RTÉ GAA analyst Kevin McStay and Fergal O’Donnell are set to be appointed as joint managers of Roscommon’s footballers.
McStay, who helped Roscommon side St Brigid’s to All-Ireland glory in the club championship two seasons ago, will also have Liam McHale - who played a vital role in that club success – in his backroom team.
McStay and O’Donnell will replace John Evans after the Kerry man called time on his involvement with the Rossies after three seasons in charge.
The county can look forward to an exciting but arduous league campaign in 2016 after Evans successfully masterminded a second successive promotion this season, but Roscommon couldn’t replicate their league form in the championship, with their All-Ireland campaign coming to an end against Fermanagh in the third round of the qualifiers.
McStay, who has twice been unsuccessful in his bid to takes the reins of his native Mayo, is fully focused on task at hand with his adoptive county, having retired from his role with the army recently, while his media interests also look likely to be put on hiatus.
McStay told the Herald: "I'm 53, I have the energy for it, the enthusiasm for it. I'm not going to have that forever. I saw this as probably the best time to go into county management," he said.
"I'm a very proud Mayo man and I had two goes at managing my native county, it just didn't happen.
"So this gives me a chance to test myself at inter-county management, and I obviously was never going to get it with Mayo.
"I've lived most of my adult life in Roscommon, my three girls are Roscommon girls and they support Roscommon. Why should it be anywhere else?"
