116 DAYS after Mickey Harte stepped down, Derry appear to be no closer to appointing a new manager after two potential candidates turned it down.
A prospective management team headed by Jordanstown’s Sigerson Cup winning manager Barry Dillon and which included former Down and Tyrone SFC winning boss Paul McIver has withdrawn from taking over the vacant managerial position as the protracted saga rumbles on.
Having been asked to put their names forward they did so, but they were not offered the job and so have stepped away again.
It’s also believed that an approach was made to former Derry captain Johnny McBride in recent weeks, but he declined it.
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Another former player, Paddy Bradley, said earlier this week that he has not spoken to anyone from Derry GAA in relation to the job after rumours surfaced midweek that he was poised to take over with Cargin boss Ronan Devlin.
Devlin told The Irish News that he’d left club training to a flood of messages on his phone and that “there was no mention of Derry for a reason; because it has nothing to do with me. Categorically, nothing. I’ve no idea where it came from.”
It has been 116 days since Mickey Harte stepped down and Derry appear to be no closer to appointing a new manager.
A number of senior players are understood to be working with county chairman John Keenan to try and find a solution.
Derry are the only senior inter-county team in Ireland yet to appoint a manager for the 2025 season.
Karl Lacey recently made similar comments to those from Devlin, saying after Kilcoo’s win over Burren in the Down final that a story which emerged days ahead of the game linking him with Derry were “bizarre”.
“There’s absolutely no truth in that. I haven’t engaged in any conversation with Derry GAA… I haven’t engaged in any conversation about any inter-county job,” said the former Donegal star.
It’s understood that there has been no change to that situation since, with Lacey having had no talks with Derry.
Errigal Ciaran manager Enda McGinley was another name mentioned but he has confirmed to The Irish News that he is not interested in the role.
James Horan was spoken to several times and Derry had pinned their hopes on him before he withdrew his interest a number of weeks ago.
Attention turned briefly to Peter Keane before the Oak Leafers stepped back on that themselves. Keane has since been appointed as the new Clare manager.
Derry then pinned their hopes on Slaughtneil boss Mark Doran, but he informed them in the days after the club’s SFC semi-final defeat by Glen that he would not be pursuing the role and instead signed up to manage Roscommon.
The county issued a statement in late September saying that a proposed return for former manager Rory Gallagher was not happening, saying that “he is not in consideration for the post”.
Damian McErlain, who previously managed the senior team before returning to the minor grade and winning two successive All-Irelands in the last two years, will lead the county’s U20 team next year.
Derry have previously sounded out Jim Gavin in an attempt to make a huge coup but there’s been no indication that the record-breaking former Dublin boss is interested.
Four months after Harte’s departure it leaves Derry clouded in huge uncertainty, with no obvious candidate for the role.
