Ciarán Whelan: Mickey Harte has to deliver an All-Ireland to Derry

Ciarán Whelan does not expect Mickey Harte to tweak things too much in his first year as Derry football manager, adding that delivering Sam Maguire has to be the aim come the end of July.

It's fair to say it was more than just a mild surprise when Harte stepped down as Louth boss last September to succeed Ciarán Meenagh in the Oak Leaf hotseat.

A former Tyrone manager, and a successful one at that, now guiding the neighbours. Ex-Red Hand players, such as Seán Cavanagh, were finding it hard to get their head around it. But we are where we are, and Harte has settled into his new post.

On Saturday last, Derry claimed the Dr McKenna Cup, defeating Donegal in the final. This weekend sees the reigning Ulster champions begin their Division 1 campaign away to Kerry.

It's a repeat of last year's All-Ireland semi-final, where Derry ran the Kingdom close. Harte, now 72, still feels he can deliver the big prize again. Derry's improvement over the last couple of years shows that they are on the right track.

When asked what the expectation will be for Harte and Derry in the months ahead, Ciarán Whelan, when speaking on the RTÉ GAA Podcast, said: "It's to deliver an All-Ireland in my view."

In order for that to happen, the former Dublin midfielder doesn't expect Harte to change a whole lot with regard to Derry's gameplan.

"I don't think he can afford to change, if he does go in and tries to tweak a lot it could backfire," Whelan added.

"There is the expectation that they are at the top of the ladder, one or two more rings to go. He can't take that risk.

"Derry were one of the most organised teams in terms of their structure, their set-plays, in how they play the game. They were very rigid defensively and we know how they evolved offensively