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Irish Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ryan McHugh: 'With Jim McGuinness involved, you are guaranteed to be competing'
Ryan McHugh stood in the tunnel underneath the Hogan Stand and prayed his time in purgatory was about to end. It is 11 years since it began, 12 days shy of when it might be over. Now, like then, Kerry are blocking his path through Gaelic football's pearly gates. Way back in 2014, he was a 20-year-old in his second inter-county season, convinced he was about to become the fourth member of the McHugh dynasty to grab an All-Ireland. Read more: Five big questions on Kerry's David Clifford ahead of All-Ireland final after Tyrone exhibition Read more: David Clifford 'the greatest to have come out of Kerry' says Tomás O'Sé Not so. Kerry got lucky, Donegal got silver medals and McHugh got to sit at the breakfast table with his brother Mark, who had won it in 2012, and his father, Martin - a winner alongside Ryan's Uncle James in 1992. McHugh said: 'It was a very difficult experience for me in 2014. There is no point lying. I have actually never watched the game back. 'I was 20-years of age at that time and at that time in my life, I assumed I was going to be in semi-finals and in finals every year. But it took us until last year to even get back to an All-Ireland semi-final. "Now that we have made it back to the final, we want to make the most of it because it could be another 11 years before we get back here again. 'The All-Ireland final is a big regret of mine but in terms of my career, but otherwise, I have had a great career and this could be the cherry on top of it all. "But it is going to be massive. We are going to have to put in our best performance of the year as Kerry delivered unbelievable performances against Armagh and Tyrone and in David Clifford they have a phenomenal footballer, one of the best the sport has ever seen. We hope to come out on the right side.' They have every chance of doing so because they too have a generational forward of their own in Michael Murphy, whose comeback from retirement has coincided with Donegal's resurgence as one of the game's superpowers. Overlooking it all is Jim McGuinness, the only Donegalman to appear in all four of his county's All-Ireland finals, three as manager, one as a non-playing substitute in 1992. McHugh says: 'What does Jim have? It is hard to put it into words. The way I like to answer this question is he brings it (energy and drive) every single night. 'I have been fortunate enough to be involved with him in an All-Ireland final. Yet he is on it from the first night we meet in December through to the final session of the season. 'And I know that sounds easy but it is actually an extremely difficult thing to do as you never know whether a person has problems off the pitch, a family issue, for example. 'But every single night, Jim is there, demanding the most of us, demanding we put in the best effort we can. 'It is not easy to get that. He is a phenomenal leader. He puts serious belief into you that you are on the top of your game. He gets the training done; gets fitness into the legs. There is no guarantee in life you are going to win. But when Jim is involved there is a good guarantee you are going to be competing.' If the return of one legend was fortunate, the bonus decision of Murphy to come out of retirement smacked of careful planning. McHugh said: 'Michael is similar to Jim. They have such great leadership qualities; the two of them bounce off each other so well. 'To be fair to Jim, he came in 2011 and made Michael captain even though he was just 21-years-old. If you think of that now, it is like Donegal making someone like Finnbarr Roarty captain. 'The trust he has in him is huge. He is a phenomenal person, Michael. And he is a phenomenal footballer, too. Everyone sees that. 'It has helped all the younger boys just watching him. Finnbarr Roarty would have been six, seven, eight when Donegal were in the finals in 2012 and 2014. Michael was his hero, his role model. I know myself that Karl Lacey was my hero. I just worshipped him. I followed him. And I was the exact same with Michael.' McHugh added: 'In elite sports you look for one percents, two percents and Michael definitely adds that. Nobody knows what would have happened if Michael had been there last year but as a team and as a squad, we are delighted to have him back.' Irrespective of whether an All-Ireland medal arrives into the McHugh house, the arrival of his first child, Senan, just three weeks ago, has already made 2025 a year to remember. Little Senan was at Croke Park with mum Bridget on Sunday for Donegal's emphatic 20-point win over Meath, just as Mark was there in 1992 when dad, Martin, lifted the trophy. McHugh junior says: 'I have grown up in a great GAA family. The GAA is our life. I remember going to matches with dad as a kid when he was working with BBC and RTE and meeting heroes, the Kieran McGeeneys of this world, Peter Canavan. 'We just love GAA; love playing it but we are supporters first and foremost and any opportunity we get, we just love to watch matches. 'So with regard to two weeks' time, thankfully life has given me another All-Ireland. I didn't play well in 2014 but we have an opportunity to put that right and hopefully we will take that.'
