Jim Magilton factfile:-

Jim Magilton factfile:-

- Jim Magilton was born on May 6, 1969 in Belfast.

- He served as an apprentice at Liverpool but never appeared in the Reds first team.

- Magilton moved to Oxford in 1990, where he made 150 appearances, before signing for Southampton in 1994, playing 130 times.

- Between 1997 and 1999, Magilton made 27 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday.

- He was signed, initially on loan, by former Ipswich boss George Burley in 1999, before the deal was made permanent at the end of the season.

- Magilton was made captain by Burley's successor, Joe Royle, after Matt Holland was sold to Charlton Athletic.

- His career highlight in a Town shirt came in the play-offs at the end of the 1999/2000 season when the midfielder scored a dramatic hat-trick in the semi-final victory over Bolton Wanderers.

- He played 52 times for Northern Ireland, scoring five goals.

- Magilton made his last appearance for the Blues at the end of the 2005/06 season.

- After Royle quit at the end of the same season, Magilton applied for the manager's job - and was appointed soon after.

- In his first season as boss, Ipswich finished 14th. Last season, Town ended up in eighth, a point outside the play-offs. Only poor form on the road - just three away wins all season - prevented the Blues from finishing in the top six.

- Despite a recent victory over Norwich, the current campaign has been a largely frustrating affair, especially given the large sums of cash made available to Magilton following Marcus Evans' 2007 take over.