Dr Pat O'Neill, manager of Dublin's All-Ireland winning side in 1995 and widely tipped to return to the job, has ruled himself out of contention in the search for a successor to Mickey Whelan, who resigned on Sunday. In a separate development, it was revealed at last night's Dublin county committee meeting that the new appointment is not expected until the new year.

"I won't be a contender for the senior post," O'Neill told The Irish Times last night, "although I would consider taking over the under-21s in the right circumstances."

Elaborating on the "right circumstances", he continued: "I believe that the under-21s and seniors should work together. Meath, Kerry and Tyrone have shown that it can work. My interest would depend on who was managing the senior team, because there has in the past been conflict between managers at different grades."

O'Neill confirmed the statement from Dublin chairman John Bailey that he had been not been approached by officials about the manager's position last week - prior to Whelan's resignation - but said that contact had been made yesterday.

"Last week I was out of the country and couldn't have been contacted. But I was approached this morning and said that I'd like to do it, but that I didn't have the time. The under-21s would be different. The championship is over earlier in the year and preparation for it isn't as intense as at senior level."

He declined to discuss the state of the senior team, but outlined his view of the task facing the county board in their attempts to find a new manager.

"This shouldn't be just about appointing a manager but appointing a management group. The four of us (fellow selectors Jim Brogan, Bobby Doyle and Fran Ryder) worked very well as a team. I believe modern pressures in the game mean the responsibility of running a senior team can't be left to one person. They shouldn't be looking for a manager and selectors, but a manager and two or three assistant managers. One manager isn't going to solve this."

O'Neill's withdrawal shifts the spotlight to other members of the 1995 management team, and to Fran Ryder in particular. Ryder is known to be the one member of the quartet who wasn't totally opposed to continuing in management with the team.

Although he is currently on holidays in Lanzarote, there have been indications that he would be interested in discussing the managerial appointment.

Neither Jim Brogan - whose work took him out of town - nor Bobby Doyle were available for comment yesterday.

At last night's meeting of the Dublin county committee, county secretary John Costello ruled out an early appointment: "We do not propose to have the new management in place for the last two (NFL) matches before Christmas."

A low-key meeting queried the proposed selection procedure and was informed that it would involve interviews, a recommendation and the opportunity for delegates to consult with their clubs before the final choice is made. This is seen as a reassurance to those who felt bypassed by the appointment of Whelan two years ago.

The delay in appointing new management indicates that the county board want to take time in finding the right candidate and also may reflect the fact that county chairman John Bailey reaches the end of his term of office at January's annual convention and a consequent desire to involve his successor in the process.

Meanwhile, in Cavan, another managerial appointment saga is in progress. Only hours before he was due to address the players, Mattie Kerrigan reversed his decision to take the position in succession to Martin McHugh, who led the county to last season's Ulster title.

Kerrigan had urgent personal reasons for taking the drastic step, which leaves Cavan rudderless in a very competitive section of the league, in which they have lost both of their opening matches, to Kerry and Monaghan.

According to county chairman Brendan Keaney, the matter was to be raised at last night's county executive meeting. "We'll be taking it from there. The procedure will be the same as before, but there'll be no developments for a few days and I can't see us getting our man inside the next few weeks. It's a problem, but better it happened now than in three months' time."