GAA:JOHN BRENNAN reckons his team are suffering from either a "virus", or some sort of "mental block", although not in the strict medical sense. Brennan is no doctor, and instead what the Derry football manager is trying to cure is his team's apparent infirmity when it comes to the Ulster football championship – and not just when playing Armagh.

They go into Sunday’s Ulster semi-final against the Orchard County on the back of seven semi-final defeats to five different counties since their last provincial final appearance in 2000, and that’s a heavy burden for any team to bear.

Derry last won the provincial final back in 1998, which still makes them the last county to win the Ulster title apart from Tyrone and Armagh, who between them have now collected the last 12 titles. Armagh, in fact, beat Derry in their last final appearance in 2000, and all that makes for a fascinating backdrop to Sunday’s showdown in Clones.

But there is a feeling Brennan may be the man to help see them through: it’s not just that he knows Derry football inside-out, but knows how to get the best out of Derry football. In his mid-60s, Brennan is definitely the oldest debutant, as this is his first season in charge of a senior county team.

Brennan missed out on the position several times in the past, including 2004, when he lost out by one in a vote to replace then manager Mickey Moran.

Still, when appointed last September to succeed Damien Cassidy, Brennan came with strong credentials. In 2009, in his first season with Derry club, The Loup, he guided them to the county title – establishing a unique managerial record of winning seven county senior football titles with five different clubs, in three counties.

These included winning a Derry county championship with his own club, Lavey, also with Tyrone’s Carrickmore, Antrim side Cargin, as well as another Derry club, Slaughtneil.

Although Derry missed out on promotion to Division One, on points difference to Donegal and Laois, Brennan appears to have settled well into the position, with the players responding to his direct style.

Their quarter-final win over Fermanagh last month was notable for Derry’s first-half dominance – they were up 1-12 to 0-2 at half-time – and then for Fermanagh’s brave comeback. Derry still won by eight points, but Brennan was distinctly unimpressed, describing his team’s second-half performance as “rubbish”.

“To say I am disappointed would be to put it mildly,” he said about the performance against Fermanagh.“To say that we have work to do is an understatement. We’re now coming up against a Division One team in the semi-final in Armagh and that display would come nowhere near what will be needed.”

Armagh will start as marginal favourites, at least partly based on their impressive quarter-final win over All-Ireland finalists Down, but Brennan is not overly worried about the opposition, but rather ensuring his team forget about the past, and specifically that Ulster semi-final record of recent years.

“It is a psychological thing,” he said, “a bit of a mental block, reinforced by the fact they’re constantly reminded of it. If we can get over this, I think it could make a fantastic difference to these players’ mental ability.”