John O'Mahony last night returned to the hot seat in Mayo football and made an immediate plea for fans to show patience as he begins the quest for the elusive All-Ireland football title - and he also insisted his campaign to get elected to Dáil Éireann next year would not affect his ability to do the Mayo job.
It is 15 years since O'Mahony last managed Mayo, and in the interim he led Galway to All-Ireland senior glory in 1998 and 2001. Last night, at a press conference in Castlebar, O'Mahony was unveiled as the new Mayo boss, along with his backroom team of Kieran Gallagher, Tommy Lyons, and Martin Carney.
Gallagher served as a selector with Mickey Moran and John Morrison this season, while Lyons was manager when Ballina Stephenites won the 2005 All-Ireland club title.
Sunday Game analyst Carney, a former player with Mayo and Donegal, managed Mayo to reach one All-Ireland minor and two All-Ireland under-21 finals in the 1990s. He will be specifically involved in statistical and video analysis.
O'Mahony turned down the job last year, and earlier this year was added to the Fine Gael ticket for the Mayo constituency, and last night he said his decision to take the job this time around was not inspired by political motives.
"I can't be responsible for any interpretation or perception that people will put on this. All I will say about that is that people had a particular perception of my management skills in 1991 when I left the county, and I had a different opinion," he said.
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion. The only reason I would take this job is for the advancement of Mayo football. It is for no other reason."
He said nothing beyond football would restrict his commitment to the Mayo job. Asked if he felt he could combine the job of managing Mayo and running for Fine Gael, he said: "That's why it took me three weeks to make up my mind. I can assure everybody that my commitment and my energies will not be in any way restricted by anything else I am doing outside here."
O'Mahony is acutely aware that Mayo fans crave an All-Ireland title, and he noted a Mayo victory could inspire "ecstasy" in the county, while a defeat caused "despair." He is adamant that despite the heavy defeat to Kerry in the All-Ireland final two months ago, 2006 was still a good year for Mayo football with the All-Ireland under-21 triumph.
"The last thing I would do is come in here and say we are going to win x, y and z next year. But I will assure you of the absolute commitment of everybody involved to take forward Mayo football, and what comes with that we will see," he said.
O'Mahony has asked Mayo fans to be patient and he emphasised that the three-year term was crucial to allow for the development of the Mayo team.
"It's a three-year term. It's a huge challenge. Mayo have been there or thereabouts over a number of years, and there are a lot of good structures in Mayo football already. From the senior team's point of view, I will be trying to fine-tune and put in whatever other structures are needed to make sure we are successful in the long-term," he said.
O'Mahony, Gallagher, Lyons and Carney are expected to start training immediately, and are expected to have early talks with veterans such as James Nallen, Ciarán McDonald, David Brady, and David Heaney. Brady has already announced his retirement from intercounty football, but has a good relationship with O'Mahony and might be persuaded to return for another year.
O'Mahony's championship opener in 2007 will be against Galway, with whom he enjoyed a seven-year management stint.
Former Limerick football captain Muiris Gavin has decided to call it a day on the intercounty front, though it is expected he will continue to assist his club Monaleen.
The 29-year-old forward was central to Limerick's revival under the management of Liam Kearns, when they twice reached the Munster senior final, only to lose to Kerry on each occasion.
He made his first and only Croke Park appearance when Limerick lost to Westmeath in the Division Two League final.
Gavin, a solicitor, was badly hit by injury over the last two seasons.