No crisis for Kennedy as new boss inherits a stable set-up
It has not quite been a case of “meet the new boss, same as the old boss” for John Kennedy at Celtic this week.
But, while the differences in character and personality between Neil Lennon and Brendan Rodgers are obvious, Kennedy sees one crucial similarity which convinces him the champions can seamlessly conclude another trophy-laden season.
“They are both winners,” says Kennedy, a mainstay of the Celtic backroom staff who has been promoted to assistant manager under returning interim boss Lennon following Rodgers’ hasty departure to Leicester City.
“They have different management styles. Both are very driven to be successful, both thrive on this type of environment. Brendan is a bit more calm in assessing players and trying to put them in a mindset. Neil is very motivationbased. That’s a good skill to have.
“I’ve been in Neil’s company on matchdays before, looking from afar in the background, and the energy he has is second to none. He’s the same in training sessions.
“He has a different skill set to Brendan but, ultimately, he has been successful here before. A large chunk of players in the squad know him already and I’m sure he will come in and hit the ground running.”
That was certainly the case in Wednesday night’s dramatic stoppage-time 2-1 victory over Hearts at Tynecastle as Celtic maintained their eight-point lead over Rangers at the top of the Premiership.
Lennon’s immediate task is to oversee the completion of the “triple treble” Celtic were firmly on course to achieve under Rodgers. In the next step they face Hibs at Easter Road in tomorrow’s Scottish Cup quarter-final.
Kennedy has no doubt Lennon will emerge as a compelling candidate to be re-appointed Celtic manager on a permanent basis this summer.
“It’s a short period from now until the end of the season but I know what Neil’s like and he’s a born winner,” Kennedy added.
“He wants to come in and achieve things, knowing the culture here. He knows the environment so nothing is going to shock him, nothing is going to surprise him.
“As soon as he stepped into the role, he knew what he was walking into. He will quickly assess the players but, having been around the games and having been with Hibs this season, he’ll already have a good grasp on who they are and what they are about. He’ll now just get to know them a bit more intimately and build relationships.
“I’m sure he’ll be a huge success and then in the summer we’ll see where the thing goes. But he would certainly be one, longer term, who would be a strong candidate.”
Whatever the make-up of the Celtic management team next season, Kennedy seems assured of his place in it. One of the first-team coaching staff since 2014, his commitment to the club meant fol- lowing Rodgers to Leicester this week was never an option in the 35-year-old’s mind.
“A lot of people say they’ve got a close attachment with this club and that kind of stuff,” he said. “But I’ve spent a large chunk of my life here in terms of being a player and working behind the scenes. There’s certainly an emotional attachment there. To leave would be very difficult for me.
“This is another great opportunity for me to move up and progress and hopefully finish the job that’s been started this season.
“Brendan did a terrific job in his two and a half years. The club is in a very good place. The staff are all very solid and reliable. Neil is coming into an environment in which he’ll flourish. He’s going to add to it in terms of his personality and how he deals with things. Everyone will pull together to do well.
“Often when these things happen, with a manager moving on, it can be a moment of crisis or turmoil and players aren’t confident and things are all over the place. But, behind the scenes here, things are very stable. Neil will add to that, put his stamp on it and we kick on from there.
“I don’t envisage my own role changing too much. My title has changed but on a day-to-day basis, myself and Chris Davies would do a lot of the training anyway when Brendan was here.
“We did a lot of the dialogue with the players in terms of their preparation leading into games and post-match analysis. You have the manager who will be the face and do the management things.
“Underneath that, whether you’re assistant or first-team coach, it’s important everyone pulls together to deliver what the manager needs. I’ll continue to do that and with any role, I’ll give it my all.”
Stephen Halliday