Horan tipped as leading contender for Mayo GAA vacancy after Rochford walks away
A NUMBER of names are emerging tonight as leading candidates to replace Stephen Rochford as manager of the Mayo senior football squad following the resignation this evening of the former All-Ireland Club SFC-winning Corofin boss.
Among these is former county senior team manager James Horan, current Mayo Under 20 manager Michael Solan, Peter Ford (former Galway manager) and Jim McGuinness, former Donegal manager.
However, the favourite is James Horan.
Horan, who was at the helm for five years before stepping down after Kerry defeated Mayo in the All-Ireland semi-final replay in Limerick in 2014, has kept in close contact with a number of the current senior players on the panel.
Indeed, no later than last Friday he was out playing a round of golf in Westport with a number of these players.
There is little doubt that half of the current Mayo squad would be delighted to see him back as the senior manager.
At present Horan is the manager of the Westport senior team who kept their senior club championship title aspirations alive with a good win over Hollymount/Carramore on Saturday evening.
Other contenders are as follows:
Michael Solan – the Ballaghaderreen club man has already gained a lot of success with Mayo underage teams. He was manager of the Mayo Under 21 side that captured the All-Ireland title in 2016, beating Dublin in the semi-final and Cork in the final.
This year he was in charge of the county Under 20 team that against all the odds reached the All-Ireland only to lose out narrowly to Kildare in the final.
Peter Ford – with the Breaffy joint manager heavily linked with Rochford over the weekend it would come as no surprise to see him seeking the job himself if it becomes available. The Ballinrobe native has had a lot of experience in management, including a three-year stint in charge of the Galway senior team.
Should Ford decide to throw his hat in the ring if the job becomes available he is likely to bring Shane Conway with him on board.
Jim McGuinness – the former Donegal manager has been linked to the Mayo job on several occasions. Although McGuinness has stated he would like to try his hand at soccer management, he is well aware that the Mayo job is one of the tops in the country and he might be persuaded to take the job.
They say a week is a long time in politics. Well a day might be a long time in Mayo GAA with the county board having issued a statement earlier that Rochford was still the manager.
Since then, Rochford issued his own statement.
It read: “After a meeting of the Mayo GAA Board’s Executive Committee last night, held to discuss the management team I had assembled to manage Mayo senior men’s team in 2019, the board issued a statement saying they wished to meet the management team and me about our structure and plans.
“It was apparent from what transpired at that meeting that the desired level of support for me as manager was not forthcoming from the Executive Committee. This disappoints me greatly.
“Accordingly, I see no value in meeting with the officers of the board and I am resigning my position as Mayo manager. I thank all those who supported me during the past three years, two of which saw Mayo come so close to winning the All-Ireland title.
“Like all Mayo people, I enjoyed the good days when the team won and suffered the disappointments when the results didn’t go our way. It was a great privilege to manage the Mayo team.
“The 2018 season was a disappointing one for all involved, and for our supporters. However, I had every confidence that our new backroom team had the capacity to build on the progress of previous years and drive the team on in 2019.
“In particular, I thank the players, backroom team, spouses and partners, family members, our team sponsors Intersport Elverys, the county board, the clubs and the Mayo supporters worldwide who turned out in huge numbers to support us during the three years and who lent financial backing to the team. A special word of thanks to my wife, Laura, and our children, and both our families, for their support and forbearance at all times.
“I wish all who will wear the Mayo jersey in 2019 and beyond every success and I look forward to supporting the footballing fortunes of the county.”
This was followed by a statement by the chairman of the Mayo County Board, Mike Connelly.
He said: “We sincerely thank Stephen Rochford for all the hard work and commitment he has given to Mayo GAA since he was appointed in 2015. Stephen has given an enormous amount of service to Mayo and has given us as supporters many great days on the pitch.
“Since he become senior team manager he has been involved in three great years for Mayo GAA. He has brought Mayo to two All Ireland finals, losing both by the narrowest of margins. We wish him and his family all the best for the future and thank him for all he has done for Mayo GAA.”