COLUMN: The right appointment at the right time for Mayo GAA

Andy Moran has been appointed Mayo manager and I’m absolutely delighted for him. Obviously I know Andy from having played with him and I know the quality that runs through his veins.

When anyone puts their hand up and wants to go and manage their county, and they get involved in the selection process and get the job, I'm very happy that it has worked out for him.

Of course, we cannot forget Kevin McStay here either. He’s a man who gave an awful lot to Mayo football, and the way his term finished was not something that anyone enjoyed. 

Obviously I’m happy that another Mayo stalwart, a great servant gets appointed in the right fashion and has an opportunity to go ahead and do the job. There's been too much talk about Mayo in the last number of weeks and months about how they do their business. I'm glad that this appointment seems to have been done the right way. 

SELFLESS

Andy has put in the right sort of preparation, he's got the right sort of experience, and I think now he's in a very good position to go and do the job that he wants to do. He was always going to be a high-level manager. He has a unique personality.

When I was playing with him, he was a manager's dream to play with, from the point of view that he was selfless, he was willing to play. You only have to look at his career to realise that he's played wing-back for Mayo, and he played corner forward for Mayo, and probably anywhere in between. And he was selfless and put himself before the team at all times.

As a day-to-day presence, his enthusiasm was unbelievable. I think I've probably said in the column before that his enthusiasm would kind of piss me off at times, but that's exactly what you want as a manager. That's exactly what Mayo needs. 

That's exactly what you wanted as a player and now that's exactly what you need when you're a manager. You need that ability to bring people people with you, to bring people into the building, into the training pitch - the ability to motivate them, to energise them and make them feel good about being there.

And Andy has the personality to do that. That's a huge thing. Sometimes you look at inter-county set-ups and you're wondering, why are they in bad form? You take the Cavan game this year, why was there such a lull there? A lot of that can come down to the mood in the camp, and Andy has a unique personality in terms of being able to deliver on that.

NEW GAME

In that respect, he's ideally set up for it. It's a benefit as well with the rule change that the game is much more attacking-orientated now. It's much more about rewarding the teams that are adventurous.

I think that will suit Andy's nature. I think it'll suit his management style. I think it'll suit the way he'd want the team to play anyway, to go out and make things happen, be proactive, be on the front foot.

So I think in that respect, he's taken the job at the right time. And that's usually a positive thing in my view. 

He'll obviously have played with a lot of the players that are still there and some that were not there this year. Whether Cillian O'Connor comes back, whether James Carr comes back, whether other players that haven't got a chance yet make a breakthrough, I think that Andy will be able to go and talk to them fresh. 

And if they're keen to come back and Andy thinks they merit it, I think that can add a bit of new energy into the squad as well.

BACKROOM TEAM

It's interesting to look at his backroom team when one thinks about Andy’s infectious personality. Colm Boyle, has the respect of everyone in the country, in terms of having the steel, bravery and fighting spirit needed to succeed. Boyle is also a great communicator with players, and I imagine he'll be a great communicator as part of the management team.

I think he's ideal for Andy to be able to lean on and talk to, or just bring him in and talk to the players, and having that steel or that tough side. 

It’s interesting to look at some of the things we were not happy about the Mayo team and think about how the new management team may address them. We were crying ur for Mayo to be adventurous and kick the ball. When we saw Boyler at his best, he was driving out of the half-back line, but at the same time he was willing to get forward, kick a score, or kick a ball into the full forward line. That type of adaptability is something he and Andy will bring to the team.

Andy played inside, but he also played in the half-back line, so he knows the benefit of getting a quick ball into a full forward line. He thrived on it when he was playing in there. So I think we might soon see a change in Mayo’s style, but we’ll address that in columns down the road. 

IMPRESSIVE COACH

Paddy Tally is an interesting addition. He has a whole lot of experience. Things haven't worked out for him in managerial roles, but he has been a pivotal part of some highly-successful management teams.

Maybe he's more suited to being in a role alongside somebody with the personality that Andy has.

His coaching credentials are very impressive. He has coached with a number of counties including Kerry, Tyrone, Down, Derry, Galway and has winning experience. Being able to have that resource with you, being able to have that amount of information when you go and play will be priceless for Mayo.

There are a lot of Ulster teams in Division 1, and obviously anyone's going to have to challenge Kerry if they're going to be successful in the next few years, so this is a very shrewd appointment on Andy's part. It’s important for any manager to look at his own strengths and understand where deficiencies lie. They then need to see what resources they can use to improve the situation and obviously Andy's been doing that. 

Mayo supporters have had a look at the new rules, they've had a look at their Mayo team, and they're looking at it and they know we're deficient in a number of areas. We're deficient in two-point kickers, we're not scoring enough goals, we're not being big and physical enough around the middle of the field. This is an opportunity to change that. 

Mayo supporters will look forward to watching these games now, to see what Andy can do differently with a clean slate. There's been a lot of talk about Mayo crowds not being as big as they were in the past, but this appointment will bring the supporters back to the games.

It's the right appointment, a very good appointment. As I said at the start, I never played with anyone that was more enthusiastic about playing for Mayo than he was. I'm sure that enthusiasm and that fire is still there in terms of doing the managerial job. Good luck to him.

LADIES GAME

Diane O'Hora is a brilliant appointment as Mayo Ladies manager. I'm absolutely delighted to see somebody with such unbelievable experience as a Mayo player and in the Ladies game in general, being appointed to a role that means so much to her.

It's an exceptional appointment and has brought new energy and excitement to the role. In recent years some of the stories around Mayo LGFA have not always been positive, but this is a great appointment. 

The first job that she will have is bringing everyone together, creating harmony in the camp. Diane will be well able to do that, because she has the respect of everyone involved, and indeed all the Mayo supporters. 

So I'm really looking forward to seeing what she can do, and I wish her the best of luck.