Following the resignation of Jack Sheedy at the conclusion of last year's championship, the Longford county board once more turned to Denis Connerton to take the team forward.
Connerton was previously Longford manager during the early 2000s, leading the county into Division 1 of the National League in 2004.
He resigned following the conclusion of that year's championship and was succeeded by Luke Dempsey.
In the intervening years, Connerton copper-fastened his reputation as the best club manager in Longford. He managed Longford Slashers to three county titles in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Prior to his arrival, Slashers hadn't won at senior level since their glory period in the early nineties.
Since arriving back in the Longford hotseat, he has noted a very worrying trend.
In conversation with Gordon Manning of the Irish Sun, he said that the biggest difference he had noticed between 2016 and the early noughties was that a significant number of players no longer want to play for the county.
Apparently, 44% who were asked to join up with the Longford squad declined the offer - for various reasons.
One of the biggest changes I've noticed since returning was the fact that so many guys don't wish to play county football. This seems to be a progressive trend over the past few years. Much of the talk last year was about the absence of such players. I'm afraid to say the same talk is going to be happening again this year.
Is it surprising that Gaelic footballers in Longford are unwilling to devote their time to playing for the county? There is no realistic chance of championship silverware.
For all that Longford can point to a respectable record in the qualifiers since their inception, the county has not even reached a Leinster senior semi-final - let alone a final - since 1988.
And on that occasion, they suffered a particularly eye-watering defeat to Dublin. Which leads us back to the problem, of course.
Some food for thought from Longford boss Denis Connerton in today's @IrishSunSport. #gaa pic.twitter.com/5LwXVpiMSW
— Gordon Manning (@Gordon_Manning) January 6, 2016
