Kennedy: No Gers guard of honour
Kennedy: Rangers have had their moment but they can’t match our unbeaten Treble
JOHN KENNEDY insists Celtic WON’T be giving Rangers a guard of honour at Celtic Park – as payback for the Ibrox club’s snub in 2019. The Hoops squad were urged by former gaffer Brendan Rodgers to show “humility and class” by paying tribute to the newlycrowned champions ahead of tomorrow’s showdown.
But Celts have not forgotten Rangers failing to make a similar gesture when they went to Ibrox as champs
JOHN KENNEDY takes a lot of pride in being a Celtic Invincible – but he’s not out to guard one of Scottish football’s great records this weekend.
The Hoops interim boss insists the unbeaten Parkhead class of 2016/17 won’t be topped by Rangers no matter what happens in the rest of this season.
Steven Gerrard’s Gers haven’t lost on their way to the title and are aiming to finish the campaign without a blemish like Brendan Rodgers’ side four years ago.
But Kennedy is adamant it doesn’t matter if they do – because that Celtic side will always have the upper hand as they completed the Treble.
Rangers were bounced out of the Betfred Cup by St Mirren but are in the hunt for the double, while it’s about pride at Parkhead and the battle for the Scottish Cup.
Kennedy is demanding his troops rise to the challenge against Gers tomorrow but he bristled at the suggestion he’s out to deny their big rivals in their bid to become Invincibles.
The stand-in boss said: “It’s important because it’s part of our history and we’re very proud of that.
“We also went a full season, winning each trophy. So that in isolation is a bigger achievement.
“We’ll not use it as extra motivation. We have set the marker in previous seasons. We have cleaned up domestically in previous seasons. Rangers have had their moment. But we want it to be a moment.
“What is the difference? Winning more trophies probably. Especially in knockout competitions, it only takes one game to be off the boil and you’re out. That period of being so successful is a huge achievement.
“As much as we all acknowledge it, in later years when it can’t be repeated, we will probably look back on it and say ‘wow, that must have been an unbelievable team’.
“We’ve had a big setback this season with the league campaign but you don’t just become a poor team overnight. So we need to get back to our levels and we want to show that on Sunday.
“The thing now is how we perform, the result we get and the impact on things going forward.
“It will not be an extra incentive for the players to stop Rangers. It’s more about us now, what we deliver, how we perform and results we get.”
Kennedy has been in with the bricks at Parkhead for more than two decades and he knows his barbed comments will get a rise out of the old rivals.
This is not a man who throws words around casually and no doubt a carefully-aimed shot is designed to get under the skin across the city as well as motivating his own squad.
Kennedy knows these games matter – regardless of the context. The former centre-back didn’t play in as many of these clashes as his ability promised as he was cut down in his prime.
His final match before the careerdefining injury with Scotland against Romania in 2004 was an Old Firm win at Ibrox, just three days after keeping a clean sheet in the famous 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp. It was happier days than right now but Kennedy reckons a derby win is always something to savour.
He said: “That was a good time. It was just before my first injury too. Ibrox was my last game for Celtic before it happened.
“It was a good result and it’s a great feeling to win this game.
“When you’re involved in it, and you’ve grown up with it as well, it’s not just about the game. You’re involved in the game and the concentration is on that, but it’s the outcome as well.
“It’s such a big match. Emotionally after that, you want to be on the winning side. It means a helluva lot to you as a player, as a team, a club and your support.
“It’s about the game and dealing with that, you need to take care of that.
“And beyond that, there is the thrill it gives everyone involved in the club. We want that feeling. There is nothing worse than being on the receiving end of that and being on the end of a defeat. You have to live with that and deal with that.
“We want to make sure that we go with big energy into the game. Go on the attack, control the game as much as we can, get a big result.”
Kennedy wants to give the Celtic support something to cheer about after a brutal 12 months.
He said: “We owe it to ourselves as much as the fans. We all accept that responsibility. It’s been a really difficult season for the fans.
“One, because they’ve put their money into the club when they’ve not been able to attend the games. And because of the way the season has gone, it becomes very frustrating for everyone.
“The fact that you can’t get in and support the team as well, that’s very difficult.
“As much as we owe it to everyone, it’s always about what we do on the field to give the fans that joy and that pride in their team.”
We have set the marker in previous seasons, we cleaned up domestically JOHN KENNEDY ON CELTS’ DOMINANT CAMPAIGN