Irish Daily Mirror
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Heimir Hallgrimsson will take note of David Moyes' latest Seamus Coleman update
Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson may have to shake up his preparations for next month's friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg - after Everton manager David Moyes delivered an update on Seamus Coleman's fitness. Moyes confirmed that the veteran defender would miss Everton's final Premier League game of the season. Coleman was, last weekend, handed his first start since St Stephen's Day so that he could captain the Toffees in their last ever Goodison Park clash, but the Donegalman was forced off midway through the first-half. Jarrad Branthwaite was also taken off during the Southampton game with an injury. He too will sit out Everton's visit to Newcastle on Sunday. Moyes said: 'Jarrad is injured and won't be available. He'll be out for four or five weeks with his hamstring [injury]. It's a big loss but we have to live with it. 'Seamus has a thigh strain so he won't be available, either.' James Tarkowski (groin), Jesper Lindstrom (hernia) and Orel Mangala (knee) are the other absentees for Everton. But it's the Coleman news that could force Hallgrímsson into a reshuffle, with the defender named as one of 24 players for the June games. The 36-year-old hasn't played for the Boys in Green since Hallgrímsson's first game in charge last September, when he picked up an injury in the 2-0 defeat to England at the Aviva Stadium.
Irish Daily Mirror
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Coleman opens up on injury-hit season and a surprising effect of Moyes return
Seamus Coleman's season was summed up by last weekend's Goodison Park farewell - when his big moment, captaining the team for their final Premier League game at the historic ground, ended after just 18 minutes. The Everton and Ireland skipper has managed less than 300 minutes in all competitions this season, across five Premier League games and one League Cup clash. And on the international front, his performance in Heimir Hallgrímsson's debut as Ireland manager - a 2-0 defeat at home to England - ended after he injured himself while challenging Harry Maguire early in the second-half. He hasn't featured since, and his prospects of a return for the June friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg hinge on the speed of his recovery from the knock that saw him substituted at the weekend. For Coleman, it was a successful season on one level - Everton head to their brand new Bramley Moore Dock home as a Premier League side. This season it never really looked in doubt, unlike in recent campaigns. In 2022/23, they finished just two points clear of the relegation zone, while 12 months earlier the gap was four points. 'The end result, absolutely, was for Everton Football Club to be heading into our new stadium in the Premier League,' Coleman told the official Everton programme. 'That's been hanging over our heads for a few years and now it's done. 'So, yeah, unselfishly, the goal was thankfully achieved but, you know, for my pride and professionalism, I've been disappointed with my availability this season – there is absolutely no getting away from that. 'I've had a couple of little niggles, I had an issue with my knee which I got resolved and that helped but I picked up another couple of little ones. 'The flip side to it is I've lived every minute of it and more than ever when it wasn't going well earlier in the season. It ended up me even standing on the sideline as a manager alongside Bainesy, when I was supposed to be on the bench that day. 'The emotions and the stress levels have been through the roof because of the uncertainty.' As soon as David Moyes, the man that signed him in 2009, walked back through the door at Everton, however, uncertainty was no longer an issue. Coleman even admitted that the Scot's return - after spells at Manchester United, Real Sociedad, Sunderland and West Ham, where he won the Europa Conference League - has left him a lot more chilled about the direction in which the club is heading. 'I must say, since the gaffer has come in, now I do feel relaxed and that's the biggest compliment I can give him,' said the Donegalman. 'I knew immediately there was someone in the building that will hurt every bit as much as me if Everton were to go down – and that there was someone in the building wanting Everton to succeed every bit as much as me. 'The manager has got unbelievable pride in being here. I know he's been to Manchester United, West Ham, Sunderland, Real Sociedad, but I just feel like Everton is his club. He's the manager, isn't he? 'It's helped me sleep a bit easier at night having him here again! I've been comfortable to step back a little bit because he gets it, and he knows what this is all about. 'The manager, Billy [McKinlay], Alan [Irvine] have all been fantastic for us. Bainesy, too, has been absolutely brilliant, which I think anyone who knew him knew he would be because he's that character and whatever he puts his mind to, he's nearly perfect in it. 'We're in good hands and now we must all move forward, together.'
