Irish football is mourning the loss of the most successful manager in League of Ireland history as Jim McLaughlin has died at the age of 83.
Capped 12 times by Northern Ireland, the Derry native was associated with his hometown club, Derry City and led them to a league title success as part of an historic treble, but he also achieved fame in guiding Shamrock Rovers, Dundalk and Shelbourne to title wins and in his managerial career, which spanned three decades, he won 18 major trophies.
McLaughlin made his playing debut for Derry City in his teens, in 1957, and made a big enough impression to earn a cross-channel move. A spell with Birmingham City was frustrating but he enjoyed success in further stints with Shrewsbury Town, Swansea City and Peterborough United. He had already embarked on a coaching career in the UK when Dundalk lured McLaughlin back to Ireland in 1974, as player/manager.
He was a huge success at Oriel Park, leading Dundalk to three league and three FAI Cup wins and there were also memorable nights in European competition, like pushing Celtic close in the European Cup and also giving Tottenham a scare in the Cup Winners’ Cup.
An ambitious Shamrock Rovers took McLaughlin to Milltown in 1983 and success was instant, the Derry man at the helm for three successive league titles wins to end a 20-year wait for a league championship, twice winning the league and FAI Cup double while players from that group went on to win Ireland caps, such as Pat Byrne, Liam Buckley and Alan Campbell.
Derry City, now a League of Ireland club after a spell in the wilderness, targeted McLaughlin as the man to guide them to success and he moved to the Brandywell from Rovers at the end of the 1985/1986 season, where he leaned on some of the Rovers squad to steer Derry to that remarkable treble win in 1988/1989.
He had time for one more league win as he was with Shelbourne alongside Pat Byrne for their title in 1991/1992. Further spells with Drogheda United and Dundalk, again, were more challenging and when they were relegated in 1999, it would be his last job in management.
McLaughlin was also present on the international stage as he had a number of spells as manager of the League of Ireland representative XI and was coach of the Ireland squad which competed in the qualifiers for the 1988 Olympic games. He had a healthy return of six goals from his 12 caps with Northern Ireland (1961-1966)