A STARTER FOR TEN IN A ROW
Kennedy’s mind is on next Celtic milestone
JOHN KENNEDY has had much to reflect upon since Celtic achieved a ninth consecutive title.
There’s been his family’s pride, the ache of being unable to celebrate properly with loved ones, the knowledge that his late grandfather — proud to have worn the Hoops — would be cheering on the current Parkhead squad.
These all matter a great deal to Kennedy.
Yet even as he thinks about what Neil Lennon’s men have done in equalling the previous feats of Jock Stein’s side between 1966 and 1974, and Rangers between 1989 and 1997, he can’t help but look forward.
A record-breaking ten-in-a-row is firmly in the sights of everyone at Celtic. Resting on their place in history simply isn’t part of the plan.
‘Ten is the next milestone now for everyone,’ said the assistant coach, now firmly established as Lennon’s right-hand man.
‘We’re in a position to make it happen. We’ve already put nine behind us. The focus is now on ten.
‘Pretty much after last week’s celebrations we had a meeting and it was about the next season.
‘Of course, you still enjoy the feeling of nine and you savour it.
‘But quickly, we also switched on to how we were going to set things up for going back to training, what does the squad require, what decisions we need to make, what’s going to allow us to attack this season as we always do.
‘It’s how we’ve always operated. You quickly need to bring a focus back to things and make sure everything’s ready.
‘And of course, as soon as the players — who have done so much fitness work on their own anyway — report back then immediately there are new targets.
‘We’ve been relentless over the years and that’s why we’ve been so successful. It’s not going to change.
‘The players, to be fair, motivate themselves. We’ve got a stable group and the new boys who came in very quickly adjusted.
‘We’ve got born winners in the squad. They’ve all tasted success now and they want more and more of it.
‘There’s also a few who have tasted the other side of it and that makes them all the more appreciative of silverware — and fuels their desire for a lot more.
‘We’ve been relentless with winning — and no one’s ready to ease up on that.
‘We’ve got a group of brilliant professionals, really talented. They are also supported by a strong backroom staff.
‘For as long as me and Neil are in place there will be no let up in the desire to be successful. This is Celtic. It’s about winning trophies.
‘But the message is always clear: there’s still work to be done, we always want to move forward.
‘The minute we stop and admire all the work we’ve done, and tell each other we’ve been wonderful, everybody else will catch up and that’s when things will change.
‘You’re not always going to win every trophy every season. At some point it’s going to stop. But we’ll keep on striving.
‘It’s probably only when I’m an old man that I’ll take time out to properly reflect on what’s been achieved here.’
Kennedy, whose playing career for club and country was cruelly cut short by injury, is the grandson of ex-Celtic and Manchester United favourite Jimmy Delaney.
The young Kennedy grew up listening to the great man tell stories about the club.
Recalling his upbringing by parents Anne-Marie and John senior, he said: ‘There was actually more about Celtic when I was growing up from my mum’s side and my grandfather who was a big player for Celtic, Manchester United and Scotland.
‘My grandfather would tell me stories of past success at the club. I know if he was here just now he would be very proud of the success Celtic have been enjoying.
‘What he achieved in football has always been a source of inspiration for me. It was special for my mum to see me follow in his footsteps playing for Celtic.
‘Celtic getting nine-in-a-row has been massive for my family too. My mum, my dad, the rest of the family, it’s been fantastic for everyone.
‘The toughest aspect has been the fact we can’t properly celebrate together because of the times we’re living in.
‘When the time’s right it will be nice to have a few handshakes and hugs.’
Plenty has been said about Celtic’s achievement in hitting the nine, a journey involving three different managers and a changing cast — with a couple of noticeable exceptions — on the playing side.
Kennedy, appointed assistant when Lennon stepped into the breach in February of last year, has been part of the set-up for the entire run, in one post or another.
‘It’s remarkable, what all the managers and players involved have done to get us to this point,’ he said. ‘It takes a hell of a lot of hard work and consistency. Not just results and titles, there’s been a steady progression at the club off the field, culturally, professionally.
‘There’s been that desire to become the country’s dominating force while at the same time try to progress in Europe. The club has developed so much in other areas.
We’ve already put nine behind us... that’s how we operate
‘As a player I probably never thought of nine-in-a-row, mainly because I was injured more often than not! But, as a coach, eventually it does start to enter the mind.
‘When you get to five and six titles, others start to talk about it. Nine and ten have been spoken about for a number of years.
‘But, as much as you are aware of it, and you want to achieve it, you can’t look too far ahead.
‘The approach we’ve always had has been not to get caught off guard. You have to concentrate on the here and now — and by doing that it can get us where we want to go.
‘There’s been a humility — it’s why we’ve been so successful. We never get too carried away.
‘It doesn’t matter if it’s been individual results or a trophy won, the same attitude has applied.
‘We celebrate it like we deserve to but we also quickly focus again on what is important.’