Irish Daily Mirror
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
David Moyes issues huge update on Seamus Coleman's future
David Moyes is weighing up whether to hand Seamus Coleman the honour of leading Everton out on Sunday, in the club's final Premier League game at Goodison Park. And he has confirmed that the Ireland ace will remain with the club next season when it moves into its brand new stadium on the Liverpool waterfront. Coleman hasn't started a game for Everton since the St Stephen's Day stalemate with Manchester City. His late cameo appearance last week against Fulham was his first piece of action since that game, but the significance of Sunday's fixture against Southampton could force Moyes into a rare emotionally-driven decision. 'It does come into my thinking,' he said, when asked if Coleman could lead the side out as captain. 'What I will say is Sunday is a game where we're going to do everything we can to prepare the best and play the best we can.' Coleman has made 427 appearances for Everton since his 2009 move from League of Ireland side Sligo Rovers. And he will have a chance to extend that figure next season, despite the fact that he turns 37 in October. Moyes confirmed: 'Seamus will stay next season, without doubt. Seamus will be part of the group. I need him here. 'His leadership, the message he has here amongst the dressing room and between the players is so strong, it'd be wrong of me to let him go. One way or the other, Seamus will be here next season. 'Seamus is actually a little bit more than being a player here. He's going into a position where he's helped the Club through some of the most difficult periods. 'He's never been to another club, we put him out on loan at Blackpool when he first came but other than that he's been here and he's played the games.' Moyes left reporters in no doubt about his thoughts on Coleman, when asked if he considered the Donegalman a 'modern-day legend'. 'I think so,' replied the Scot. 'Legends are normally the ones who win FA Cups and are involved in league titles and stuff like that but I think there are other things with Seamus. 'His professionalism, him as a human being... I think in some ways he's carried Everton a little bit through the difficult periods. I know he's certainly done that in the dressing room.'
Irish Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Massive boost for Seamus Coleman ahead of Everton's final Goodison Park game
Seamus Coleman was on Saturday given a huge boost ahead of Everton's last ever game at Goodison Park. The Ireland legend, who has made over 400 appearances for the Toffees since his move from Sligo Rovers in January 2009, will be desperate to feature as the club signs off on a 133-year history with their Walton-based ground. Everton will move to a brand new state-of-the-art stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock ahead of the start of the 2025/26 season. Coleman's prospects of a run-out in the Goodison curtain closer against Southampton on Sunday May 18 are looking a lot brighter now. He had not featured for David Moyes' side since the 1-1 draw with Manchester City on December 26. However, he was brought off the bench in the 90th minute of Saturday's 3-1 win away to Fulham, and played the seven minutes of additional time as the Toffees leapfrogged Wolves into 13th place in the Premier League. It's been another tough season for the Ireland captain, with injuries restricting him to just five first-team appearances, including the Craven Cottage clash. Last season he played 13 times for the first-team. Coleman's future is up in the air, with a number of possibilities on the table, but the most likely one would see Everton boss Moyes, who is eager to keep him at the club, offering him a one-year playing contract, combined with a coaching role. Moyes spoke shortly after his return to the club of his fondness for the Donegalman, hinting at a wider role for Coleman in the future. 'He's a huge member of the dressing room, a huge member of the team – he leads the team brilliantly well here," said the Scot. 'From a distance, it looks as if he helped carry the club over a couple of years as well – he's a great spokesman for the team and for the club. He's really important to me.' He then referred to Coleman's price tag, adding: 'We brought him here for 60 grand – we probably paid a bit much for him but, apart from that, we're really glad to have him!'
