McGuinness: ‘I don’t listen to anybody - I just coach the team’

Jim McGuinness says he'll let his coaching do the talking in the wake of Donegal's 1-20 to 0-20 win over Dublin. 

The Donegal manager was sharing his thoughts at Croke Park following his side's victory in the opening night of the National Football League Division 1. 

Much of the post-match interview centred on Donegal's last appearance at Croke Park, the 1-26 to 0-19 loss to Kerry in the All-Ireland final.

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Since then there has been much comment on the zonal defensive system used by Donegal in that loss, with Paudie Clifford having been a massive influence for Kerry, and McGuinness was asked about his opinion on it since. Donegal, the manager noted, had used that shape for 25 second half minutes against Dublin.

"I don’t have an opinion. You guys are the ones who have opinions. We just do our work and that’s the bottom line," he said. “I don’t listen to anybody. I just coach the team.

“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 a sideline. Most of them have never won anything as a coach." 

McGuinness added that the only notice he takes are from those who have walked the walk. 

“I only take counsel from people that have been there and done,'' he added. 

“If it’s an All-Ireland winning manager or a top coach, I’ll listen to them and listen to what they have to say but I don’t listen to anyone outside of that because it doesn’t make sense.

“Otherwise they should be on the sideline competing against me. There’s a lot of noise and a lot of talk and we are going to do what we feel is right every single day and that won’t change.

“Just because ten people say that’s what happened and that’s the right thing – that doesn’t mean it’s going to change our mind the next time around.

“If we feel it’s the right thing to do, that’s what we will do and that will always be the case.

“You cannot have a situation where outside influences impact on your group."