Morgan says no to Cork return

Billy Morgan has indicated he is not willing to remain on as Cork senior football manager next year under present circumstances…

Billy Morgan has indicated he is not willing to remain on as Cork senior football manager next year under present circumstances.

The Cork county board is to impose selectors on management and Morgan took issue with this approach as he was eager to appoint his own backroom team.

"I am not allowing my name into the frame again, because I could not accept the job whereby I could not select the people that I would want to assist me," he told Cork's Evening Echo newspaper.

"I believe that the County Board took a step backwards by taking that decision.  There's no way that I would return to the job of managing Cork under those circumstances."

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Morgan's three-year term with Cork ended after the All-Ireland final defeat to Kerry but it is thought he was tempted by another year considering how close his "fantastic" players had gone to glory.

Morgan recently had a sixth month suspension reduced to eight weeks on appeal.

The Nemo Rangers stalwart received the initial ban following an incident with Sligo linesman Marty Duffy during Cork's All-Ireland final defeat to Kerry in September.

While a six-month ban would have killed his chances of returning, the reduction to just eight weeks had kept the door ajar. But the 62-year-old has made his feelings known in no uncertain terms this evening.

Morgan (62) started his second term as Cork manager in late 2003 and was previously in charge from 1986 to 1996.