that [David Clifford] could be the best player that has ever played the game,” says McGuinness.
“Time will tell on that, I suppose, you can never make that assertion until somebody hangs up the boots but certainly he’s an exceptional football player.
“He seems to be very driven this year, he’s carrying the fight I would almost say with a determination and aggressiveness ... like an attacking aggressiveness – when he sees a gap he’s just really going for that gap.
“Even some of the scores even in Croke Park, he’s not kicking it over, he’s firing it over. It’s almost like he’s putting down markers and I think he’s leading from the front, literally.
“It’s a huge challenge but obviously there are a number of what you would call marquee forwards in the Kerry team.
“His brother Paudie is in that bracket as well and Seán O’Shea and a lot of many other players that have been incredible servants that know their way around Croke Park. So the challenge on that front is absolutely huge.”
Sunday will be Donegal’s first appearance in an All-Ireland final since 2014. Including replays, during that same period Kerry have played in five – winning Sam Maguire in 2022.
“It’s Kerry’s third appearance in four years in the final,” adds McGuinness. “They know their way about Croke Park extremely well, they know their way about Croke Park on All-Ireland final day better than anybody else, maybe with the exception of Dublin in the last decade or so, but they were probably contesting most of those finals with them anyway.
“I think that’s the biggest barrier that you have to overcome as a team that’s around the periphery, if you like, and I would say ourselves would be in that bracket. Tyrone would be in that bracket, Armagh would be in that bracket – good teams and good sides, but trying to make a breakthrough.
“We wake up on the first of January and you’re hoping things will go well and you’re hoping you can get momentum and you can build a team and build an energy.
“Kerry and Dublin wake up on the first of January and if they don’t win the All-Ireland [that year] they’ll be disappointed. So that mindset is going to be difficult for our lads to overcome because that’s what they’re going to be facing as soon as the ball is thrown in.”
