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John Kennedy

Discussion in 'Celtic Chat' started by LectersLuncheon, May 15, 2016.

Discuss John Kennedy in the Celtic Chat area at TalkCeltic.net.

  1. Doogs. Lustig your the one, you still turn me on.

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    I’ve actually swung back round to really liking him. He annoyed the life out me during Lennons second spell wae his face constantly tripping him, but, looking back who could blame him.

    Ange seems to really enjoy working with him and Strachan.
     
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  2. Henrik 07 Gold Member Gold Member

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    After another impressive league win at the weekend, the Celtic squad are now focusing on the Scottish Cup and the visit of St Mirren to Celtic Park this Saturday.

    The sides met back in January when the Hoops won 4-0, although the Paisley side are the only team to have beaten Celtic domestically this season, with a 2-0 home win in September.

    The objective for Celtic, of course, is to ensure that they are in the draw for the quarter-final of the competition, and the preparations at Lennoxtown are on ensuring that happens.

    Assistant manager, John Kennedy, spoke exclusively to Celtic TV this week, and looked ahead to the Saturday evening kick-off.

    “From a mindset perspective, we’ve got to be prepared for the fact that it’s a cup-tie and you lose it then you’re out of the competition,” he said.

    “In a league game, we’ve got a number of games where we know that what matters is where you are at the end of it.

    '“In a cup game you have to perform on the day, so we have to make sure we’re consistent, the way that we’ve been, but on that day go out and deliver a performance because that’s what we do.'

    “We train and we work and everything leads to that performance, so it’s important that when the cup games come around, we perform the way we would expect and if not, then we’ve got to fight and work and make sure we’re in the next round.”








    Kyogo was on the scoresheet in that 4-0 January win over St Mirren, scoring twice on the day.

    The Japanese striker has now netted 22 goals this season, and over and above his goals, John Kennedy also highlighted how much Kyogo contributes to the team.

    “He’s a very humble guy and I think he appreciates what the fans offer the team,” the Celtic assistant manager said, “and I think he takes a great lift from that, scoring in front of the crowd.

    “You can see him straight away, the first thing he does is go straight over to the crowd, and at the end of the games he’s usually the one up front leading the party, but he’s not like that at all.

    'He goes around the training ground, he’s very quiet. Out on the training pitch, he works ever so hard, like the rest of them do, and just gets on with his business.'

    “That’s testament to the type of character he is, and it’s great to see these type of guys getting the rewards because we see how much he does behind the scenes.

    “The fans see him on a matchday out there performing and scoring the goals, and he makes it look so easy but he puts a lot of work in behind the scenes to make that happen.”
     
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  3. HatsmyBhoy

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    I'm glad we're looking after him since his injury playing for the huns, but not sure he's up to coaching at the top level
     
  4. Callum McGregor The Captain Gold Member

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    Eh?
     
  5. HatsmyBhoy

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    They're sometimes called Scotland. Even if the players aren't all huns, we know the establishment is.
     
  6. Callum McGregor The Captain Gold Member

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    Embarrassed for you. :giggle1:
     
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  7. HatsmyBhoy

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    Don't be. If I wanted somebody to be embarrassed I 'd do it myself
     
  8. Henrik 07 Gold Member Gold Member

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  9. Bhoyyo

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    Mad what Ange achieved last season without appointing his own backroom staff
     
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  10. Zander Gold Member Gold Member

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    He might have the biggest nose I've ever seen
     
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  11. PaddyJamieson

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    It's like that Steve Martin film Roxanne with a lovely young Daryl Hannah. Prosthetics must be involved.
     
  12. Henrik 07 Gold Member Gold Member

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    The Scottish Cup fifth-round beckons at Celtic Park this Saturday, with the Hoops battling it out with St Mirren for a place in the quarter-final draw.

    The sides met three weeks ago, when the Hoops ran out 4-0 winners, while St Mirren can boast of being the only team to have beaten Ange Postecoglou's side this season.

