JAMES HORAN STEPPED down as Mayo boss in the immediate aftermath of their All-Ireland semi-final replay defeat to Kerry on Sunday. The Ballintubber native won four successive Connacht titles in charge of the Westerners but fell short of delivering their first All-Ireland title since 1951.
In the wake of his departure, here are the five leading contenders to succeed Horan:
1. Kevin McStay
The warm favourite to succeed Horan. McStay hinted at his desire to discuss the role with the Mayo county board on the Sunday Game last night, and is widely considered the best option to take Mayo forward.
The Sunday Game panelist led Roscommon club St. Brigids to the All-Ireland club title in 2013, having previously won a county title with Roscommon Gaels in 2004. The retired Army Officer who lives in Roscommon town, played the majority of his club football with Ballina Stephenites. He won three Connacht titles and an Allstar in the green and red of Mayo.
The manner in which McStay turned St. Brigids from Connacht powerhouses to All-Ireland champions would certainly appeal to the Mayo cause.
2. James Nallen
Nallen is considered an outside bet for the big job. This year was the first since 1995 that he wasn’t involved with the Mayo senior panel in some form, having served as a selector in 2012 and 2013 under Horan.
Nallen made a record 132 appearances for Mayo during an ilustrious playing career, where he won five Connacht championships with Mayo and played in five All-Ireland finals. He enjoyed considerable success with his club Crossmolina, winning six county titles, three Connacht titles and an All-Ireland title.
While he has little management experience, Nallen was regarded as a key part of Horan’s backroom team during his two year spell.
3. Pat Holmes
An Allstar recipient in 1996, Holmes is a former Mayo manager who led the county to their last National League title in 2001 as a 35-year-old. He was replaced by John Maughan in 2003 having failed to deliver a Connacht title, but returned with a hugely successful stint in charge of the county’s U21s.
During a four-year term between ’06-’09, he delivered four Connacht U21 titles and masterminded the All-Ireland U21 success in his first year. Holmes took over as manager of Castlebar Mitchells three years ago and led the club to county and provincial titles in 2013 before stepping down after their All-Ireland club final defeat to St. Vincent’s on St. Patrick’s Day.
4. Donie Buckley
Buckley is a coach with a big repuation in the GAA world. Wherever he goes, improvement seems to follow. He was joint manager of Clare back in 2006, spent time in the Galway set-up the year afterwards and in 2008 he guided Galway club Moycullen to the All-Ireland intermediate club title.
Buckley had a big role in Mickey Ned O’Sullivan’s backroom team in Limerick when they were pipped to Munster titles in 2009 and 2010, before moving into his native Kerry in a coaching capacity under Jack O’Connor until midway through 2012. James Horan recruited him into Mayo’s set-up last year and he was thought to be highly regarded by the players.
5. Enda Gilvarry
Gilvarry led Mayo’s minors to an All-Ireland title last September, the county’s first at that grade since 1985. In his second season in charge this year, the Ballina native delivered a second Connacht title before they lost out to a talented Kerry side in the All-Ireland semi-final.
Gilvarry steered Ballina Stephenites to a senior county title back in 2003 and Killala to the junior crown in 2008.
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Who do you think should replace Horan as manager? Let us know in the comments section below.
