Latest news with #JamieMulgrew
Belfast Telegraph
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
David Graham: Why Linfield's defeat to Shelbourne in the Champions League was ‘inevitable'. . . change is required
I had the privilege of watching Linfield play both home and away against Shelbourne FC, either side of the border and either side of the traditional 12th holiday in Northern Ireland. To have my two young boys with me at the away game was a great memory, regardless of the result. For the second leg at Windsor, my older boy performed his duties as a ball boy, whilst my younger son joined his Linfield Academy teammates in The Kop. I know that the future Linfield players thrived on the atmosphere generated by 'Blue Unity', criticised by many who fail to see the benefit that this group creates for future generations whilst loved by those who want to turn Windsor Park into a fortress. As I left Windsor Park, my heart filled with pride at a performance filled with courage, determination and desire. Nevertheless, even in the midst of the emotion of defeat, I knew that this feeling was in many ways…. inevitable. The game, as a contest, across two legs, ended in a 2-1 defeat for Linfield, who represented NIFL and Northern Ireland football with great credit. In reality, it was always going to be an uphill struggle for Linfield, even with the obvious tactical nous of David Healy, and a team driven by the experience and fire of Jamie Mulgrew and Kirk Miller. These are points that will be overlooked now, but I imagine, will be recognised with the passing of time. Shelbourne, as they approached the second leg, had played 25 competitive domestic games, having only won eight. Crucially, this made them fitter, technically more comfortable on the ball and crucially, sharper at the most crucial moments. Why was it inevitable? Why was it an uphill struggle? In reality, no one can fully answer the questions above. The differences in seasonal calendar ensure that more questions are raised, than actual answers. Why does this matter? Well, it matters more than anyone in Northern Irish football wants to admit. In short, if an Irish league club wins the first round of the Champions league, you are guaranteed a play-off for the Conference League which is worth around £3m. For a team like Linfield, with a fanbase comparable to any Scottish league club outwith Glasgow or Edinburgh, that is generational change. For those who understand the inner machinations of Linfield, that change is well overdue. Ironically, that is a change which may cause consternation within the bloated boardroom of BT12 or other old boys clubs who've been unnerved by the likes of new Irish League owners, Kenny Bruce and Henry Ross. I am on record saying that I believe an Irish league club needs to invest approximately £1.5m into their First Team infrastructure to give them a realistic chance of winning the Gibson Cup. Of course, I can be proven wrong. My good friends, Stuart Dallas and Jarlath Faloon will underline the times Crusaders and Dungannon Swifts won trophies, well beyond their expectations. But, let's cut to the chase… We need Irish League clubs vying for Uefa group stage football every year. It makes sense for the game we all cherish across our province, and even setting aside club loyalty, the benefit to our game is unchallengeable. The solidarity payments for Uefa are something that I believe need to be explained and highlighted in much greater detail. I am happy to go on the BelTel Football podcast and discuss this, at anytime. I recall my predecessor at Linfield, Pat Fenlon, who talked to me at length about the infamous 'RFS game' in 2022. He said to me that everyone will always talk about the final few moments, where Linfield looked destined for group stage qualification in 2022, but ended up losing on penalties. Pat underlined the moment that the fixture turned, not in Windsor, but a week prior. Linfield were 2-0 up after 70 minutes, but conceded in the 88th and 96th minute. Pat, and I agree with his stance, maintained that the game changed because Linfield were essentially in pre-season whilst RFS were firing on all cylinders due to their seasonal difference. Let's not sit on the fence any longer. Northern Ireland punches well beyond its weight in world footballing terms. Nevertheless, it struggles at European level. Is it simply the mindset of club committees/boards? If that was the case, why have Larne qualified for Europe and achieved a great result against Auda? Is it a strategic failure to recognise that, with ambition and desire, NIFL clubs can confidentially plant the Northern Ireland flag in Europe? We can discuss the exact start and end dates, but the outcome must stop an opposition flag being planted on the turf of a NIFL stadium, four weeks before the domestic season is due to start.
