Mickey Harte’s appointment in Derry was arguably the most sensational managerial coup in GAA history. Not only was it unusual for one county to wipe the eye of another, with Harte ensconced in Louth and all set for a fourth season, but his background as Tyrone’s most successful ever manager meant that a rubicon was being crossed. To be fair, with Brian McIver and Ciaran Meenagh having led Derry previously, it wasn’t unprecedented for someone from across the divide to take on the role, but their pathway to the job was rather different and they carried much less of a Tyrone hue than Harte did.
READ MORE: Mickey Harte's curious Derry exit leaves Oak Leaf with vital decision to make READ MORE: Derry issue statement as Mickey Harte quits as manager after just 10 months He was never fully accepted in Derry and, ultimately, it hasn’t worked out despite the promise of Harte steering the team to a League title, as their form nosedived in the Championship. As we’ve seen before, while an appointment may tick all the boxes from a purely football or hurling point of view, sometimes the chemistry just isn’t right. Joe Kernan to Galway When Kernan brought his glorious Armagh tenure to a close in 2007, he insisted that he would never manage another county.
But he went back on that when Galway came calling a couple of years later, citing his connection with the county as one of the reasons with his mother having hailed from Ballinasloe. He was appointed on a three-year term and, a.
