Former Irish League boss feels there's 'another rebuild' ahead for Larne after Nathan Rooney's shock exit

Rooney departed his role at Inver Park on Monday after overseeing just one Premiership fixture of the new campaign – an opening day defeat to Coleraine.

The 35-year-old was initially appointed as Tiernan Lynch’s successor last year, but was quickly moved into a new Head of Football position when it emerged he didn’t hold the required licence to lead Larne in the Conference League.

Having been accepted onto the Irish FA’s Pro Licence course earlier this year, Rooney was reinstated as Inver Reds chief ahead of the new season, taking over from interim boss Gary Haveron.

Rooney led Larne into the Conference League’s third qualifying round, overseeing penalty shootout wins against FK Auda and Pristhina before their run came to an end with a 3-0 aggregate defeat to Portuguese outfit Santa Clara.

Larne confirmed Rooney, who arrived from FCB Magpies, had “left the club by mutual consent” with the move a “decision taken in line with implementing our long-term football strategy and what we believe will gives us the best possible opportunity to succeed in the years to come”.

The Daily Record have since reported that Rooney is interested in taking up the vacant position at Scottish second-tier outfit Airdrie.

Shiels, who was in charge of Coleraine before being replaced by Ruaidhri Higgins in May, has noticed a difference in Larne’s transfer activity in recent windows.

"No, I don’t think it is (related to matters on the pitch),” Shiels told BBC Sportsound. “There’s a valid point around the stability Larne had when Tiernan and Kenny Bruce were there.

"I think possibly the strange timing of when Tiernan left after they’d just got into the League Phase, Tiernan maybe seen the writing on the wall in regards to the direction the club was going at the time.

"They were so aggressive in the transfer market over so many windows and they haven’t been over the last couple.

"With one game into the season, I don’t think there’s any panic.

"His latest interview on the club’s channel was about just getting started, so I think from that interview to then departing the club there has to have been a lot of meaningful conversations or disagreements.

"Maybe Nathan Rooney didn’t know what he was coming into in regards to the direction the club was going...there were reports they were playing well in pre-season and in Europe.

"The group looked like they were playing for him, but it’s football and they’ve parted ways and there’s another rebuild for them.”

The News Letter reported on Thursday that Haveron was currently considered to be favourite to take over on a permanent basis, but there’s been plenty of interest in the Larne vacancy.

After Friday’s 4-0 win over Portadown, Haveron revealed he’d be having conversations with the club’s new ownership to see what lies ahead.

"I've been at the club eight years and I've loved every second...it has been unbelievable learning under Tiernan (Lynch) and briefly Nathan," Haveron was quoted on BBC Sport NI. "I’m enjoying preparing the boys for games but the owners will decide what they want to do and we'll try to move forward.

"We will talk with them at the weekend and any role they ask me to do I will do."