Paidi Ó Se, when defending his appointment to the board of Bórd Failte by Minister John O'Donnoghue on Radio Kerry's Kerry Today programme, revealed yesterday that he was going to continue as Kerry team manager again next season.

Speculation had been rife since Kerry's one-point defeat by Armagh in the All-Ireland final that Ó Sé might call it a day.

However, Ó Sé, under a grilling from interviewer Niall Madigan, finally relented and declared that he would make the announcement on radio, though he had intimated that he was going to make the announcement later in the day.

Asked about his plans he replied: "I will be staying, Niall. I will see out my term as Kerry manager for as long as I feel I can do the job, and as long as I feel that I have something to offer Kerry and especially to the team that I am very closely associated with.

"I will stay as long as I feel energetic and positive about the job. Remember, we came within a point of winning this year's All-Ireland.

"I had a very tough year (Páidí lost his brother Michael, father of Darragh, Tomás and Marc), a long year. Kerry played some great football this year, exciting football, we were pipped at the post."

Ó Sé said Armagh won because they were possibly hungrier than Kerry but rejected the notion that Kerry were sore losers. "Someone asked me afterwards were Kerry sore losers and my reply was that we probably are and that's the reason we have 32 All-Irelands."

Ó Sé was appointed along with team trainer John O'Keeffe by the Kerry County Board last October for a two-year term.