When Mickey Harte stood down as Derry manager just a week after Kerry knocked them out of the All-Ireland championship quarter finals, sections of the Oakleaf fanbase rejoiced.
There was always going to be a contingent of fans who could never get behind the Tyrone man as their manager, and now with a world of possibilities in front of them, they can scout for the right man.
The problem is, the list of people who have turned down the job, or taken opportunities elsewhere, is growing even longer.
At first it seemed like Rory Gallagher was going to make a return, but that news since has cooled, and it appears that the Ulster side have been looking elsewhere for their new boss.
Here is a list of potential replacements who are no longer available:
Malachy O'Rourke
Malachy O'Rourke confirmed at a media night in Garvaghy where he was confirmed as the new Tyrone manager, that Derry did try to pursue him.
Not willing to comment anymore on the matter, the fact is O'Rourke turned down the Derry job and chose Tyrone.
This is a blow of Derry because the Fermanagh native had spent the last three years working in the county managing Watty Graham's Glen, winning three county titles, two Ulster titles and a club All-Ireland in the process.
O'Rourke knows the county, knows the players, has a relationship with the Glen contingent on the team, and was one of the top names on Derry's list, but for him to choose their neighbouring rivals instead, it's certainly a blow.
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James Horan
This always felt like a left-field choice, but it appears that there was some substance to it as the former Mayo boss enjoyed a brilliant time in charge of his own county, guiding them to several All-Ireland finals in the process.
Speaking on The Irish Examiner podcast earlier this week however, Horan confirmed that he would not be taking the Derry job, and officially ruled himself out of contention.
Just like that, another name will have a line drawn through it.
Paddy Tally
After Kerry was eliminated from the championship by Armagh, it looked like change was imminent in The Kingdom.
With Jack O'Connor's position safe as manager, that change was always going to come in terms of the backroom team, and Paddy Tally had been making the long trek from Tyrone to Kerry for almost three years now, so there was a feeling that his time could be up.
If The Galbally clubman did leave Kerry, he would certainly peak the interest of several suitors, having enjoyed success with Tyrone's backroom team in 2003, then Derry, and helping Down out during their run to All-Ireland final in 2010, before then managing the county himself.
Throw in success with St Mary's University winning Sigerson, and you have quite an impressive CV gathered up, but whether or not Derry would be interested in Tally is now a mute point because the coach has confirmed that he will be staying with Kerry, but in a new capacity.
The change in role means that he will be Performance Coach, which involves a lot less travel, so is a win-win for him and the Munster side, but another potential candidate ruled out for Derry.
Who does that leave?
Although news around Gallagher has cooled, he hasn't officially been ruled out, so the Fermanagh man could still be a candidate to get the job.
Damien McErlain seems an obvious choice seeing as he has just guided the Derry minors to successive All-Ireland titles, but he had previously taken the senior job, and stepped down from the role, so it is unlikely that he will go back.
Conleith Gilligan could be in the mix, as he was a part of the backroom team of Armagh that lifted the All-Ireland title, and currently managed Edendork with Tyrone.
The Derry native had previously managed Kilcoo to an Ulster final, and was part of the backroom team the previous year when the Down side won the club All-Ireland.
