Laois GAA top-brass will meet later this week to begin the search for a fifth county football manager in nine years.

Kildare 3-18 Laois 1-11: Not even their own supporters held much hope of Kildare beating Laois given their injuries and a horrible league campaign but manager Jason Ryan insists he and his coaching staff retained faith in their methods despite some of the vitriol being aimed in their direction.

Three of football’s ‘Big 4’ are in action this weekend, with All-Ireland champions Kerry, Mayo and Donegal all facing tough tests.

GAA Championship: Peter McNamara analyses the live televised action on Saturday.

As a Kerryman who has been manager of Westmeath and Galway, Tomás Ó Flatharta knows all about derbies.

“My view on the way the Championship is today is I think we’d be way better off if we had a shorter season, first of all to give lads time to play with their clubs.”

Laois 3-16 Carlow 0-8: It was as smooth a win as you could wish for but Laois manager Tomás Ó Flatharta learned little about his team as they steamrollered Carlow at Netwatch Cullen Park in this Leinster Championship opener on Saturday night.

If you were to listen to the naysayers, increasing education, dedication and professionalism has been the scourge of football.

Galway 0-10 Laois 2-10

Laois 2-17, Roscommon 0-16: Tomás Ó Flatharta felt that there was a good performance coming from Laois, and they certainly impressed when recording their first victory of this year’s league campaign.

Laois 2-17, Roscommon 0-16:

Laois 0-18 Wexford 0-17

Laois 1-19 Fermanagh 2-15

Laois boss Tomás Ó Flatharta admits to having mixed feelings about his side’s Leinster quarter-final defeat by Dublin but is now solely focused on progressing through the qualifiers.

Laois manager Tomas Ó Flatharta insists the county has moved on from the mini-controversy that saw Colm Begley dropped from the squad to face Wicklow in the first round of the Leinster Championship.

Laois 0-21 Wicklow 1-11

Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne 1-8 St Patrick’s, Maghera 1-6

Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne 3-14 De La Salle 3-09

Laois 1-20 Galway 0-8

A realistic Tomás Ó Flatharta won’t overlook Laois’s defensive responsibilities in a rush to add an extra attacking dimension to their play this year.

Laois forward Colm Begley has taken a parting shot at former boss Justin McNulty, claiming the northerner’s style of play was overly defensive and uninspiring.

Colm Begley has welcomed the appointment of Tomás Ó Flatharta as the Laois Senior Football manager.

James Horan is expected to tell Mayo County Board he has no intention of quitting his post as senior manager tomorrow night.

Tomás Ó Flatharta made the long journey from Bolivia to Kerry to bid a final farewell to his friend Páidí Ó Sé.

Galway selector Donal Ó Flatharta has downplayed the importance of the venue for this week’s Allianz Football League clash with Monaghan.

TOMÁS Ó FLATHARTA’S selector Martin McNamara has slammed the decision to sack the Kerry native, saying it went against the wishes of the players.

ANOTHER season, another crisis in Galway football.

GALWAY captain Finian Hanley claimed there are individuals on the football board executive who don’t have the best interests of the game in the county at heart.

MICK O’DWYER has been ruled out of the running for the Galway football manager’s job with delegates insisting it must go to a local man.

Tomás Ó Flatharta says that it was 'with extreme reluctance' that he accepted the decision of the Galway GAA clubs to end his term as the county's senior football manager.

Tomás Ó Flatharta's reign as manager of the Galway senior footballers is over, after club delegates voted for a change of management.

TOMÁS Ó FLATHARTA’S tenure as Galway boss looked over last night following a meeting of the football board.

TOMÁS Ó FLATHARTA has told Galway officials that he wishes to remain in charge of the Tribesmen next season despite their dismal championship form and relegation from division one in the league.

CONOR COUNIHAN has made just one change to the team that lost the Munster final for Saturday’s fourth round All-Ireland qualifier against Down.

THE appointment process for selecting the next Cork senior hurling manager is expected to be overseen by the county board rather than the three-man independent committee used to select Denis Walsh in March 2009.

TOMÁS Ó FLATHÁRTA refused to be drawn on his future after Galway experienced the painfully familiar feeling of an early championship exit.

MICHEAL MEEHAN returns to the Galway starting lineup for tomorrow’s All-Ireland SFC qualifier against Meath in one of five changes made by manager Tomás Ó Flatharta following the Connacht semi-final defeat to Mayo.

FORMER All-Ireland winning Galway selector Stephen Joyce has described the county’s Connacht SFC semi-final loss to Mayo as “up there with the worst performances I have ever seen”.

Things looked grim for Mayo when Paul Conroy poked the ball home for a Galway goal just before half-time in yesterday's Connacht SFC semi-final in Castlebar.

ANOTHER summer of soul searching for Galway football seems inevitable.

IT was with more than a sceptical eye that Joe Bergin saw Galway’s relegation from Allianz Division One almost swept under the carpet after the U21s’ All-Ireland win last month.

Galway manager Tomás Ó Flatharta has finalised his team for Sunday's Connacht SFC semi-final against Mayo in Castlebar (throw-in 2pm).

GALWAY manager Tomás Ó Flatharta says the Connacht championship structure has to be addressed as his team finally see action over a third of the way into the competition.

GALWAY manager Tomas Ó Flatharta is not certain if Michael Meehan will be fit to see action in Sunday week’s Connacht semi-final against Mayo.