Scott Brown
Celtic legend signs off with cheeky jibe
John Kennedy believes getting the chance to manage Celtic has been the honour of his life.
Appointed as the Hoops interim boss in the wake of Neil Lennon’s departure, the 37-year-old Scot has led the club with a quiet dignity in the last three months.
That period is due to end, though, with Eddie Howe waiting in the wings to take charge on a permanent basis.
What will happen next for Kennedy is up in the air.
He could stay on at Celtic as club sporting director to help Howe with the bid or he could leave to manage elsewhere.
Hibs have previously tried to lure him away. Lennon ensured that bid was rejected but with no such blocks now, he would be sure to get offers.
Whatever he ends up doing, he is more than at peace, both with the effort he has put in since taking the post, and the decision to accept it in the first place.
“In terms of looking back later in life, it will be an experience that will have been really good for me, personally,” he said.
“Not so much for how the football has gone, but in terms of my experience being put in this environment and having to deal with the things I’ve had to deal with.
“The honour of my life? Yeah, it has been. I have appreciated the chance to do this.
“It hasn’t always felt quite real – it will probably be maybe next week when I sit back and realise what I have done.
“This whole time, through the three months, has been non-stop.
“And because it has been week to week, I’ve not really planned too far ahead. It has been game to game.
“Probably when I sit back and think about it, I will appreciate what has happened in the last three months and the position I have found myself in.
“For me, it almost feels like the end of an era. I have been here through some really good times, successful times when we have been on the crest of a wave.
“This year unfortunately has not worked out as we would have wished. The club captain is leaving, there will be changes in management and at board level.
“There will be a number of players leaving, loan players or whatever it might be. It is almost like we draw a line now. You look back and you reflect on what we have achieved over the years.
“You draw that line then it is time to rebuild and then you move on.”
What he has definitely discovered, is that being the man in the hot seat is very different to being a number two.
“Certainly, it’s a lot more exhausting,” he said. “You don’t fully understand it till you’re given the responsibility, with all the little things and jobs you have to do, whether it be leaving someone out of the squad or whatever.
“You’ve got a lot more focus on you and people to speak to and a lot more duties to carry out.”
Meanwhile, Kennedy is hoping that Turnbull will be called up by Scotland when Steve Clarke names his squad this week.
“I don’t know what Steve is thinking but in term of us, we know where the players are at, especially Dave Turnbull who has played all of the games and become a really important player for us,” he said.
Callum McGregor, James Forrest, Ryan Christie, Greg Taylor and, more of a long shot, Leigh Griffiths are the other Celts who could feature.