KENNEDY: I’LL BE MEETING THE NEW GAFFER BUT IT’S NOT AN INTERVIEW

Celtic Pittodrie, 7.45pm

JOHN KENNEDY has revealed he’s set for a first face-to-face meeting with Celtic’s new chief executive Dominic Mckay before the end of the week - but insists he won’t treat it as an interview for the manager’s job.

Caretaker boss Kennedy takes his team to Pittodrie tonight on the back of the Old Firm Scottish Cup defeat to Rangers which has effectively ended the club’s season and undermined his own hopes of landing the role on a permanent basis.

But he will hold talks with incoming CEO Mckay (above) on Friday as the new man in charge presses ahead with plans to overhaul the club’s management structure ahead of a massive summer rebuild.

Asked if he will go into the meeting as a viable candidate to replace Neil Lennnon in the hotseat Kennedy (right) said: “The conversation will be a casual one. I’ve never met him before so it’s very much about an introduction and a general chat about things. It’s not an interview. It’s not a case of me trying to make a pitch for the job – that’s never been my intention anyway.

“My intention has been purely to lead the club through this period and then, when the time comes, if somebody wants to sit down and have a chat about how the squad is looking and what everyone is thinking going forward, then we’ll have that conversation.”

Eddie Howe remains the frontrunner for the job but the Englishman has still not committed to the task of winning back the title from Rangers – leaving Kennedy still in the mix.

But the former Celtic defender accepts his time at the club could also be coming to an end.

He said: “Yeah it might. You always have to prepare for that as it’s the same year on year if anything changes and depending what’s going on.

“But it’s not something I overly stress about. I keep saying, I focus on what I can control at the moment which is preparing the team.

“Then if a hurdle comes along or a new challenge, whether it’s a change or anything else, I’ll address it and commit to it then.”

BY TONY BANKS

RALPH HASENHUTTL has told Southampton they must spend to strengthen their squad if they want to avoid another late-season slide.

Saints were top of the table in November, but 11 defeats in their last 14 league games saw them drop back into relegation danger. On Sunday their FA Cup final hopes were crushed by Leicester – and ahead of tonight’s trip to Tottenham, the Saints manager, when asked if fresh faces were needed this summer, was adamant.

Hasenhuttl (right) said: “No question. We are definitely stepping on the same spot all the time. We had one spell this season where we overperformed.

“But when you are not able to invest in the squad in the summer, you will end up again in the same position.”

Saints are still in contract negotiations with top scorer Danny

Ings and defender Ryan Bertrand, but expect to sign Theo Walcott on a permanent deal when his loan from Everton ends.

Although they are nine points clear of the drop zone, Hasenhuttl added: “We have six games to go and still need points. As soon as we get them, and we are safe, the better.”