McHale expresses interest in Mayo job

MANAGERIAL ROUNDABOUT:AS THE dust settles on a shattering weekend in the championship, at least two counties are searching for a new manager, and several more may soon be doing likewise.

John Joe Doherty became the latest casualty of the weekend when he resigned as Donegal football manager yesterday, bringing to an end a two-year term that began with great promise and ended with nothing but failure.

Appointed in November 2008, Doherty came in with All-Ireland-winning credentials as a player from 1992, with a similarly experienced backroom team that included Tony Boyle, Tommy Ryan and Michael McGeehan.

But if his debut season ended disappointingly, 2010 was even worse, and Saturday evening’s qualifier exit at the hands of Armagh – and on the heavy scoreline of 2-14 to 0-11 – clearly suggested something had to change.

Doherty was only appointed after a drawn out and at times controversial process, in succession to Brian McIver, when the joint managerial ticket of Declan Bonner and Charlie Mulgrew had at one stage looked like being the frontrunner.

It remains to be seen if Mulgrew and Bonner throw their names back into the ring, but in the meantime one definite contender is the more recent former county star Jim McGuinness, who took the Donegal under-21s to this year’s All-Ireland final, back in May, where they narrowly lost out to Dublin. McGuinness had also put his name forward in 2008 and would have the likely support of the players, given his popularity within the county.

Mayo, too, are looking for a new manager following John O’Mahony’s decision to step down after Saturday’s shock defeat to Longford – and the first to declare their interest there is former midfielder and All Star Liam McHale.

O’Mahony’s four years in charge had also promised much, although McHale believes the talent is there within the county to turn that potential into actual success.

McHale is part of the backroom team in Clare, under Michael McDermott, but they also exited the championship over the weekend after their narrow defeat to Offaly – and that would appear to clear the way for McHale to turn his attention back to his native county.

“I’d love to manage Mayo some day, I’ve always said that,” declared McHale. “I still believe we have a decent group of players there and I would be interested in coaching them some day.

“The situation with Clare, after getting beaten by Offaly, and the situation with Mayo is very much up in the air. I’m not sure what’s going on yet. It’s early days, but I would love to manage Mayo some day.”

McHale has the experience: 14 years as a senior county player, and has already served as coach and selector with Mayo under John Maughan. He also worked with Kevin McStay with the Mayo under-21s.

For O’Mahony, the decision to step down was always likely, given his political obligations as a Fine Gael TD – although only one Connacht title to show for his four years in charge would be disappointing, given his record of success with Leitrim, and more famously with Galway.

He first took over in autumn 2006, shortly after Mickey Moran was controversially removed from the job following a disastrous All-Ireland final performance against Kerry.

“I do still think those Mayo lads will have their day in the sun,” said O’Mahony. “It’s not an easy thing to say after losing to a perceived weaker team, but I’m absolutely convinced of that.

“But it’s a results-driven game from a management point of view, I’ve done four years and I wish them well and will continue to be a Mayo supporter.”

The love relationship between Mick O’Dwyer and Wicklow would also appear to be at an end, although typical of the former Kerry, Kildare and Laois manager, he wasn’t rushing into any decision.

But given the nature of Wicklow’s disappointing defeat to Cavan in the qualifiers – where they threw away a seven-point lead, and a two-man advantage – it’s hard to see O’Dwyer continuing, with selector Kevin O’Brien a likely contender to take over.

“I have given three-and-a-half years to Wicklow, so my so-called “contract” would be up this year anyhow,” said O’Dwyer.

“I don’t know about wanting to do it again. It’s not the time to be talking about anything like that.”