Donegal need to come to a decision on the county management matter before the start of the club Championship in August, according to its most senior GAA figure.
And All-Ireland winning manager of 1992, Brian McEniff, also gave a firm backing of current team manager Declan Bonner to stay in the post for the coming year — if that is Bonner’s wish.
Those club Championships are due to start in the middle of August, which gives the county around two months to clarify the management issue.
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Bonner has still a year to go as he was given a two- year term last year.
Neither he nor his players have spoken to the media in aftermath of last Sunday’s crushing defeat to Armagh. The loss prompted former Donegal star Brendan Devenney to say: “Armagh destroyed us”.
County chairman Mick McGrath insists it is time for reflection for a week or two. It is understood that Bonner himself will take some time to reflect on Sunday’s defeat.
But the manner of that defeat — the third at the business end of the Championship in three years — has caused some to question the current management’s future.
“Declan Bonner has a year to go and if he is staying on, he should change his backroom staff and freshen things up”, said McEniff, who managed Bonner as a player when Donegal won the All-Ireland final in 1992.
“But if he wasn’t, we need to have a senior team manager in place for the Championship.
“There is no pressure on Declan, and there is still two months to the Championship and to be fair to everyone he will make a decision in that time, and I am sure he will do that.”
McEniff added: “He has another year, and if he wants the other year, he is quite entitled to it.
“His record for Donegal is there to be seen for all, he took us to two Ulster Championships, a minor team to a first ever All-Ireland, an Ulster Under-21 Championships and he came into manage the county seniors first back in 1998 not long after his county playing days ended.”
McEniff added: "He might look at bringing in the likes of Rory Kavanagh, Karl Lacey and Eamon McGee, who have been in the background of county teams over the last few years and they are up to speed."
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