BBC News
09-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Watch: Linfield and Shelbourne still goalless in Champions League
Update: Date: 20:05 BST Title: YELLOW CARD Content: Shelbourne 0-0 Linfield Another yellow card for Linfield, this time it's skipper Jamie Mulgrew who's cautioned for his late tackle on Ali Coote. That's two of the Blues central midfielders both in the book in the opening 20 minutes. Concern for David Healy early on with his midfield duo. Update: Date: 20:02 BST Title: YELLOW CARD Content: Shelbourne 0-0 Linfield Linfield's Josh Archer is the first player in the referee's book as he is cautioned for his late challenge on Shelbourne captain Mark Coyle. Update: Date: 19:59 BST Title: Post Content: Shelbourne 0-0 Linfield Linfield have managed to weather the early Shelbourne storm, at least for the time being. Joey O'Brien will be the happier of the two managers so far, with his side firmly in the ascendancy. Update: Date: 19:54 BST Title: GREAT SAVE! Content: Shelbourne 0-0 Linfield Chris Johns comes to Linfield's rescue with a superb save to deny Evan Caffrey from opening the scoring. Caffrey beats the offside trap, latches on to a cross and heads at goal but is denied by a great Johns save. Two headed efforts in as many minutes from Caffrey, both being denied. Update: Date: 19:52 BST Title: HITS THE WOODWORK Content: Shelbourne 0-0 Linfield Evan Caffrey gets on the end of a corner and his header strikes the near upright! Early spell of dominance from the hosts. Update: Date: 19:50 BST Title: Post Content: Shelbourne 0-0 Linfield Drawing concern for David Healy, Euan East is down receiving treatment. It looks like the ball struck East on the head at some pace while he was on the ground. Update: Date: 19:48 BST Title: Post Content: Shelbourne 0-0 Linfield Evan Caffrey spots Chris Johns off his line, attempting to catch the goalkeeper off guard with his long-range effort from just inside Linfield's half. His effort sails over the crossbar. Update: Date: 19:45 BST Title: KICK-OFF Content: Shelbourne 0-0 Linfield We're underway at Tolka Park for the first leg of Champions League first round qualifying action between Shelbourne and Linfield. Update: Date: 19:42 BST Title: Shels in 'new era' after Duff departure - Coyle Content: Shelbourne v Linfield (19:45 BST) Shelbourne skipper Mark Coyle says tonight's game is an opportunity to make "new memories" after last month's departure of manager Damien Duff. Duff, who won 100 caps for the Republic of Ireland, led Shelbourne to their first League of Ireland championship since 2006 last season, but their title defence proved a disappointment and the former Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers winger surprisingly quit last month with the side fifth in the table. New manager Joey O'Brien, Duff's former assistant and international team-mate, earned his first victory at the third attempt at home to Cork City on Friday night, giving the side momentum going into their tie against David Healy's squad. "It's been very good," said Coyle of the team's mood since Duff's shock departure. "We obviously have huge respect and love for the ex-manager but now we're excited for the new era. "The gaffer [O'Brien], it's been great. He's put his own stamp on things and you can see around the ground, there's obviously an excitement and it's just about creating new memories now." Read more. Update: Date: 19:41 BST Title: Linfield need 'ice in veins' - Healy Content: Shelbourne v Linfield (19:45 BST) Linfield boss David Healy has said it would be "wrong" to play on any derby element to tonight's tie. "It's certainly not talked about north v south, that would be wrong of me to do that," he told BBC Sport NI yesterday. "You have to play with a little bit of passion, a little bit of fire, but you also have to control that emotion. "Like any European game, anything reckless, anything silly, will be punished, so play with ice in your veins and make sure we stay fully focused for 90 minutes." Read more. Update: Date: 19:35 BST Title: Team news Content: Shelbourne v Linfield (19:45 BST) With Damian Duff having resigned a fortnight ago, Joey O'Brien remains in charge and names an unchanged side following Friday night's 3-1 victory over Cork City at Tolka Park. David Healy makes just one change to his starting XI that drew 0-0 with Dungannon last week. Dane McCullough comes in for Charlie Allen who drops to the bench. Shelbourne: Kearns, Ledwidge, Lunney, Wood, Coyle (capt), Odubeko, Coote, Norris, McInroy, Caffrey, Barrett. Subs: Healy, Topcu, Wilson, Chapman, Boyd, Martin, Bone, O'Sullivan, Kelly, Temple, Ring, Offor. Linfield: Johns, East, Millar, Hall, Archer, Mulgrew (capt), McGee, Fitzpatrick, McCullough, Morrison, Orr. Subs: Walsh, Roscoe, Whiteside, Offord, Allen, McKee, Brown, Annett, McKay. Shelbourne v Linfield Update: Date: 19:32 BST Title: The Champions League starts here! Content: Shelbourne v Linfield (19:45 BST) Summer football, eh? The Irish Premiership season may still be a month away but, for now, European qualifiers are going to be coming thick and fast. After Clifronville's draw in Gibraltar last night, tonight it's the turn of Linfield who get their Champions League campaign underway with a trip to north Dublin in the first qualifying round. The Blues' only competitive action so far this season was last week's penalty shootout defeat to Dungannon Swifts in the Charity Shield. Tonight's hosts Shelbourne, on the other hand, are 25 games into their League of Ireland Premier Division campaign, with the champions currently sitting fifth in the table. These two sides have only met three times before, with Linfield winning two previous encounters and the other being a goalless draw. Those meetings were almost 20 years ago in the now defunct Setanta Cup, of course. Who will gain the advantage tonight? Stay with us to find out, we've live coverage right here and on the iPlayer.
