Donegal: Brendan Devenney says Paddy Carr's exit 'definitely player-driven'

Brendan Devenney believes Carr's coach Aidan O'Rourke and selector Paddy Bradley remaining on after the manager's departure is "a strange one"

Ex-Donegal star Brendan Devenney says the county's squad are now in a difficult spot following the "player-driven" exit of manager Paddy Carr.

Carr's first-team coach Aidan O'Rourke and selector Paddy Bradley will take charge of the side in Sunday's final Division One game against Roscommon.

The Fanad man resigned on Wednesday after what he said was a "discussion with some senior" squad members.

"It definitely was player-driven," Devenney told BBC Radio Foyle.

"There's no doubt in that. So that puts a lot of heat now on the players.

"To actually single him out seems amazing to me.

"If we had gone out and lost to Mayo by a couple of points in a gutsy performance, and let's stay tactically we were badly set up, you maybe could see 'tactically we need a fresh look at this. The lads aren't happy with the management'.

"But the players by no shape performed on the day so it's a strange one that Paddy Carr is the person that has to exit."

Donegal need series of miracles to avoid drop

Last Sunday's 1-17 to 0-9 home hammering by Mayo means that only a series of miracles will prevent Donegal from dropping to Division Two this weekend.

Devenney believes that Carr's appointment to the Donegal job was a questionable decision given that the Fanad man hadn't managed at the top level for a number of years.

However, he still believes that Carr solely carrying the can for Donegal's disastrous League campaign, when O'Rourke and Bradley are remaining appears contradictory.

"From the get go, nothing seemed right about this (appointment).

"The management team was put together. Paddy was out of the game a long time and you look at how far football has evolved and how quickly it evolves.

Paddy Carr succeeded Declan Bonner as manager in October

"But can you blame Paddy Carr for the lack of effort in that game (against Mayo), you certainly can't!

"Now the fact that the the players have decided that it's Paddy that needs to go, it throws up a few questions around whether can you blame Paddy for this and the guys that are there coaching the team are staying on in charge."

With so little time between now and Donegal's Ulster Championship championship opener against Down in Newry on 23 April, the smart money is on O'Rourke and Bradley remaining in charge for the rest of the season although amid all the turmoil in the county, further developments cannot be ruled out.

Academy Convoy meeting now 'huge'

Carr's departure from the senior manager's job continues a torrid period for the county following Karl Lacey's resignation as chief of the Donegal Academy, which was due to be the sole issue on the agenda at a meeting of the county's clubs and board in Convoy on Thursday night.

Devenney believes the meeting now becomes "huge" for Donegal football following Carr's resignation.

"It will be a very interesting meeting because a lot of questions are going to be asked between the academy and the management and what's going on because the whole light of the national media is on Donegal at the moment."

2002 Armagh All-Ireland winner O'Rourke managed Louth between 2012 and 2014 and had two stints as assistant to James McCartan during his periods in charge of Down in addition to being part of Kieran McGeeney's backroom team in both Kildare and Armagh.

Carr was the late choice to succeed Declan Bonner in October after a protracted process with Rory Kavanagh looking set to land the job only to opt out of the race at the 11th hour.

Lacey stepped away from his academy role last month, citing a lack of support from the county's GAA board, and several coaches in the academy structure also exited in sympathy with the 2012 All-Ireland winner.

Last week, 2012 All-Ireland winning Donegal manager Jim McGuinness said that last autumn he had agreed to be part of Kavanagh's backroom team, which was also set to include Lacey, and had further offered to assist any other management team but that the county had ceased contact with him after Kavanagh's decision to opt out of the process.