Lyons won't rush into a decision

No immediate developments are expected in relation to the Dublin football management position. Manager Tommy Lyons and his selectors have just concluded their three-year appointment with the weekend's defeat by Kerry. Lyons hasn't indicated publicly whether he's interested in extending that appointment and is keeping his counsel until he returns from a break.

"One thing I will say is that I'm delighted to have done this job for the past three years despite all the shite that goes with it - and you can quote me on that. I'm going to take a couple of weeks off and then I'll sit down with the county board and see what's there. And when the time comes I can tell you that no one will have to open the door for me."

In his three years in charge Lyons has led the seniors to a Leinster title and All-Ireland semi-final in 2002, plus successive appearances in the All-Ireland under-21 final, including the county's first success at the grade last October.

For the next couple of weeks the Dublin manager is heading west, where there'll be no shortage of football talk. "I'm off to Mayo where there'll be a nice football buzz."

One person who won't be available for any vacancy is Pat O'Neill, the last Dublin manager to bring home the All-Ireland in 1995. A busy medical practice rules him out of further involvement.

"No. My name seems to crop up every time a management term comes to an end. Life moves on and 10 years in midlife - and thereafter - is a long time in terms of your energy for the job."

O'Neill stepped down after the county's All-Ireland win over Tyrone and acknowledges the changing environment with second chances available through the qualifier system. He believes that there are structural reasons for the current difficulties being experienced by Dublin.

Despite the burgeoning population in the capital, football is struggling for market share, and even in the wake of a considerably improved system of youth development and coaching, leading to better results on the field, nothing is guaranteed at senior level,

"You'd ask why," he says. "At underage Dublin have been in two All-Ireland finals in the past three years at both minor and under-21, but there seems to be an attrition.

"Maybe it's an urban thing, a lack of commitment to the larger group. But that's a notional response; I don't have a body of evidence on it.

"Dublin is populous, but the benefits of that will end up in neighbouring counties in the greater urban area. The intra-Dublin playing population isn't that big. Of the big clubs, how many players are eligible to play for Dublin? This is a lot different than it used to be when non-Dublin players in the county tended to cluster around specific clubs, like UCD, Civil Service and to an extent Clanna Gael."

He believes the best method of appointing managements is the collective model. "I was more of a chairman than a manager. If you appoint a group you get the chance to involve people with different areas of expertise. Obviously they have to get on, but I thought it worked very well."

O'Neill disagrees, however, with the suggestion that the Dublin manager's job has become more pressurised because of increasing media coverage and the proliferation of media outlets.

"That shouldn't interfere with the practical running of a team. It's a factor out there, but it doesn't influence the way you prepare and coach a side. It shouldn't interfere with the science of football and developing teams.

"The situation can be problematic, in that over-exposure can influence players, but that's the job of management - to manage players in all circumstances and to provide a buffer if they need it."

Meanwhile, Ladbrokes bookmakers are quoting Tommy Lyons at 6 to 4 to be in charge of Dublin next year.

Others listed are: 4-1 Brian Mullins; 6-1 Des Farrell, Mick Galvin; 8-1 Brian Stynes, John O'Leary; 10-1 Brian Talty; 12-1 Keith Barr;

14-1 John O'Mahony, Páidí

Ó Sé, Tom Carr; 20-1 Seán Boylan; 33-1 Kevin Heffernan.