AT this crucial juncture of the season, I am reminded that it used not be unusual for stricken county boards to seek out the opinions of people like myself thoughtful observers of the world of the Gael who see all but miss nothing whose wise words have occasionally tripped the switch that illuminated the solution to knotty problems facing team managers whose sharp perceptions can astound in their truthful simplicity.

Thankfully, rest and the skilled attentions of a therapist helped put such pressures behind me, but it's still hard not to ponder a season's themes at this stage of the year.

Accordingly, I have decided to assist the imminent rush of counties and their supporters' clubs to recruit new managers. As it will be of broader application, and therefore enhanced usefulness, football will largely comprise this week's module a guide to constructing a successful county team.

1) Don't get too carried away with the notion of outside managers. Evidence on this matter of commuting mentors is mixed. For every John Maughan in Clare, there is a Jack O'Shea in Mayo. Even in hurling, for every Eamonn Cregan in Offaly, there is a Cyril Farrell in Wexford.

To be fair to Jacko, he is not alone of his peers in trying to bridge the gap between playing virtuosity and managerial achievement. In the 12 years since Kerry's great team won the county's last All Ireland, six of the team, plus Mick O'Dwyer himself, have tried their hands at managing counties, with only two provincial titles the end result.

The exceptions to the general rule are Mayo in football and Offaly in hurling. Mayo managers have a fine track record in transferring their attentions. Maughan started his career bringing Clare a provincial title, while John O'Mahony performed a similar trick for Leitrim. It should be born in mind, however, that both emulated the achievement by bringing their own county to an All Ireland final (and in Maughan's case, maybe more).

Offaly hurlers need outside managers. Their three All Irelands have been won with the help of Kilkenny's Diarmuid Healy and Limerick's Cregan. Strangely, both have had reverse experiences to Farrell, who won All Irelands with his own county but was unable to light Wexford's fuse. Cregan's and Healy's triumphs in Offaly went unduplicated in their own counties, where each had a spell in charge.

At All Ireland level, if Offaly are excluded (remember, even in football, Eugene McGee plotted their last championship), successful managers are all home grown.

2) Pay a bit more attention to the under age grades. This season's football has seen all four semi finalists built on the foundations of under 21 teams. Three of the counties have divided nearly all this decade's under 21 All Irelands between them.

Ii can be argued that this is mere co-incidence, or that it's always been the case, hut, with the exception of Dublin last year, each of the All Ireland winners in the 1990s has had a large contingent of players who won either under 21 or minor All Irelands.

3) On a more general aspect of under age football, this year has also seen an increased Sigerson Cup influence on the championship. All four semi finalists featured players who had distinguished themselves at third level football, winning Sigersons in the process.

The benefit of this is sometimes presented in intellectually elitist terms. As anyone who's been through higher education is aware, it's frequently more an index of material, rather than mental, well being, so the elitism argument or indeed such elitism as exists misses the point.

Academic intelligence is rather different from its foot balling equivalent, although the two can co-exist and frequently do. What a Sigerson experience does for players is a different matter. For a number of weeks, the panel leads a virtually professional, existence.

The rigours of heavy training are accepted unquestioningly and, most valuably for a county manager, a sense develops of the individual in a collective, team context. By the time the player graduates to senior inter county, he will have more of a grasp of the realities involved in working towards an end.

4) Avoid disparagement of sports psychology. It raises a bit of a snigger when a beaten team is revealed to have retained the services of a sports psychologist. Recent All Ireland champions have, made use of such services, and with science constantly evolving different and improved methods of physical preparation, it's little more than buffoonish Luddism to argue that similar advances aren't being made in the area of mental preparation.

5) The evidence of this year suggests that joint managers are to be avoided. This, however, would be a purely superstitious response to the unforeseen eclipse of both Kerry and Tyrone in the All Ireland semi finals. In fact, there is much to be said for spreading the responsibility involved in running a top level county team.

Whether it's a marking director/research director dichotomy, as with Paidi O Se and Seamus Mac Gearailt in Kerry, or the chairman/chief executive relationship maintained by Art McRory and Eugene McKenna in Tyrone, there's no reason why joint appointments of obviously compatible mentors shouldn't work.

6) Let managers choose their selectors. In recent years, a couple of successful "missionary" managers have been lost to their own county through the refusal to let them work with colleagues of their choosing.

One All Ireland winning manager was once searchingly asked about the qualities and dispositions he sought in a team of selectors. He famously, and succinctly, replied. "Yes men.

Allowing that this isn't always the best policy, it is nonetheless likely that a manager whose career will be decided by the quality of the decisions made by his bench will want to equip himself with colleagues of reasonable perceptiveness.

7) Try, if possible, to arrange a poor National League quarter final against opponents as unlikely as yourselves to attract attention. Preferably, the effect should be further depressed by whoever progresses losing dismally in the semifinal.

This recommendation is hard to organise but worked wonderfully well for Donegal in 1992, when they followed a demoralising defeat in April by winning the All Ireland five months later against the same opposition.

This currently bodes well for Meath, who lost to Mayo last March and get their chance for revenge in a few weeks.

8) Finally, to add a hint of Desiderata, go placidly. This year's All Ireland finals are between teams all of whom were generally unfancied to win their last two matches. Teams that attempt to trade on their underdog status or in some cases, invent it are generally less successful than those outfits with greater equanimity.

In classic clashes between the two archetypes the Ulster final in 1992 and last year's All Ireland hurling final the latter tends to win, although what they say to each other in a closed dressing room is anyone's guess.