Nov 15,2024
Paddy Tally is the new Derry football manager, succeeding fellow Tyrone man Mickey Harte in the Oak Leaf hotseat.
Tally will leave his coaching role with Kerry after being ratified by the Derry county board on Thursday night.
The former Down manager has been appointed on a three-year term, with an initial backroom consisting of Paul McIver, Kevin McGuckin and Paul McFlynn.
It marks the end of a protracted saga since Harte stood down in July after just one year in charge.
Tally, a coach under Harte for the 2003 All-Ireland win, has been with Kerry for the past three seasons, and his influence was cited as a key reason for Kerry's Sam Maguire triumph in 2022, their first since 2014.
His role within the Kingdom set-up was changed to performance coach in September, but he has decided to return to the inter-county hotseat for the first time since 2021 when his three-year term with Down ended after a sobering 16-point loss to Donegal.
In September, Derry ruled out former manager Rory Gallagher returning after speculation the Fermanagh native was set for a second stint in charge.
Tally will hope to turn around the Oak Leaf county's fortunes after Harte’s sole year in charge ended in disappointment following a bright start.
After successive All-Ireland semi-final defeats, it was hoped that Harte’s experience could be the missing ingredient.
Early silverware in the form of the McKenna Cup and a thrilling Allianz Football League final victory over Dublin raised expectations of Sam Maguire success, but their season went south quickly and was eventually ended at quarter-final stage by Tally's Kerry.
