BLUES boss Jim Magilton has revealed how he came close to quitting Ipswich Town so as not to halt the progress of the club's prodigious youngsters.

EXCLUSIVE

BLUES boss Jim Magilton has revealed how he came close to quitting Ipswich Town so as not to halt the progress of the club's prodigious youngsters.

Speaking for the first time about his hesitation in signing a new deal at Portman Road, Magilton admitted it was because he wanted to be sure he still had a major part to play – on and off the pitch.

Magilton said: "This was the decision I had to make in the summer because I didn't want to stifle any of the young players.

"I reached an age, when I was with the national team, when I made a conscious decision that I did not want to stand in the way of any of the youngsters there and it was the same again.

"I thought long and hard about it during the summer but the manager convinced me that I still had something to offer. If that means me being here to help these young lads come through, then that is what I will do.

"I didn't want to feel as though they had had enough of me, and the manager convinced me that they have not.

"This season, probably more than any other, is going to be a transitional period and we need to coach these lads through."

The 36-year-old Irishman also told the EADT that, while he was ready to hand his midfield role over to Owen Garvan, or any worthy contender, he will make him battle for the position.

Magilton said: "I will gladly hand over the mantle to the lad when the time is right – he is a very good player. He is going to be quite a player. Once he plays in more competitive matches, and the more he trains with the first team, the better he will become.

"But Owen also knows he is going to have a fight on his hands with me, and that goes for any other midfield player.

"If they are better than me day after day, week-in, week-out, then they deserve to be in the side."

Magilton will not need to be told when that time has come and is well aware he may be used more sparingly this season. He said: "No one needs to tell me when I have played poorly.

"I'm my most severe critic, as people tend to be as they get older.

"My attitude to training now is the same as it has been since I was 15 years of age and that is to give everything and keep the standards high every day.

Continued on Page Two