Mickey Harte on Derry move: ‘We finished our three years. That was misrepresented slightly’

The former Louth Manager was speaking at the Dr McKenna Cup draw.

NEW JOB: Louth's Sam Mulroy celebrates with Mickey Harte. Pic Credit ©INPHO/Evan Treacy

At ease. Mickey Harte’s appointment as Derry boss sent shockwaves across the country, but for the former Louth manager the progression was simple. One job finished. Another starts now.

“Of course, we didn't expect it to be coming up because Derry were going so well under the management that they had,” he explained, speaking at the Dr McKenna Cup draw.

“But as it turned out they had to look for a new manager and we had finished our three years with Louth which I must make that clear as well, that was misrepresented slightly.

“When myself and Gavin (Devlin) met with Peter Fitzpatrick we shook hands over three years work with Louth, which we completed. In the middle of it all, we got two promotions and Peter decided that we had two more years agreed to. But the first time I heard about that was when my son phoned me from America to tell me.

“He says, 'I hear you're taking two more years with Louth. 'I says, 'Well, you know more than I do at this stage.' I can understand why Peter did that. But we had our three years completed and the Derry position became available. It was an opportunity that you wouldn't pass by. I don't think very many people would pass it by.”

Harte is utterly comfortable with his call. That much is clear. After the preseason competition draw pits Derry in a group with Cavan and Down, he strolled up to the top table and batted away questions about the reaction to his move.

“I’m not on these social platforms or whatever they are. All I know is the people I have met in Tyrone have wished me well and the people of Derry have welcomed me very much into their county. 

"There is a lot of stuff out there, a few people can make a lot of noise and maybe they are, I don’t know. The noise doesn’t come my way.”

Before Louth, it was a three decade commitment to Tyrone. He is keen to point that out too.

“I have always said, I worked with Tyrone for many years and put a lot of work into it. Over 30 years actually. I just said if Tyrone didn’t need me or want me anymore and another opportunity came along, I would be happy to take it. That is how I found myself in Derry.”

The 71-year-old does not stop. Derry are already back on the pitch. The prospect of getting going with competitive preseason fixtures noticeably thrills him. Harte knows where his new side stand. And he knows where they can go.

“I don't see it as pressure at all. It's just a question that they have made serious progress in the last three or four years. To win back-to-back Ulster titles is no mean feat, as we all know. They've been in two All-Ireland semi-finals. They're a very good team.

“Myself and Gavin and the management team around us, we believe that we can bring something additional to them. If we bring enough additional to them, to add to what they have, then it's going to make them even more competitive than they've been in recent times. I think that will put them in a very good place. Nobody can guarantee anything about cups or titles or anything else.

“You go after those things but the main thing we know we can do is we can add value to what they are about. And if we add value to what they're about then I think they're going to be that much more serious contenders even than they have been over the last few years.”

The competition gets underway on Wednesday, January 3. The final is on Saturday, January 20.

McKenna Cup draw:

Group A: Tyrone, Armagh, Donegal

Group B: Derry, Cavan, Down

Group C: Monaghan, Fermanagh, Antrim