Kennedy hits back as Howe is set for Celtic job
Spat with Norway boss over Ajer adds to Hoops headlines
John Kennedy has hit out at Norway manager Stale Solbakken in what looks like being one of his final acts as Celtic caretaker boss.
The Hoops are expected to name Eddie Howe as their new permanent manager this week, having now appeared to reach an agreement in principle for the Englishman to take charge. Where that will leave Kennedy, who oversaw a Scottish Cup tie against Falkirk last night, is unclear. Bournemouth technical director, Richard Hughes, has been lined up for a recruitment role, with the goahead believed to be given for Howe to bring in his own assistant.
Since stepping in on an interim basis following Neil Lennon’s exit, Kennedy has repeatedly stressed he is only focused on working in the best interests of Celtic in whatever role he is needed. And on that basis, he reacted angrily to claims from the Norwegian boss that Kris Ajer needed to leave the club for the good of his career. Solbakken’s argument that the 22-year-old defender was picking up bad habits playing in the Premiership was, Kennedy angrily countered: “disrespectful” to both Celtic and Scotland.
He said Celtic are a massive club who had helped Ajer get to where he is today.
John Kennedy has hit back at Stale Solbakken for saying Kris Ajer needs to leave Celtic.
The Hoops caretaker boss was left distinctly unimpressed by claims made by the Norway manager that the 22-year-old had picked up bad habits playing in Scotland.
Ajer is about to enter the final year of his contract, and his national boss believes now is the time for him to be moving on to one of the big five leagues.
Only by doing so, Solbakken argued, will he get the challenges he needs to develop.
“I thought it was disrespectful to both the league and the club,” said Kennedy. “We are a massive club in our own right, who compete in Europe every season.
“To come out with such a strong statement about what a player must do, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.
“It’s not his position to say that. If he wanted to have a private conversation with Kris over that, fine.
“But I certainly don’t think he should be coming out publicly, and telling a player what he should or shouldn’t do.
“Especially when you play at a club like Celtic. Anybody who has been at Celtic will have realised the size of it the minute they stepped through the door.
“The magnitude of it, the fan base and the expectation.
“We have had a huge part in Kris’s career to date, and how he has developed into the player he is. He has played a massive part in that development himself because he commits himself to it every day.
“Kris being in a different place? No doubt there will be interest in Kris because
of his profile, his age and where he is at. But I found the statement and the comments disrespectful towards ourselves.”
One man who is leaving Celtic is Nick Hammond, with the departure of the club’s Head of Football Operations announced in midweek. Fans have criticised him for his part in bringing in highprofile underachievers, but Kennedy argues a lot of good work has gone unnoticed. “During Nick’s time, he has put a lot of good processes in place, and a lot of groundwork, time and effort into getting personnel in the right areas that we will be looking at,” he said. “I am talking about building a structure, basically.
“Nick has stepped away and we respect his decision to do that.
“Personally, I had a really good time working with him. He was a really good guy – hard-working and honest.
Kennedy admitted the overhaul, which will see Celtic go into the 2021-22 campaign with a new Chief Executive, Director of Football, manager and captain, is the biggest he has ever seen in one go.
“Listen, the manager is a very important figure at your club, as is the Chief Executive,” he said. “But nobody is ever bigger than the club.
“So what the club does, and the reason you build the structures and the departments up, is so that when change happens, it can be subtle.
“It doesn’t have to be wholesale across every part of the club.
Meanwhile, Stephen Welsh says the sight of Kieran Tierney starring for Scotland has motivated him to try to kick on even further before the end of Celtic’s season.
“It is inspirational because it is down to his work-rate,” said Welsh. “Kieran has always had the ability, but his work-rate and determination has taken him to the next level.
“When I first started training with the senior team, he was just breaking through, so I had about a season-anda-half with him.
“Then he was injured a bit towards the end of his time at Celtic. But he worked harder than anyone else.
“Everyone at Under-20 level has the quality. But he worked so hard to get into the firstteam and by example.”