Co Antrim Shield: Gary Haveron opens up on Glentoran tenure and the one thing he would change
Gary Haveron has no regrets over his ill-fated spell in charge at Glentoran but says he wished he had asked more questions before accepting the role at The Oval.
After cutting his teeth in management during an extremely successful spell at Carrick Rangers Haveron replaced Alan Kernaghan at the Glens in September 2016, admitting it was a "hard one to turn down".
It was a challenging time for the club on and off the pitch and just 17 months later Haveron's time in the hot seat had come to an end. There's no bitterness from the current Larne boss though, instead he looks at it as a learning experience as he feels he should have asked more about the situation the club found itself in.
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“The Glentoran job is so big it's a hard one to turn down when they come about," he said. “It's an incredibly attractive proposition, but the reality of it was I wish I asked more questions going into it because I would have been more aware of what was going on.
“A lot of things are outside your control as a manager and resources is one of them, you have to work within the confines of what a club can or cannot afford. I wish I had been more aware of what was going on but it was still a huge opportunity for me and it was an honour to manage a club like Glentoran. Sometimes these things happen for a reason, as one door closes another opens.
“Did it set me back? It sent me in a different direction. I left Glentoran on the Tuesday and near enough the next day Kenny Bruce came and gave me the opportunity to get involved in their youth set-up to coach the coaches."
Since Haveron's departure from The Oval a number of managers have come and gone despite the financial investment from Ali Pour. The 43-year-old does feel the club are in a good place now under the leadership of Declan Devine as they look to bag a first piece of silverware since 2020 when they take on Larne in the Co Antrim Shield on Tuesday night.
“Back then, Glentoran was a much different club to what it is now," said Haveron. “Financially the club was in dire straits and it was hard work if I'm truthful. You have to manage the expectations of the fanbase, which is huge. It's Glentoran Football Club and they are entitled to have huge expectations.
“What didn't marry up was what they had in order to attract players, the financial packages they could put together for people, the two just don't marry up and that was the reality of it then. Now they are marrying up the players they've got now with the right character and the right agenda alongside the expectations.
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“Glentoran look to be in a stable place right now. Obviously they had big investment from Ali Pour, and he continues to invest which is great for the Irish League because where was the league going without investment, maybe around in circles? It shook things up and ruffled feathers but every club is crying out for investment and Ali has made a massive impact. They seem to be in a much better place.”
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