Celtic finally confirm John Kennedy’s departure

For all the noise surrounding Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation, Kennedy’s own departure might end up being the more telling moment. After all, this is a man who stayed through every storm, and there’s been a fair few. Kennedy has seen it all, from his early promise as a defender cruelly cut short by injury, to his time as a coach trusted by a succession of managers.

It should also be noted that he remained when others left, such as when Rodgers first departed for Leicester, despite being invited to follow, and when Ange Postecoglou headed to Tottenham, despite the offer to go again.

There were also moments where Scottish top flight clubs sought to offer him a management position, but he remained. Kennedy then was Celtic through and through, perhaps an underappreciated but nonetheless steady hand behind the scenes, bridging the eras and the egos alike.

So, when he decided that this was the time to go, it raised eyebrows.

Of course, there are innocent explanations. Kennedy may simply have felt he needed a new challenge after nearly three decades at one club. Perhaps he saw the writing on the wall, that Shaun Maloney’s elevation in the reshuffle suggested his own ceiling had been reached. He’s earned the right to spread his wings, and few would begrudge him that.

But given the wider context, it’s hard not to see some symbolism here.

Rodgers’ resignation has clearly shaken Celtic’s foundations. The fallout, from Dermot Desmond’s pointed statement on the club website, to the tabloid briefings that preceded it, painted a picture of rupture between boardroom and dugout, it all felt disconcertingly public and personal too.

Kennedy’s decision to go at the same time as Rodgers, then, feels less like insubordination and more like solidarity. Perhaps he simply couldn’t square his values with the tone of recent events. Or perhaps, more pragmatically, he knows where Rodgers is headed next, as Saudi rumours grow louder, and intends to join his old boss on a new adventure. Either way, his timing sends the message that this wasn’t business as usual.

As Shaun Maloney noted yesterday, the players had to be lifted after Rodgers’ departure, but that may have as much to do with the loss of almost the entire backroom staff. Kennedy, in particular, was seen as the bridge between the players and the manager. A one-on-one confidant for many in the first team, trusted and respected throughout the squad, so it is likely his absence will be deeply felt in the dressing room.

Celtic have now issued an official response to the departures of Brendan Rodgers’ backroom team, including Kennedy via the club’s official website. The club statement reads:

“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.”

It’s the kind of tidy, corporate announcement that covers all bases, but it also arguably misses the human side of the story. After 27 years of service in several capacities, John Kennedy surely deserved more than a passing mention in a grouped coaching update. Hopefully that will be rectified.

After all this is a man who has given his career to Celtic. A man who stayed through thick and thin, bridged countless transitions, and earned the respect of every player he worked with.

Surely, for all he’s done, John Kennedy warrants his own public tribute, that wee moment of individual acknowledgment, not just a paragraph in a personnel shuffle release. He’s been part of Celtic’s fabric for nearly three decades, he deserves more than that. Hopefully Celtic will remedy that oversight in due course.

In the meantime, from The Celtic Star, our sincere thanks must go to John Kennedy. From player, to coach, and more, he served Celtic with distinction.

Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter, signed copies by Danny McGrain available from celticstarbooks.com 

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