GAELIC GAMES: The Dublin county executive meets this morning to address the turmoil that has followed the decision of Brian Mullins not to accept the vacant football manager's position. This follows a dramatic weekend during which county officers failed to agree to key proposals in Mullins's management plan.
According to a statement issued yesterday the executive is confident that the vacancy will be filled within 10 days.
Meanwhile, in an interview on RTÉ radio, Mullins gave details of the areas of disagreement.
From a list of seven or eight requirements presented to the county officers, there were according to Mullins, "three or four of them substantially the county board couldn't run with".
These concerned the implementation of a comprehensive sports science programme to prepare and monitor players, the holding of an overseas training camp in January and what Mullins described as "some attempt made to professionalise the media and PR issue".
The sports science proposals involved the use of UCD personnel and facilities. Mullins is the Director of Sport in UCD and was anxious that the Dublin players benefit from the university's expertise in the area. The cost was to have been between €5,000 and €7,000 per month.
In the statement from the county executive the question of cost being a factor was implicitly addressed. "The incoming manager will receive, as has been our practice to date, the full resources at the County Board's disposal."
Asked whether there was resistance to UCD occupying such a central role in the team's preparations, Mullins replied: "At this stage I don't know. There was nothing said to me to suggest that but maybe there was."
It is believed that the training camp wasn't a problem in principle but with the players not due to assemble until effectively December, there were concerns that the planned week would take place before playing personnel had been sorted out.
Mullins acknowledged these reservations but expressed disagreement with them. "There was some view within the county board that January was too early for the team to go away but from my point of view that is not the case." He said that the county board had agreed for preparation purposes to withdraw from the O'Byrne Cup in January in order to facilitate the training programmes that had already been put in place.
In relation to media strategy Mullins wanted an outside media officer appointed to handle matters relating to the team and a PR agency used in case of crisis. This cocooning of the manager was unacceptable to the county executive, particularly after a year in which there had been friction between former manager Tommy Lyons and some media outlets as well as a refusal to name teams during the week.
The naming of the other management figures was also raised. Mullins said he had named one selector to date, Pat Dwane of Thomas Davis and that he felt in the immediate term, "selectors are not a priority".
After receiving a phone call from the county officers, detailing their concerns Mullins felt that there was no point in continuing.
"It left me in no position to go forward . . . In fairness to Dublin football I needed to draw a line on all this. I'd love to be in Croke Park next year supporting a Dublin team to win an All-Ireland. I would have loved dearly to be on the sideline doing that but I won't be but I'd like to wish whoever is the best of luck."
Finally he refused to accept that this was the end of his desire to manage the county with which he won four All-Ireland medals.
"I wouldn't say that at all. I'm definitely not saying that. On this occasion it's the end."
Among the likely candidates for consideration now is Paul Caffrey, Lyons's assistant manager, who is seen as offering continuity. So would fellow former selector Dave Billings but he is a colleague of Mullins in UCD and might prefer to take a back seat on this occasion.
