Jim McGuinness has made a sensational return to inter-county management after being confirmed as the new Donegal senior football manager.
His reappointment was confirmed at a specially-convened meeting of the county board on Monday evening, with Colm McFadden, Neil McGee and Luke Barrett named as part of his backroom team.
The new manager has been appointed for a three-year term, with the option for a fourth year.
Donegal chairman Fergus McGee believes McGuinness can act as a catalyst to transform the county's fortunes, telling RTÉ Sport: "This can unify and unite the whole county, bring us forward, bring us to a good new place where I think Donegal football should be.
"We'll be playing next year in Division 2, which is a good starting point for Jim coming in. He's got a good backroom team and that'll build as time goes on.
"It's created excitement in the county. Tonight is the start of a new beginning, I believe, for Donegal.
"I think that going forward from here, we have a great opportunity to build on the success of having someone like Jim at the helm.
"We have the footballers – there's no question about that – I believe we have as good footballers as any other county.
"Proper management structures are what Jim will certainly put in place and the backroom team surrounding that.
"We have to all work together and go forward together, so I'm looking forward to good times ahead."
It marks an intriguing return to the post for McGuinness, who presided over Donegal's rise during an unforgettable and revolutionary four-year stint in charge in the early 2010s, a period which yielded three Ulster titles and the county's second All-Ireland triumph in 2012.
The Glenties man, a long-time county player and a substitute for the first All-Ireland title victory in 1992, oversaw their remarkable transformation from also-rans to All-Ireland champions in just two seasons.
After guiding Donegal to a first Ulster title in 19 years in his first season in charge in 2011, McGuinness was subsequently castigated for the team's tactics in their narrow defeat to Dublin in the semi-final, with the term 'blanket defence' entering the Gaelic football lexicon.
While the narrative around the team remained hostile in the off-season, McGuinness' side continued to evolve at a ferocious pace, cantering to a second successive Ulster title for the first time in their history the following summer. Afterwards, they swept by Kerry and Cork in the All-Ireland to set up a final date with Mayo.
Early goals from Michael Murphy and Colm McFadden were pivotal as Donegal recorded a 2-11 to 0-13 victory to win a famous All-Ireland title, exactly two decades after their first.
After an off-year in 2013, where the team slumped to a heavy defeat to Mayo in the All-Ireland quarter-final, Donegal re-focused in 2014, regaining their provincial crown before executing a stunning ambush of unbackable favourites Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final.
The latter result would mark Dublin's last championship defeat in seven years, Jim Gavin's side quickly learning the lessons of that painful defeat, adapting their attacking strategy to ensure there was no repeat.
Though the 2014 semi-final victory was in many ways the signature tactical masterclass of McGuinness reign, they would not add another All-Ireland title, falling to Kerry in a drab final and the manager exited in the autumn.
McGuinness, by now one of the most revered and controversial managers in the history of the sport, turned his attention to soccer, having been working as a youth coach with Celtic since late 2012.
He was eventually appointed head coach of USL Championship side Charlotte Independence in late 2018, though departed six months later. He did, however, enjoy success with Derry City's underage teams, guiding the U19s to the Enda McGuill Cup in 2021.
All through this period, he remained an influential Gaelic football pundit with both Sky Sports and the Irish Times.
As in late 2010, McGuinness takes over with Donegal at a relatively low ebb at senior level following a turbulent and unsettled 2023 campaign, marked by managerial upheaval and apparent player apathy.
Donegal exited the championship at the preliminary quarter-final stage and will begin the 2024 season in Division 2 following relegation earlier this year.
