"It Hasn't Been Fully Disclosed": Paul Flynn Reveals Surprise At Ger Brennan Appointment

There was widespread surprise in the Capital on Friday afternoon, when out of the blue, and contrary to media reports, Ger Brennan was announced as Dublin’s next boss.

From where the surprise emerged, it’s hard to say. Brennan was, of course, the most natural fit for the role, having both previously reached the pinnacle as a Dublin's centre-back, and having managed Louth to a Leinster title earlier this year.

When just days after Dessie Farrell announced he would be standing down, Brennan confirmed he would be leaving Louth, anyone with two eyes and a pencil was able to connect the dots about what was unfolding - one of Dublin's great sons returning to his home city.

Yet, in Dublin, all eyes had been on Declan Darcy, who was rumoured by both the media and Dubs to have been assembling a team for the job and looked all but set to assume control of one of the top jobs in intercounty football.

It wasn't to be, however, and on Friday afternoon Ger Brennan's face was front and centre of the front pages, back pages, and columns of every major Irish outlet. There had been no suggestion that a decision from Dublin was in any way imminent.

The St. Vincent's man had been appointed without as much as a rumour or leak linking him to the role, and by Saturday afternoon, his first press duties were over and he was sitting in Parnell Park watching his club's loss to Ballinteer in the Dublin Senior Football Championship.

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It was that, the swift and unexpected nature of Brennan's appointment, that took his former teammate Paul Flynn by surprise.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1, Flynn pronounced his surprise at the decision, questioning who the county board spoke to and suggesting that just how Brennan overtook Darcy in the race hadn't been 'disclosed yet'.

I think there was a general surprise around the place because there had been a lot of mood music both in the media and through the rumour mill that Declan Darcy was assembling a team and in pole position.

So it probably hasn't been fully disclosed what happened there yet.

To me it just seemed a little bit ad hoc. It's funny when you're looking in, there wasn't even an awareness that there was a process ongoing.

It just kind of was happening in the shadows a little bit. Not sure exactly who the county board spoke to or what options were there.

While Flynn was left with some questions about just how the County Board's process in appointing Brennan unfolded, he was far from denouncing the appointment, praising the new manager's humility and how important it will be for the county going forward.

I think there'd be a lot of humility with Ger, and I think that's going to be really important in this role.

I think it's going to be important for everybody in Dublin GAA because the team he's inheriting is not the team that Dessie inherited. There's a lot of work that needs to be done at the squad level, and at the underage level where we're not competing, so there's not that conveyor belt that people thought was never ending in Dublin

The new Dublin manager will now face the challenge of assembling a new management team, something he teased could feature some former teammates.

All eyes will now be back on Dublin, to see how they fare under the management of yet another county legend.