Dessie Dolan Snr has said he would like the chance to revive the fortunes of Westmeath football after a disastrous 2009 for the Lake county.
So far, the Westmeath county board has received one unnamed nomination from clubs for the post which was vacated by Tomás O Flatharta on 11 July.
Dolan, who has managed both Longford and Leitrim in the past, is the first to publicly declare an interest in the post. The Lake County has a history of appointing outside managers, but Dolan believes they need to look inside the county for the next appointment.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, Dolan said: 'It's a crucial time for Westmeath football. It's vital to restore passion and morale after what happened this year. Confidence is low but things are not as bad as they look. There are still an awful lot of very good players in the county.
'I'm a Westmeath man and my passion for football in this county is as strong as when I played. I felt humiliated coming out of Croke Park after what happened against Dublin this year. I would do anything to help them at a time like this.
'Westmeath had a shocking bad time this year, so there's some psychological repair work to be done. I believe a local man is best equipped to do that.'