    However, Celtic assistant manager, John Kennedy is adamant that everyone at Celtic Park is only concentrating on the positives of the team’s ongoing recent form.

    Speaking ahead of the game, Kennedy said: “That’s the excitement of cup football for everyone watching. We’ve seen it recently in England with cup shocks, it’s spoken about every year but, we don’t want to focus too much on that.

    'Our recent form, that’s where we mainly focus, but we also have to park that and remember that it’s a new challenge ahead of us.'

    “Stephen’s built a really good squad there. They’ve been very strong most of the season, they’re in a good place and he’s obviously added some faces as well.

    “So we know it will be a tough game. They’re a very hard-working side, very well-organised and disciplined, and it will be up to us to go and break that down, and make sure we are aware of their strengths.

    “So credit to Stephen and his staff, he’s done well, but ultimately, tomorrow we are determined to get through to the next round, so we have to focus ourselves and make sure we get the job done.”




    That 4-0 win over St Mirren was one over a six-game run of clean sheets, broken only by last weekend’s 4-1 win over St Johnstone.

    Still, one goal shipped in seven games is the mark of a consistently-winning side and, as a former defender himself, Kennedy is proud of the team’s protective play – at both ends of the pitch.

    He said: “I much prefer the goals going in the other way, it’s more exciting! But, again, the foundation of our game is based around how the team defends and how we work.

    “I think the key thing that goes unnoticed is that the team scores a lot of goals that come from all areas of the pitch with a lot of exciting football.

    ‘But the way we defend, from the top end of the pitch back, is credit to the players in the way they execute that plan because we always feel that stimulates our game anyway.’

    “If we start with good energy on the front foot, be aggressive, the attacking stuff we know will pretty much fall into place.

    “If we’re a bit loose in how we press, a bit lazy in terms of how we shut things down in an enclosed space, then sometimes things can get a bit sloppy.

    “So the key message is maintain our intensity, maintain our ability to press teams, we’ll put them on the back foot and we can dominate as far up the pitch as we possibly can.

    “That’s what our defensive game is all about. It’s not about sitting back and defending our box, or how well we defend our box, we want to defend as far away from the box as possible.

    “That’s been shown in a lot of our games recently in terms of the number of chances we’ve conceded. That stops teams from getting big moments where they can cause you damage, so credit to the team.

    “They are in good shape and they’ve shown great resilience in terms of the challenge, but there is a consistency in performing and doing all the dirty parts of the game as well.”
     
    Last edited: Feb 10, 2023
  13. Henrik 07 Gold Member Gold Member

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    John Kennedy says Celtic have an ideal system to cope with the loss of big name exits from their squad.

    The assistant manager has been by the side of boss Ange Postecoglou throughout his season and-a-half in Glasgow, where the likes of Odsonne Edouard, Kristoffer Ajer and Ryan Christie departed in his first summer. Another important duo have also now left the club, Josip Juranovic moving to Union Berlin while Atlanta United signed Giorgos Giakoumakis.

    Alistair Johnston has arrived to replace Juranovic while their former Greek forward's place has been filled by South Korean forward Oh. And Kennedy says the constant process of identifying new talent to upgrade talent is a big part of their success, with Celtic current Premiership champions and nine points clear in this title. He said: "I think the manager has said many times that he wants a squad full of players committed to the project and the club. Along the way it happens, players will come in and move out. If players maybe see their careers moving in a different path or aren't not getting as much game time and have a problem with that, the manager has said we will come to try and find a solution.






    Both of those players made big impacts and were really good guys to work with. We had no issues with that, it happens in football.

    "Players move on. But the most important thing is we bring in more quality again that can maintain or improve the standards we already have in terms of the squad.

    Giakoumakis leaves Kyogo as Celtic's main striker, while Oh has been brought in as the Greek forward's void filler. They could carry more out and out players down the middle, but Kennedy has hinted at a Daizen Maeda - who's played on the flanks at Parkhead - deputy plan




    When asked if they are light in the striker department and whether others can fill the boots, Kennedy replied: "I think we are strong. A lot of teams maybe carry more natural strikers and day on day we can see Oh getting stronger.

