Haveron’s first game as official head coach will be Larne’s final Conference League clash against Belgian side Gent at Windsor Park on Thursday night — after the Belfast Telegraph revealed that Nathan Rooney does not hold the Uefa Pro Licence that is required to manage in Europe.
While Rooney has been handed a Head of Football role at Inver Park, former Glentoran manager Haveron is aiming to steer Larne to a first point following defeats to Molde, Olimpija Ljubljana, Shamrock Rovers, St Gallen and Dinamo Minsk.
A 4-1 humbling against Shamrock Rovers in an all-Ireland clash at Windsor Park was a bitter disappointment, highlighting both sides’ contrasting experience at this level.
Larne hit the £2.6m jackpot when they qualified for the League Phase of the Conference League but since then manager Tiernan Lynch has left and the club have struggled to balance European and domestic commitments.
The Invermen sit bottom of the Conference League standings after five games — the only side without a point — and Haveron admits the club are not yet ready to taste success at this level.
“Four or five years ago we didn’t have a single professional club in this country — until Kenny (Bruce) started to introduce a full-time model and other clubs tried to follow suit,” stated the 43-year-old.
“It took Shamrock Rovers 14 League games within the Uefa Conference League to get a result. They have been consistently qualifying for Europe and it has been a steep learning curve for them and now us.
“It’s the reality of where we are in terms of being professional and full-time. We would love to emulate what Rovers have done but it takes time.”
Haveron added: “You have to go through these stages and experiences to come back as better coaches and players.
“The club will be better from the experience.
“Apart from the Rovers game, we can hold our heads high but you are facing teams that have massive European history and have experience at this level.
“The club has to take this learning and improve as we move forward.”
While enduring pain on the European stage, Larne’s title defence has also failed to gain momentum.
The champions have fallen 22 points behind leaders Linfield, with the Blues having played six games more.
“There is massive learning for us in how you must adapt to the demands,” admitted Haveron.
“You see teams like Real Madrid flip effortlessly between different competitions, but they probably have a support system around the players where two or three people can look after one person.
“We are not afforded that luxury and for our boys it’s about adapting to the challenge and preparing for the next game.
“The preparation that goes into each match is vital for us and we haven’t had that preparation time.
“There has been major focus on European games and then the boys will suffer from fatigue, physically and mentally.
“There is only so much work then that you can do on the training pitch.
“It has certainly been difficult for us to switch between the two demands of the Irish League and Europe.”
There has been criticism of Larne following the licence fiasco after Rooney’s appointment.
It’s a shocking development made even more alarming by the club’s reputation of being a blueprint for how Irish League success can be attained.
This latest embarrassment to club owner Kenny Bruce comes after Larne were forced to play their European games at Solitude last year because the pitch at Inver Park was not up to scratch for European football.
Former midfielder Andy Mitchell, meanwhile, has also left his role as youth technical director to join Tiernan Lynch at Derry.
From Haveron’s perspective, he will take the hits and come out fighting for the club.
“That (the criticism) is beyond my control, I just look after the football matters and make sure the boys are in the best place possible ahead of every game,” he added. “I have to get the best out of the lads and there are different ways of doing that. I have a good relationship with the players and that is why I have been entrusted with the role.
“It’s important that we build on that and motivate the boys so they are walking off the pitch with their heads held high and proud of their performance.”
The restructure at Larne sees Haveron calling the shots in the dugout at his hometown club.
Recently appointed manager Rooney’s responsibilities have shifted — for now.
“I’m not a one man show, we are all one big unit like the one Tiernan implemented,” said Haveron.
“Roles have changed but we remain committed to the same cause.
“There is so much responsibility in the head of football role which Tiernan also had. Nathan will oversee our scholarship programme, the academy and the whole club, including player pathway. He will be very successful in that role.”
“It’s a team effort at Larne in training, it always has been a collective thing.
“It’s well documented what Kenny has done for the club and the town, where I am born and bred.
“It’s a huge honour for me to be leading this team and working with boys like Mark (Randall) and the other players.
“The massive honour is not lost on me as we are representing our families and the community where it feels like I know everyone.
“We don’t want to let those people down, we have shown we are a team to be reckoned with domestically and hopefully in Europe as well.”
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Publish date : 2024-12-18 12:57:00
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The post Irish League: Larne’s Gary Haveron says Invermen out of depth in Europe but must strive to be like Shamrock Rovers first appeared on Love Europe.
Author : love-europe
Publish date : 2024-12-19 00:22:38
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