Rebel boss Cuthbert lining up a move for former Kerry coach Flanagan

Cork football manager Brian Cuthbert is lining up a sensational move for former Kerry coach Pat Flanagan to be part of a new-look management team next season.

Highly-regarded Flanagan, recently linked with the vacant manager’s position in Waterford football, would be a real coup for Cuthbert, who is looking to fill the coaching position vacated by Ronan McCarthy.

The Bishopstown man is a big fan of Flanagan, who was a key part of Jack O’Connor’s successful first period as Kerry manager from 2004 and was still part of the Kingdom’s backroom team for the 2009 All-Ireland final win, ironically over Cork.

He was with the Laois hurlers this year, and was also part of the Douglas football management team in Cork.

Cuthbert is ready to offer Flanagan the position of coach and is hoping for a positive response within the next few days to kick-start his preparations for 2015.

Waterford man Flanagan was initially loathe to get involved with Cork, given his Kerry coaching past, but Kerry’s All-Ireland success last week possibly makes the move easier for the Kingdom to digest.

A decade after he became a household name by assisting Jack O’Connor’s Kerry to the 2004 All-Ireland football title, former international athlete Flanagan is still regarded as one of the leaders in the field of strength and conditioning. He runs the Peak Fitness business in Waterford, and lectures at IT Tralee.

Meanwhile, a second member from the Mayo GAA executive has resigned in the space of a week over the appointment process which led to Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes being ratified as football managers on Thursday.

County board assistant treasurer Michael Diskin of Castlebar Mitchels tendered his resignation to under-fire chairman Paddy McNicholas late on Thursday, following a county board meeting where McNicholas spoke of his handling of the situation.

Mayo GAA cultural officer Gerry Bourke resigned on Monday last, citing the handling of the appointment process as one of the chief reasons for doing so.

There were expected to be challenges to McNicholas at Thursday’s county board meeting but, despite challenges from a handful of delegates, McNicholas held firm.

However this latest resignation, confirmed by the Castlebar club of which Diskin is a leading member, is likely to re-ignite the controversy.

McNicholas and the top table of the board have come under pressure for disregarding an agreed interview process for filling the vacancy.

Last Friday week’s meeting of the executive agreed that the two tickets in for the vacancy — Connelly and Holmes on one side and Kevin McStay and Liam McHale on the other — would be interviewed.

However last Saturday morning, McNicholas rang McStay to say he was not the preferred choice of the three main officers of the board. A statement released on Saturday night saying a subcommittee of the county board had recommended Connelly and Holmes to an executive meeting came in for criticism when it transpired no meeting took place.

Paddy McNicholas told Thursday’s board meeting Kevin McStay was turned down because of his “package” but would not reveal details of it at the board meeting this week. “No man in this room would have accepted Kevin McStay’s package,” said McNicholas.