    "He's different from Kyogo and we also have Daizen who can play from the central area if need be. We are where we are at the moment and it's up to us to make sure we get the best out them for the rest of the season
     
  14. HatsmyBhoy

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    I wasn't sure about JK. I was glad the club looked after him for a while, but then started to think it might be time for the charity to stop.

    However it seems clear that he's not there out of charity, he's an integral part of a very good first team coaching set up.
     
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  15. Henrik 07 Gold Member Gold Member

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    Everything Celtic assistant John Kennedy had to say ahead of the Hoops' Scottish Cup clash against St Mirren.

    How have you been finding things with the manager so far this season?

    It has been excellent. Obviously, we have been in good form and the manager has recruited well. The players who have come in are doing well. We are fighting on all three domestic fronts between now and the end of the season so we need to maintain our good composure and keep doing what we are doing.

    How does this team compare to others you have been a part of that have had success and are you on course to win all of your remaining matches this season?

    We want to win every game. I have been here before, where things can change very quickly for you. The team are playing good football at the minute and are in good form but ultimately, that can change. We need to keep the standards high at training and keep pushing the players to perform every week. If we maintain that consistently, then hopefully that will lead us to trophies come the end of the season.

    In terms of the Scottish Cup game do you treat it any differently even though it is against a Scottish Premiership side?

    I think there is always a slightly different mindset. There is a bigger consequence and there is no way of redeeming yourself the following week or later on in the season. You have to go in with the maximum focus on it. You know even if your performance is not going to plan you have to somehow dig out a result and get through to the next round. We know that but we always stick to the process and we know how we want to play and we will not change that approach or the way we prepare. The game is the same as it always is and you always have to in the back of your head understand that there is a bigger consequence to this game if you ate not on it or you don't hit form on the day. The players have been excellent and responded well to all the work we have given them. They are in good shape at the moment and they just have to maintain that.

    What do you think about the manager being linked with Leeds?

    We have just tied him to a chair upstairs and have put security at his door. It is all speculation. Credit to the manager [Ange Postecoglou] as he has done well here. It is a bit like players when they do well they are linked to other clubs. The manager has shown his ability and when you do that you end up attracting attention. Ultimately, that is just the way speculation works. I know he loves his job here, and he is building something very special. I think his mind is firmly focused on Celtic.

    Given St Mirren are the only team to be Celtic this season, does that add extra jeopardy to this match given it is a cup game?

    Cup football is exciting for everyone. We have seen cup shocks recently in England. We do not want to focus on that but instead focus on our recent form. Again, we also have to park that and recognise there is a good challenge ahead of us. Stephen Robinson has built a good squad [at St Mirren]. They are in a good place and are having a good season. We know they are a hard-working side who are very disciplined and it will be up to us to break that down. Credit to Steve and his staff for what they have done there. Ultimately, it is winner takes all tomorrow in terms of who gets through to the next round. We have to focus on ourselves and get the job done.




    You touched on the recent form at the top end of the pitch but the clean sheets recently must be a pleasing aspect for you?

    It's good and I much prefer when the goals are going in the other way. It is more exciting. The foundation of our game is based on how the team defends and how we work. I think that is a key thing that goes unnoticed the fact that teams score a lot of goals from all areas of the pitch. We play a lot of exciting football and the way we defend from the top end of the pitch back is a credit to the players and the way they execute that plan. We always feel that stimulates our game anyway. We start with a good energy and be on the front foot and be aggressive then the attacking stuff we know will pretty much fall into place. If we are a bit loose in how we press and a bit lazy in terms of how we shut things down space then sometimes things can get a bit sloppy. The key message is always to maintain our intensity and our ability to press teams and we'll put them on the back foot and dominate as high up the pitch as we possibly can. That's what our defensive game is all about. It is not about sitting back and defending our own box. We want to defend as far away from the box as possible and that has shown in our game recently with the lack of goals and chances conceded. That stops teams from getting the big moments that can cause you damage. Credit to the team as they have shown great resilience but they have also shown a willingness to do the dirty parts of the game as well and they have been excellent.




