Replacing a long-serving successful manager is one of the most onerous tasks in team sport and a challenge that Derek Lyng has decided to take on in Kilkenny.
Indeed, it’s often claimed that being the second man in the door after the all-conquering supremo, when expectations have dropped and the most difficult decisions have already been taken, is far a more desirable appointment.
The experiences of Frank O’Farrell and Louis van Gaal, both brought to Manchester United to shore things up after Wilf McGuinness and David Moyes had failed to maintain the standards set by Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson respectively, would suggest otherwise, however.