Belfast Telegraph
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Linfield hero backing old team-mate Jamie Mulgrew to stay cool and live Euro dream
Linfield's Setanta Cup hero Michael Gault says he hopes Jamie Mulgrew can live his European dream, but he knows the serial winner will not lose focus amid the hype of a tasty draw. The Premiership winners are ready to wrestle with Shelbourne in the first round of Champions League qualifying.
Belfast Telegraph
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Decorated Linfield star reveals the feat he is still longing to achieve
He's won everything in the domestic game, including an astonishing 11 League titles, but veteran Linfield midfielder Jamie Mulgrew still has one big craving — to feature in the group stage of a European tournament. The midfielder, who will turn 39 in July, almost achieved his ambition three years ago when David Healy's team came within a kick of the ball from reaching the group phase of the UEFA Conference League, only to concede a goal in added time before agonisingly losing out in a penalty shoot-out to Latvian opponents RFS.
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Millisle: Linfield captain 'blown away' by new school library
He has won it all in football as captain of Linfield, but a new library in Millisle Primary School had Jamie Mulgrew almost lost for words."I'm just blown away by it," he told BBC News NI. "It's going to make such a massive difference to the children".Millisle Primary's library is a bit special County Down seaside village is famous for its caravan parks - and that brought opportunity when one of them gifted the school a caravan that was due to go up for sale. Parents and staff got to work transforming it into what is now called the Windmill Library, named after one of the village's landmarks. Parents 'sacrificed time, money, effort' With 240 pupils, the school struggles for space. Principal Ian McManus said they previously had no room for a library."Our previous library was just a number of shelves in the computer suite, so it was awkward in terms of children getting to borrow books," he said."We have a caravan, which is synonymous with the village already, (and) everybody thought it would be a great idea to convert the caravan into a library."He said parents had "sacrificed their time, money, effort" to fundraise to create the library."We brought in tradespeople who we knew would do a really good job and I think we have the perfect finish," he added."Research globally shows that children who read for fun at 10 years old go on to have better results at 16."We want to be a school that imparts that for life for our children, so we throw everything at it." Education Minister Paul Givan came to the school to officially open the Windmill Library, and he was impressed."All of the evidence shows that if you get engaged in reading in your early years it massively impacts on your academic performance throughout the rest of your education," he said."Financially, school budgets are under pressure but what they've been able to do here through their own initiative I think is something to be commended." 'I love it' Pupils 10-year-old Preston and 10-year-old Julia got their first glimpse inside the Windmill Library."I think it's really good and I love it," Julia said."It's very good, and gives all the younger people and older people a chance to read in silence," Preston favourite author is Anthony Horowitz."All his books are action packed, and I like action," he meanwhile, is a fan of David Walliams and enjoys reading."It keeps your mind motivated and I think it's really fun and it helps you with your imagination," she said. Jamie Mulgrew has been taking time out to encourage pupils at the school to read for a number of has a "Books and Boots" who meet reading targets get a weekly session working on their football skills with the former Northern Ireland international."The difference that this programme has made to the children has been absolutely fantastic," Mulgrew he admits he was a reluctant reader at school."I've three children myself and now I see the difference that it can make and the importance of it," he told BBC News NI."It's something I try and instil into my children and I suppose learn from the mistakes I made."
