The championship draw is made, the league is looming, and yet Louth still find themselves without a senior football manager for the coming season. After several weeks of managerial comings and goings, they are the only county still with a vacancy on the football front, and the prospects of filling it any time soon don't appear good.

This evening's county board meeting is due to discuss the matter, but Louth chairman Paddy Oliver didn't sound optimistic yesterday when asked about the current state of affairs.

"There are three of us looking into it," he said. "We could have some news later in the week, but I've no comment to make other than that."

Oliver declined to indulge in going through any list of potential candidates, but they're clearly not falling off the shelf. Val Andrews controversially resigned from the position at the end of the summer, citing a lack of support from the county board.

Former Down and outgoing International Rules manager Pete McGrath had been leading the list of potential replacements for several weeks, but having spoken with officials from Louth last week decided against pursuing the position.

"I met representatives from Louth and after an honest assessment, and a lot of soul-searching, I declined the offer," he explained.

"I think we both agreed that it was a massive job that will require a huge amount of time and effort. I thought about my own enthusiasm for the job. You must have the appetite and the heart to turn a county like Louth around. I don't have the enthusiasm for such a job presently."

Of the 31 counties participating in the football championship, 12 will enter the new season with a different manager at the helm. There will be five newcomers in Leinster - with John Crofton succeeding Pádraig Nolan in Kildare, Eamonn Barry taking over from Seán Boylan in Meath, Paul Bealin supplanting Pat Roe in Wexford, and Tomás Ó Flatharta replacing Páidí Ó Sé in Westmeath.

The new Louth manager will complete the changes in the province.

There are three changes in Ulster. Paddy Crozier and Brian McIvor take over in Derry and Donegal respectively, while Martin McElkennon replaces Eamonn Coleman having stepped in on a temporary basis over the course of the summer.

Limerick and Clare are the only counties to make changes in Munster, with Mickey Ned O'Sullivan coming in for Liam Kearns in Limerick, while Donal Buckley and Michael Brennan take over from John Kennedy in Clare.

Likewise, there are two changes in Connacht. John Maughan moves from Mayo to Roscommon, while Mickey Moran changes from Derry to Mayo.

On the hurling front, meanwhile, Laois are the latest county to finalise their backroom team for the coming season. As expected, Dinny Cahill has agreed to take over from Paudie Butler having left his post in Antrim before the conclusion of the championship.

The Tipperary man has also confirmed his selectors, and will be joined by former Laois hurlers Joe Dollard of Camross and John Taylor of Portlaoise - both of whom played with the county throughout the 1980s.

Antrim, however, haven't found it easy to replace Cahill. The county board met last night to consider three candidates, and an announcement on those deliberations are due later today.

Favourite to fill the post is former Antrim All Star Paul McKillen, but David Foley of Dublin and Jim McKernan of the Sarsfields club are also in the running.

Generally it's been a quiet season of new managerial appointments in hurling. The return of Michael "Babs" Keating to Tipperary is the only high-profile switch.

The only real surprise was that Tommy Naughton agreed to stay in Dublin as a long-term replacement for Humphrey Kelleher having originally turned down the offer.

COUNTY FOOTBALL

ManagersFor 2006

LEINSTER

CARLOW: Liam Hayes (second year)

DUBLIN: Paul Caffrey (second year)

KILDARE: John Crofton (first year, replaces Pádraig Nolan)

LAOIS: Mick O'Dwyer (fourth year)

LONGFORD: Luke Dempsey (second year)

LOUTH: TBC (to replace Val Andrews)

MEATH: Eamonn Barry (first year, replaces Seán Boylan)

OFFALY: Kevin Kilmurray (second year)

WESTMEATH: Tomás Ó Flatharta (first year, replaces Páidí Ó Sé)

WEXFORD: Paul Bealin (first year, replaces Pat Roe)

WICKLOW: Hugh Kenny (second season)

MUNSTER

CLARE: Donal Buckley/Michael Brennan (first year, replaces John Kennedy)

CORK: Billy Morgan (third year)

KERRY: Jack O'Connor (third year)

LIMERICK: Mickey Ned O'Sullivan (first year, replaces Liam Kearns)

TIPPERARY: Séamus McCarthy (second year)

WATERFORD: John Kiely (second year)

ULSTER

ANTRIM: Michael Culbert (second year)

ARMAGH: Joe Kernan (fifth year)

CAVAN: Martin McElkennon (first year, replaces Eamonn Coleman)

DERRY: Paddy Crozier (first year, replaces Mickey Moran)

DONEGAL: Brian McIvor (first year, replaces Brian McEniff)

DOWN: Paddy O'Rourke (fourth year)

FERMANAGH: Charlie Mulgrew (third year)

MONAGHAN: Séamus McEnaney (second year)

TYRONE: Mickey Harte (fourth year).

CONNACHT

GALWAY: Peter Ford (second year)

LEITRIM: Dessie Dolan (second year)

MAYO: Mickey Moran (first year, replaces John Maughan)

ROSCOMMON: John Maughan (first year, replaces Val Daly)

SLIGO: Dominic Corrigan (second year)

COUNTY HURLING

LEINSTER

DUBLIN: Tommy Naughton (second year)

LAOIS: Dinny Cahill (first year, replaces Paudie Butler)

KILKENNY: Brian Cody (eighth year)

OFFALY: John McIntyre (second year)

WESTMEATH: Séamus Qualter (second year)

WEXFORD: Séamus Murphy (second year)

MUNSTER

CLARE: Anthony Daly (third year)

CORK: John Allen (second year)

LIMERICK: Joe McKenna (second year)

TIPPERARY: Michael "Babs" Keating (first year, replaces Ken Hogan)

WATERFORD: Justin McCarthy (fifth year)

ULSTER

ANTRIM: TBC (to replace Dinny Cahill)

DERRY: Seán McCloskey (third year)

DOWN: John Crossey (third year).

CONNACHT

GALWAY: Conor Hayes (fourth year)