James Horan

James Horan says he will take time to ponder his future as manager of the Mayo senior footballers. Sunday's All-Ireland quarter-final defeat brings to an ...

"Everyone will take time to reflect, for sure," the Westerners manager said yesterday at Croke Park.

In 2014, he resigned as Mayo manager but returned for a second spell four years later in 2018. "But most importantly it’s the players that represent Mayo we all should be very proud of. Hopefully, there is a strong base for Mayo football to be moved forward to new heights.

James Horan has stepped down as Mayo football manager in the wake of Sunday's All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Kerry.

Mayo will now begin the process of finding a new manager. I regret his departure but appreciate the huge sacrifices he has made over this period." Lastly to my family who have been incredibly supportive over the last eight-plus years, a huge thanks,” commented James Horan. "Hopefully, there is a strong base for Mayo football to be moved forward to new heights. But most importantly it’s the players that represent Mayo we all should be very proud of. We had some great times and created brilliant memories that will live on.

Manager led the county to All-Ireland finals in 2020 and 2021.

They are brilliant ambassadors for our county and have a spirit and togetherness that will keep Mayo football moving forward.” “Hopefully, there is a strong base for Mayo football to be moved forward to new heights. “We had some great times and created brilliant memories that will live on.

The Connacht side suffered an eight-point loss to the Kingdom at Croke Park in what proved to be Horan's last game in charge on Sunday.

“But most importantly it’s the players that represent Mayo we all should be very proud of. They lost the 2012 and 2013 finals to Donegal and Dublin respectively during his first stint as Mayo boss with Horan stepping down in 2014. “We had some great times and created brilliant memories that will live on.

For so long nobody gave them more juice than him but in the end they all ran out of juice, even him — and possibly even because of him.

What happens next will be a measure of the ambition and imagination of the county board. And the person to do that is most obviously an outsider. The shame was that while he was at it, there should have been one more to round off and trump them all: September 11 2021. For his body of work through the years, even this second stint alone, even this year alone — reaching a league final blooding so many new young players — he would have had cause to get at least a year’s extension if not two had he sought it. There’s still the bones of a team there. After Newbridge or Nowhere, a lot of commentators, including his once nemesis and later Sky Sports colleague Jim McGuinness, thought Mayo were subsequently on a road to nowhere. The county will never be able to repay him. But not at his age, not after the Achilles injury and all the others he’d endured over the years. And that was last year’s All-Ireland final when their shooting return during that period was less than 33%. Up to the 50th-minute mark, Mayo had scored respectably. But a more nuanced study would show last Sunday was not of that genre. At the other end of the field whenever Oisín Mullin would bomb forward, Kerry’s talismanic forward, also coming off an injury, didn’t have to chase him back; instead, David Clifford was able to pass his man on to his brother Paudie or to Dara Moynihan or Seán O’Shea.

James Horan at Croke Park yesterday. Image: Dan Sheridan/INPHO. JAMES HORAN HAS stepped down as Mayo senior football manager with immediate effect. The fourth ...

“James has given it everything and while the ultimate reward did not arrive, he cannot be faulted for his effort. Lastly to my family who have been incredibly supportive over the last eight-plus years, a huge thanks.” “Hopefully, there is a strong base for Mayo football to be moved forward to new heights.

James Horan has stepped down as Mayo football manager in the wake of Sunday's All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Kerry.

Mayo will now begin the process of finding a new manager. I regret his departure but appreciate the huge sacrifices he has made over this period." Lastly to my family who have been incredibly supportive over the last eight-plus years, a huge thanks,” commented James Horan. "Hopefully, there is a strong base for Mayo football to be moved forward to new heights. But most importantly it’s the players that represent Mayo we all should be very proud of. We had some great times and created brilliant memories that will live on.