Joyce: New Galway manager needs time

Veteran Galway forward Pádraic Joyce says that the county's new senior football manager must be given a three-year term in order to stabilise the team.

The Galway Football Board are set to appoint their fourth manager in five years, after Tomás Ó Flatharta's involvement came to an end.

Current Galway Under-21 manager Alan Mullholland is favoured to be the Kerry native's successor. Mulholland guided the U-21s to All-Ireland glory this year, following a final win over Cavan at Croke Park.

"Tomás was with us last year and we were unlucky to lose to Meath by a point. The game could have gone either way," explained Joyce.

"At the same time we didn't have a great league campaign with injuries and guys coming back. It's difficult for a new manager to settle in as well and it takes time.

"Hopefully whoever gets the job will get it for three or four years and just try and get a bit of cohesion with the management and just try and get the team built up. It is very hard to fix it in a year."

He added: "Alan's name is obviously going to be on people's minds because of winning the minor and Under-21 All-Irelandss in the last couple of years.

"But it's not for me to be handing out the job to whoever gets it. I would just like to wish whoever gets it all the best, and provided they get it for a couple of years so that they can get a plan in place and try and get the county developed.

"A lot of counties who play like us still have the same manager for three or four years. You just can't come in from the outside, especially an outside manager who we have had the last two times.

"Every manager has his own strengths but the club scene is vital too. We have to try and pick up all the lads from the clubs that we can and hopefully kick on from there."

Meanwhile, Joyce says he has not yet decided on his own future in the maroon jersey.

The 34-year-old talisman won All-Ireland medals with Galway in 1998 and 2001 and the three-time All-Star. He says he will wait until early next year before deciding if he will continue his involvement with Galway.

"I haven't thought about it yet. I will wait until next year and see what the story is on that," he admitted.

"I have a lot going on at the moment workwise. I will just have a good think about it in January and decide then what the story is."