McCluskey: McGuinness has built siege mentality

Donegal manager Jim McGuinness has built a siege mentality in the county, according to RTÉ GAA analyst Ryan McCluskey.

McGuinness returned to the Ulster SFC in spectacular fashion last Saturday, as his Donegal side ransacked Celtic Park, dethroning the reigning provincial and league champions Derry.

It marked a stunning turnaround from a turbulent 2023, when Donegal were relegated from Division 1, dumped out of the province by Down and eventually soundly beaten by Tyrone in the preliminary quarter-final.

On his return to the post in December, reports abounded that the 2012 All-Ireland winning manager was planning on building an eight-metre perimeter fence around Donegal's training pitch at the Convoy centre of excellence.

For McCluskey, the story typified the spirit that McGuinness had instituted early in his second stint.

"We knew from the off that it was very... Mourinho-like," McCluskey told the RTÉ GAA Podcast.

"I read an interview with John Terry during the week and he said that Mourinho liked for his sides to build a wall of them against the world.

"I believe he (McGuinness) has done that straight away in Donegal.

"We heard rumours of him putting up a fence around the Donegal training camp. Doing stuff like that to really enclose and get that mentality of us against the world.

"There's not too much coming out of Donegal. The best sides, when they're in their pomp, you don't hear too much about them.

"He's captured that spirit of Donegal again."

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McGuinness lost one Ulster SFC game during his now legendary four-year stint in charge between the 2011 and 2014 - that being the 2013 provincial final loss to Monaghan.

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