Dublin and Galway in no rush

Managerial moves: Two of the highest profile jobs in football - the Dublin and Galway managements - won't be filled for several weeks as the respective county boards take their time in searching for the final candidates. Neither county has set a deadline for the appointment nor set a limit on the scale of their search.

Galway have indicated their search has gone beyond the county boundaries, as it did when appointing John O'Mahony this time seven years ago. Still known to be high in the reckoning is the former Mayo defender and Sligo manager Peter Ford, along with Galway natives Brian Talty and John Tobin.

"There's no panic," says Galway county secretary Bernie O'Connor. "We don't have any games until next January. But the matter has been left solely in the hands of the football board to be carried through in the best way they see fit.

"So they will be looking at all the people that potentially are available for the position. And that will mean talking with people in other counties to try to find our man. The only thing we are certain of is that we won't be trying to talk anyone out of a current position."

The Dublin County Board have announced a four-man committee that will put forward the final nomination but like Galway the search won't end soon.

"We are taking our time on this," says county chairman John Bailey, part of the four-man committee with county secretary John Costello, vice-chairman Gerry Harrington and football board delegate John McNicholas. When Tommy Lyons announced earlier this month he wouldn't be seeking an extension to his three-year term Bailey indicated the process was likely to take a while.

"We want to get the right person with the right credentials and with the right package," adds Bailey. "And we're going to leave it loose for the moment because certain people might only become available over time.

"And it's a management team we're talking about here. So the door is definitely open for now and will be for several more weeks."

Among those known to have already applied for the job is Dave Billings, a selector under Lyons. Brian Mullins, however, has not yet officially applied for the job and yet he too is certain to be placed high on the wanted list.

Currently in the US, Mullins' main consideration is how well the Dublin position will combine with his job as UCD's director of sport. But he is available for the position, having decided against continuing as joint manager of the TG4 Underdogs team, which is training to take on All-Ireland finalists Kerry later this year.

Armagh have reappointed Joe Kernan for a third year. The former Crossmaglen Rangers manager was last night ratified by the clubs with his assistants Paul Grimley and John McCloskey.

In Offaly, meanwhile, the process of resolving the well-publicised crisis with the senior football panel can formally begin with the players agreeing to meet appointed mediator Eugene McGee. However, in another statement the players criticised the county board's reticence in adopting such action.

"With the interest of Offaly football at heart the senior Offaly football panel accept and are grateful to Eugene McGee's willingness to intervene in this crisis," read the statement. "However we are extremely disappointed that Eugene McGee's original offer to mediate between the county board and the then management team was firmly rejected by the county board. It's unfortunate that the county board feel a mediator is necessary as they have rejected all our requests thus far for a meeting."

According to Offaly press officer Pat Teehan it will be McGee who decides what immediate course of action should be taken. In the meantime the county board will meet this week to set up a committee to search for a successor to hurling manager Mike McNamara.