Coleraine boss Oran Kearney has hit back at the “conspiracy theories” around his much heralded return to the Showgrounds.
Online cynics had billed the 40-year-old’s appointment after a summer of speculation one of the Irish League’s worst kept secrets.
But Kearney, who has signed an initial two year deal with the option to extend, insists he didn’t envisage a return to the Bannsiders.
He also pointed out Coleraine were keen to appoint Dundalk assistant boss Ruaidhri Higgins two weeks ago, only for the League of Ireland champions to reject an approach.
The former Linfield midfielder, who parted company with St Mirren last week after just 10 months with the SPFL club, said: “I’d be bloody Houdini if I could set up half the things people have suggested.
“Some of the conspiracy theories on social media are interesting to say the least.
“I just thank my lucky stars Dundalk wouldn’t let Coleraine speak to Ruaidhri Higgins - if it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t be sitting here.
“If you’d told me 10 days ago I’d be in this scenario, I wouldn’t have believed you,
but football like life can change very quickly and circumstances change.”
Kearney, who led Coleraine to Irish Cup glory in May 2018, returns to the club less than a year after being appointed St Mirren boss.
He kept the Buddies in the SPFL via the playoffs but parted company with the Paisley club after an apparent falling out with the chairman.
“It has been a testing time, but I’ve no regrets,” he said. “My remit was to keep the club in the top flight and having achieved that, I felt we could build on that.
“For that to change so quickly was a huge disappointment and it has been a tough couple of weeks, but it hasn’t scarred me and I’m looking forward now.
“I learned a huge amount in Scotland and I believe I’m returning here a better manager. As much as there were tough and testing times last season, it was character building.
“The trials and tribulations I went through were worth five or six years as a manager and it is a brilliant experience to have in my locker.”
Kearney returns to Coleraine 55 days after the club parted with Rodney McAree following a sixth-place finish last season.
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