Caretaker boss may be appointed for Cork ladies’ league opener

There are growing concerns that a caretaker manager will have to be appointed for Cork’s opening game of the national ladies football league at the end of this month as the search to replace Eamonn Ryan continues.

A five-person selection committee, three of whom sit on the county board executive, has been in place since the turn of the year, but their quest to fill the role vacated by Ryan before Christmas has so far proven unsuccessful.

The reigning league and All-Ireland champions entertain Mayo on January 31. A leading county board official has admitted that a caretaker manager may have to be put in place for the team’s first competitive fixture of 2016.

“We are not going to rush this process just to have someone in place for the first league game. This is about getting the right person and we are going to take our time. To borrow a soccer analogy, it is like trying to replace Alex Ferguson,” said the official.

“Eamonn was hugely successful with the group and we want to make sure we get the right person to take over, however long that may take.

“Individuals have been approached, but there has been nothing tangible yet. It could be done next week, it might not. We might have to get someone in on an interim basis for the Mayo game, but we don’t mind.”

Shane Ronayne, a selector under Ryan for the past two seasons, has informed the board of his interest in the position.

Noel O’Connor, who was part of Ryan’s management team for a number of years and who more recently coached the Waterford ladies to All-Ireland intermediate glory in 2015, is the latest to emerge as a possible successor to Ryan.