Forde/Connelly combo could replace O'MahonyWith the resignation of John O'Mahony as Mayo senior team manager on Saturday night following Mayo's exit from the championship, speculation is already rife as to who will be likely to take over the job.
The early indications are a partnership of Peter Forde and Noel Connelly would be the perfect combination to mastermind Mayo's inter-county fortunes. Throughout the weekend Mayo supporters all over the county have been voicing their opinion that Forde and Connelly would be their preferred choice.
There is little doubt a Forde/Connelly combination would be the ideal pair to take charge of the county team as both are highly regarded in GAA circles and would bring a lot experience to this important position.
Forde has had his stint at inter county-level management as manager of Galway and Sligo. Indeed, his exploits while in charge with Sligo have not gone unnoticed as many within the Yeats County think he laid the foundation stones to their success at inter county level over the past two years.
And Forde was also involved in the Mayo set-up when they reached the 1996 All-Ireland final when John Maughan was the manager. Many regarded Forde's imput into the team at that time was the main reason why Mayo went so close to bringing Sam back to the county.
Noel Connelly has also shown he has the credentials to manage at the highest level. Joint manager with the Mayo Under 21 side with Pat Holmes for three or four years they challenged for national honours on each occasion.
He was also captain of the Mayo team for a long number of years where his drive and motivation was regularly acknowledged.
Should these two show any sign of interest in taking the Mayo job the county board should move quickly to make them their number one target.
It has also been reported that former manager John Maughan has not ruled himself out of the running. However, it would come as a major surprise if he was to get a third chance at managing Mayo as the previous two didn't reap much reward.
Former Dublin manager Tommy Lyons has also been mentioned as a possible candidate as has Pat Holmes and Ray Dempsey. However, one can expect this list to grow over the next few weeks.
But for now it would seem it seems the Forde/Connelly would be a very popular choice among the Mayo supporters.