"IT HAPPENED as it happened before," says Sean McCague about how he commenced his fourth term in charge of Monaghan's footballers, who start on this year's Bank of Ireland Ulster championship trail tomorrow

"Three weeks before the (National) League started, the manager had to leave for personal reasons. I was asked could I facilitate getting something up and running. I spoke to Eamonn and we agreed to take it up."

Eamonn McEneaney, who became joint manager, was one of the best-known players on McCague's fine Monaghan team of the 1980s.

It was McEneaney who nervelessly kicked the free that dragged Kerry to the inconvenience of a replay in the middle of their three-in-a-row of All-Ireland titles, at the end of the 1985 All-Ireland semi-final.

"Eamonn had coaching credentials with Castleblayney," says McCague, "and I was of the firm belief that the natural place to go was Blaney. If you're placing demands on players at both club and county level, it makes sense to bring on board someone from the club that you'll be dealing with most.

"In 1984 when we reached the Centenary Cup final, there 10 from Scotstown on the panel. Being from Scotstown, I was able to overcome any problems which might arise. Now Castleblayney is the top club and their players are the hard core of the team."

The task awaiting the new management team last autumn was challenging. Having been just promoted to Division Two of the league, Monaghan looked to be on the way back after a period of decline which, had seen them tumble all the way to Division Four.

In addition, under previous manager Michael McCormack, the county had produced some good championship performances, most notably defeating Donegal in the 1995 Ulster first round.

Unfortunately, progress was arrested and thrown into reverse during last season's League campaign which saw Monaghan return to Division Three. Tomorrow the county gathers itself for what is on paper a steep task, a tilt with Ulster favourites Derry.

Monaghan, however, has a good championship pedigree. Only five years ago, the county nearly derailed Derry, who were then also favourites in the province having swept to an impressive league victory a few weeks previously.

More recently, the day after the All-Ireland final of 1995, members of Tyrone's party could be heard expressing the view that Monaghan would be the team to watch in the province in the years ahead.

"Since the league," says McCague, "we have sat down and said if we're to have any business in the championship, we have to look at commitment and effort. That was done and I think we're in good shape physically and mentally".

Three championship debutants are introduced for tomorrow's match in which McCague will have at least one advantage over his Derry counterpart. Because of Derry's high profile, their players are far more familiar to McCague and McEneaney than Monaghan's are to Brian Mullins.

"Unless you're sitting in Croke Park with your eyes closed, you notice certain things. I've also seen some of them play at under-21 and others at various times so I'm aware of their game.

"Doing something about it, though, is another thing," he says.

Football in Monaghan is something of a mystery. Despite an enormous gap of over 40 years to 1979 without an Ulster title - McCague's first title the county remains second only to Cavan in the province's roll of honour.

Furthermore, despite going more than 50 years since last winning an Ulster minor title, the county still produced the first Ulster team seriously to rattle Dublin or Kerry during the 13 years when the counties shared all but one of the All-Ireland titles. The same team also won the 1985 National Football League and, in 1988, the county's third Ulster title in 10 years.

In the total absence of achievement at minor level - although this year has seen an All-Ireland B Colleges' title for Carrickmacross and a MacRory Cup semi-final appearance by St Macartan's - Monaghan football has managed to mature well.

The track record at under-21 level is a little better than at minor and at senior the county has always outstripped the threadbare promise of its performance at minor level.

For a start the county is remarkably well organised, with its fixtures plotted in detail. This has helped minimise friction between team management and the county board. McCague believes that during his various spells as manager his background as an official has helped him keep everything going in the same direction.

"At various stages, I've been working with different county chairmen and there's never been any divisions between the county team and the county committee. Always a good relationship, with give and take. Maybe it's because I was so long an administrator that I was able to take on board that the fixtures committee has problems. That helps avoid pitfalls. When you understand the system, you know what's reasonable.

Notwithstanding such organisational harmony, it must have been extremely difficult for McCague in the 1980s to take a bunch of players in a county without much of a feeder system and develop them into such a potent force in football.

"There's a number of reasons. For a start, a number of fellas played for their colleges - even now, Joe Coyle won a Sigerson with UCD (last year) and Stephen McGinnity played with the Poly (University of Ulster, Jordanstown) - and they played with other guys who played inter-county and could see there wasn't a big gull, that they were no better than they (themselves) were.

"Secondly, the success of Scotstown. They won three Ulster club championships and were playing against club champions from all sorts of other counties and could see that none them had four legs or six heads. They knew as well that for the effort they had put in they were being rewarded. Other clubs in the county saw their success and knew that they would have to give the same commitment.

"Some of the players in `85 had medals from `79 but of the new faces, a good few had played Cork in a 1981 All-Ireland under-21 semi-final and they in turn had been on a good minor team in 1978 (beaten in Ulster final by Tyrone).

"We also had some very good players. I don't think anyone can win a Gold Cup without a good horse. The job was persuading them that they were good enough. The club standard was and still is as good in Monaghan as anywhere else."

Over the near-20 years since he first stepped into inter-county management, McCague believes he has seen considerable changes in the game and even in the nature of inter-county players.

"Inter-county today is different. Good club players find difficulties making the transition to inter-county and vice versa. A manager has to be, able to recognise good inter-county qualities.

"The game at the top level has changed from a slow, high-fielding game. Mobility and the ability to think quickly is more important than a big fella who can't see the proper option under pressure.

At every club match you see a big guy who catches everything but can't readjust at a faster pace."

Looking back on the halcyon days of the 1980s, is it a frustration dealing with such a drastically revised set of priorities this decade?

"It's not at all frustrating, it's challenging to see young players come in and learn and improve. That's gratifying. They're different people but they're still a Monaghan team, stiIl our team.