    Team news?

    Everyone has trained all week. Benjamin Siegrist is the only real injury. Tony Ralston is back and has had a good week's training under his belt. There is a full squad to pick from this week.

    How has it been working with Ange Postecoglou and what have you learned most in the last 18 months?

    He has been a terrific guy to work with. He came in with a really clear idea of what he wanted. We have all embraced that and tried to fit that into how we work. His big message is consistency and how he delivers his messages and what he wants from the team. The big thing for the players is that the message is repeated all the time in terms of the game model and the key principles and behaviours of what he expects that is pretty much engrained in the players now and I think you can see that. He doesn't shy away from that and week after week he drills it into them. He doesn't waver from that. He is very strong in his convictions in terms of how he manages the squad and the way he has pieced the squad together. He has pretty much had to rebuild a full squad and that in itself,we all know the recruitment part of football, can be very tricky at times in relation to getting the right mix. Again because he is very clear in how he wants the team to play he is very clear in the profile of player that he needs to bring in. In the main, everyone who has come in has contributed. We have a very strong squad at the minute and everyone is pushing each other. The gaffer never lets up and every day he is out there making sure we are maximising the training we have and in preparation for the game. When yo do that then you get the consistency in results and performances. He is a stickler for detail and hard work and maintaining the standards. So far he has been terrific in terms of what he has contributed to the club.






    You said earlier this week that Kyogo Furuhashi has been a great success because he sticks to the plan. This month we have seen some high-profile departures with Josip Juranovic and Giorgos Giakoumakis. Is it a case of the players have to be 100 per cent in terms of the buy-in to what's happening or they will be moved on?

    I think the manager has said many times that he wants a squad of players where everyone is fully committed to the project and the club themselves. Along the way every season there will be players who come in and players who leave. Some players maybe see their careers moving in a different path or maybe they not getting as much game time as they would like and they have a problem with that. I think the manager has said we will try and come to a solution because he wants players who have bought into what we are trying to do 100 per cent. Both those players made great contributions in their time here and they made big impacts and they were really good guys to work with. We had no issues with that. It happens in football and things change and players move on but the most important thing is that when players do move on we bring in more quality again which can maintain or improve the standards we already have in the squad. The manager has recruited well in that respect and brought in some strong players in the January window and hopefully we will see them contributing over the next few months.

    With Giakoumakis leaving you don't feel that you are light up front? Do you think you still have options and the players that are there are more than capable of filling the boots?

    I think we are strong. Other teams may carry more in terms of natural strikers but Oh [Hyeon-gyu] has come in and he is getting up to speed day on day and we can see him getting stronger. He has come on in a couple of games and started to show a wee bit of what he is about. He is different from Kyogo. We also have Daizen [Maeda] who can play through the middle in a central role in that area if need be so we have got good options. The manager thinks long and hard about the make-up of the squad and what he needs and what he doesn't need. I think he said he was pretty content with what he has brought in and how the squad was looking. We are where we are at the moment and that is the squad we have got so it us to us to make sure we get the best out of them for the rest of the season.

    There has been a lot of talk about the state of pitches including Hampden Park. A few years ago we installed a new pitch when Brendan [Rodgers] was the manager. I wonder if you think that has been a success and is it something the club is looking at sorting considering next year we might be involved in European football and the pitch is not in a great state?

    There has been a couple of issues with the pitch this year and without going into detail of it as I am not a groundsman or an expert in that field at all. Our pitch in general is very good and we installed a lot of money in the pitch a number of years ago which made big improvements. There has been a couple of patches here and there where maybe weather wise it has caused issues and a couple of areas to have disease on the pitch. Ultimately, we just have to work on that and get it the best we possibly can. We don't want to make too many excuses about it. We would love every pitch to be absolutely perfect but the climate we live in and the conditions are not perfect for that. We have just got to get our heads around whatever we face in terms of St Johnstone last weekend the pitch wasn't great but we don't use that as an excuse for the players as a weakness. We focus on what can we affect? The way we play. It might impact on one or two touches or passes but forget about it and move on and get on with what's in front of you. It is not something we want to get dragged into too much. I'd love the standards to be improved but we have just got to deal with what's in front of us.





