Celtic have finally acknowledged that John Kennedy has left the club.
After 27 years as player, coach and assistant manager he was mentioned in a 93 word statement at 10.48am this morning, Two training sessions after he left.
Kennedy is given the same ‘respect’ as Adam Sadler, Jack Lyons and Glen Driscoll. All four have left the club, no reasons are given, no gushing comments. Not a peep from Michael Nicholson, Peter Lawwell.
SHAMED INTO COMMENT
In truth the club were shamed into announcing the departure of Kennedy. A full 37 hours after they had announced the resignation of Brendan Rodgers, so far there has been no statement from Dermot Desmond.
At yesterday’s media conference Shaun Maloney and Martin O’Neill were both asked about Kennedy, neither looked comfortable or convincing. Their answers were along the lines of ‘these things happen in football’. Bang goes the manufactured theory about #thecelticfamily
Celtic stated:
Celtic Football Club can confirm today that Assistant Manager John Kennedy, coaches Adam Sadler and Jack Lyons, and Head of Performance Glen Driscoll have left the Club with immediate effect.
We thank each of them for their contribution to Celtic and we wish them all well for the future.
We are pleased to welcome former Celtic Captain Stephen McManus and former Celtic player Mark Fotheringham into our first team coaching set-up, where they will join Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney on an interim basis, alongside coaches Stephen Woods, Gavin Strachan and Greg Wallace.
Over the next 10 days Celtic have an SPFL match on the back of two defeats in that competition. Followed by a cup semi-final and European away tie.
As well as a brand new management team and coaching team the team on the park is very new.
Injuries to Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston and Kelechi Iheanacho have exposed the lack of squad depth. At Tynecastle on Sunday Colby Donovan and Dane Murray both started their second match in the SPFL Premiership. That wasn’t through choice, it wasn’t a vote of confidence in the Celtic Academy.
DEEP PROBLEMS AND ISSUES
Last season Murray played 20 games on loan at Queens Park in the Championship before being recalled. Donovan spent last season in the dessert known as the Lowland League.
Both were ill-equipped and under prepared for Tynecastle, sadly it showed.
Behind the scenes the chaos that is Celtic has been highlighted over the last 48 hours.
The chain of events from the final whistle away to Hearts to the resignation of Rodgers remains a complete mystery.
That detail has been overwhelmed by the statement from Dermot Desmond. In terms of news management it is an award winner but not the way that you’d want it.
WHO’S NEXT?
No credible manager will go near the Celtic vacancy. The CEO of the club is in hiding while a rogue Non-executive director is trying to trash the record of a manager that deliver 11 out of 13 domestic trophies. Who set up the quadruple treble, who delivered a Champions League knock-out tie as recently as February.
O’Neill and Maloney were in place when that statement came out. Clearly self interest and self promotion are their motivations. Neither are about to get an offer to join a club that played in last season’s Champions League.
Tonight at 7pm the Celtic Fans Collective will gather outside the front door and make their feelings known. Thousands of others will in the form of empty seats.
Playing the nostalgia card through O’Neill is a short term fix. Real, proper change is needed more than ever with the Collective watching and highlighting every shambles under Nicholson Productions.
