Peter Canavan would love to manage Mayo - because they remind him of Tyrone pre-2003.

Similar to Mayo, the Red Hands had been perennial bridesmaids before they finally crashed through the mental barrier and won their first All-Ireland with Canavan as captain.

"If I was asked to manage any county besides my own, Mayo would top my list. Okay, some of you might say that I need my head examined, but there are several reasons why I wouldn't mind getting my hands on them - not least because of the similarities with Tyrone pre-2003," the Sky Sports pundit writes in the Irish Independent.

"As a player who soldiered on Tyrone teams that became known as the 'nearly men', I know what it's like to cope with repeated failure.

"There's nothing worse than the disappointment of leaving Croke Park with a wounded tail between your legs, and then bracing yourself for the 'knockers' to jump on your back. I can tell you it's a lonely place, particularly when you have a bunch of fanatical supporters who you feel you've let down.

"Mayo now carry that unwanted tag. They've knocked that many times on the door of Sam Maguire that it's in danger of collapsing back on top of them, but it's time they realised that the only way is to just storm through the door and pull the hinges off.

"Aside from having a soft spot for them, another reason why Mayo are such a tempting prospect from a coaching point of view is because of the huge well of talent they possess.

"Talent, however, only gets you so far at the highest level. Last month's defeat to Galway emphasised that point for the umpteenth time."

Canavan reckons Mayo can still have a major say in this year's championship and feels his former Fermanagh charges could be facing a backlash in Castlebar tomorrow.

"The good thing from the players' point of view is they still have it within their own control to answer their critics. Have they got the stomach to?

I'd be astonished if we don't see Mayo go out and lay down a marker against Fermanagh tomorrow. In many ways, this is the ideal draw for them because their opponents are a well-organised unit whose unflinching honesty will ask questions of Mayo," he added.

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