Mayo’s manager Stephen Rochford has walked away following what appears to be a serious fallout between him and the Executive Committee. After three years in charge, the defeat to Kildare in the All-Ireland qualifier seems to have been the last straw.
No backing from the Executive Committee
Rochford felt he no longer had the backing from his Executive Committee, starting with being told he had a deadline to select his backroom team replacements and then the reaction to his choices proved to him that he did not have their backing. They then went into a meeting to discuss the plans for 2019 and it is thought that a disagreement has led to Rochford’s resignation.
Rochford released a statement to say: “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 supporters me during the past three years, two of which saw Mayo come so close to winning the All-Ireland title.”
Possible managers to take on the vacant Mayo role
Frontrunners to take over from Rochford include former manager James Horan and Michael Solan, who has been successful with the U21 and U20 teams. Mayo has had the same problem for some years now, unable to find a long-term manager to deliver success. Other names that could be considered include Kevin McStay and Jim McGuiness but Solan could well be given the task.