    As a former central defender how impressed have you been with the partnership of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt?

    They have been great. I spoke about Kyogo at the front end of the pitch and what he's brought. A lot of times the guys at the back can go a little bit unnoticed. That is a good thing as that means they are not making too many mistakes. They have been positive. They are good characters. They have had a big impact in terms of the team. They bring real stability and we have seen the more they play together the stronger they have gotten. They contrast well with each other in terms of their styles. It has been a really good partnership. They have been strong and fit for a period of time now working together. In that back end of the pitch the more you play with each other you build a relationship. You build a good foundation. They are in a good place like a lot of the team are and we always keep pushing them and trying to improve them week in, week out.
     
  16. Paul67 Administrator Administrator

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    Very good in front of the media. Speaks very well.
     
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  17. Rydo1888* Moderator Moderator Gold Member

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    Was gonna say the same thing mate ... gave them absolutely nothing aswell... just like big ange lol
     
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  18. Big C

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    He’s a * unit!!!! I never realised he was such a monster of a guy. Doing a good job by all accounts.
     
  19. JamesM09

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    I think I agree with this tbh.

    I still don’t like the idea the next manager would need to have him in the setup but the seal of approval from Ange makes me think it would be a good thing if the next manager did want him in the team.
     
  20. Henrik 07 Gold Member Gold Member

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    Why John Kennedy won't accept any praise for Celtic's defensive record
    John Kennedy admits he savours good attacking play more than good defensive play but he believes Celtic's rearguard is providing a sound basis for their current title charge.


    Not that the assistant manager, a fine central defender in his day before injury forced him into cruelly premature retirement, is taking any credit. He has been bruised by past experiences, including when he stepped up to take over from Neil Lennon amid the wreckage of Celtic’s botched attempt to claim a tenth successive title.

    Things are progressing more smoothly now as Celtic eye a treble. They have maintained a nine-point gap between them and Rangers despite their rivals’ own good run. Ange Postecoglou’s side have put together a sequence of eight victories and hope to make it nine this weekend, when Aberdeen are the visitors.



    Celtic have conceded only two goals, one of them from the penalty spot, over the course of this run. As is the case at Rangers, where Connor Goldson and Ben Davies are thriving in the middle of defence, the Parkhead side have benefited from a settled central defensive partnership in Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers, with the latter surely a contender for Scotland’s player of the year.



    It’s good to have two strong characters like Cameron and Carl," said Kennedy. "They have been key to the stability at the back. They’ve played a lot together and you can see the relationship blossoming. It will get even better in time. Alongside that we have Yuki (Kobayashi), who has looked good since he has come in, and Stephen Welsh has also contributed a lot as well.




    The squad is in a good place defensively," he added. "There’s been some rotation and changes at times but everyone has come in and contributed. The manager has instilled in the team the fact it doesn’t matter if you play 10 minutes or 90 minutes, you have to contribute to the team.”

    It stands to reason, too, that each coach is contributing something. However, Kennedy is too wise – and possibly too stung – to take the opportunity to bask in any acclaim.

    “I’ve been here too long to accept any praise!” said Kennedy. “I know what happens next week if we lose a goal or a game! I think sometimes because of the position you played, people relate that area of the game to you. But the focus is very much on improving individuals but also on all areas of the team. My job is to support the manager but a large part of the job I do is on the training pitch, doing analysis, working with the players on a daily basis, along with Gavin (Strachan), Harry (Kewell) and Stevie Woods. We’ve got a very strong staff here who all have a real focus on developing the players."

    He pointed out that the defence is just one part of a fully functioning unit. “I get much more excited when the play is at the other end and the team is scoring goals,” said Kennedy. “But a large part of how we play is how we defend as a team. We meet teams head on at the top end of the pitch."
     
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