Crozier succeeds Moran in Derry hot-seat

PADDY CROZIER has been appointed as the Derry senior football manager for the next three years.

The new manager takes over from Mickey Moran whose three-year term as county boss came to an end after the Championship defeat by Laois.

Crozier has managed Dungiven in recent years and was also part of the All-Ireland minor winning management team in 2002.

He is highly-regarded but this will be his first major intercounty role.

Crozier has yet to announce his backroom team.

Meanwhile, retired Dublin footballer Dessie Farrell has no plans to enter intercounty management.

Farrell, captain between 1998 and 2001, was described as a perfect candidate to manage the county by former bosses Dr Pat O’Neill and Tommy Carr earlier this week.

Yet the GPA chief executive has vowed to enjoy retirement - for the moment.

“I thought it would [appeal],” he said yesterday. “You come to the twilight of your career and you wonder what might lie down the road. Now that I have retired it’s the last thing I want to do.

“It’s probably only by stepping away for a while that you know where you want to go. A lot of people would have envisaged that I would want to get back into the game, but I’m not sure.”

Farrell also hinted that he may step aside from his GPA post if and when the Player’s Association has established a greater relationship with the GAA.

“I don’t really see [my position] as being hugely long-term but, in saying that, I could still be here in 20 years’ time.”

The 34-year old attended his first Central Council meeting on Saturday and, though representing all players, he is hopeful that this will aid the GPA.

“I’m not deluding myself in any way. You’re a lone voice in a big hall. There’s a lot of ignorance out there as regards what the GPA is about and what we are striving for.

“There’s an awful lot of misinformation. It’s difficult to convey your bona fides if people have a slanted opinion. Hopefully, I’ll get to explain and outline things to people. They can get to know me and understand that I’m not trying to bring down the walls from within.

“It’s also important to have a players’ representative there to bring feedback from the council to the players and from the players to an important decision-making body like that. With the age profile of a lot of the delegates a lot of them don’t have much hands-on dealings with players.

“Hopefully, I can help bridge that gap.”