Bizarre twist to McRory’s exit

ART McRORY’S resignation as Tyrone joint manager took a bizarre twist yesterday when it emerged that county board chiefs had forced his hand on stepping down.

A statement released by Tyrone officials said that McRory had stepped down for “personal reasons,” and it subsequently emerged that the retired schoolteacher had been suffering from a viral infection and had been told to rest completely until Christmas.

McRory had informed the county board of this, as well as his joint-manager Eugene McKenna, and the plan was for the assistant to take charge of the team until Art’s return in the New Year. However, the county board then decided on Tuesday night that it would be best to dissolve the management team altogether, and invited applications for a new boss.

The news came as a total shock to the managers, who only found out about the developments through the media.“I’m disappointed nobody found it worthwhile to advise us they were issuing a statement. They certainly knew where Donaghmore Road (McRory’s address) was when they needed someone to take up the mantle three years ago,” McKenna claimed yesterday. “There was no problem with them coming en masse then. The least I would have expected would have been a phone call to either Art or myself to inform us what they had decided.” The statement referred to by McKenna was released the media on Wednesday and erroneously spelt McRory’s name as McCrory.

“After the 30-odd years that Art has been involved with Tyrone football, they still can’t spell his name correctly,” said McKenna. “That’s maybe an indication of the sensitivity with which the whole thing has been handled. They never rung me or Art, or even bothered to get his name right.”

McKenna added that preparations for the season ahead had been at an advanced stage, with a special training programme already devised and interviews underway to find a suitable physical trainer for the players. He also revealed that, despite his heavy criticism of the board, he would be interested in taking on the role of manager.

Mickey Harte has also thrown his name in the hat as a candidate for the position as Tyrone manager. Harte said yesterday that “he would be happy to be in the picture.” The St Ciaran’s Ballygawley schoolteacher would be a popular choice following his achievements at minor and U21 level, but clearly McKenna is still in the driving seat to get the job if he wants it. McKenna was a joint-manager alongside McRory, although the county board has ruled out the possibility of McKenna being slotted in as an automatic replacement. The fact that the County Board are seeking a new manager means all prospective candidates, including McKenna, will need to receive a nomination from a club. It is understood that McKenna had already started the process of getting prepared for next year before McRory’s unexpected announcement. He had been in contact with players and had start to lay out plans for next season’s campaign.

One Tyrone insider said: “Eugene has invested a serious amount of time with this team over the past two years and it would be understandable if he didn’t want to walk away without having a go at it himself.” Meanwhile, Monaghan manager Colm Coyle has added selectors Noel Marron (Donaghmoyne) and Declan Brennan (Clontibret) to his management team for the coming season.