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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. horseshoe

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    Anyone past and present that says anything positive about Kennedy as a coach has been paid off by our board, it's common knowledge lads, he just has that much dirt on everyone at our club from top to bottom they have to keep him in a job and big him up indefinitely. There is literally no other explanation...
     
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  2. Henrik 07 Gold Member Gold Member

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    Celtic are braced for an approach for John Kennedy with Midtjylland eying up the Hoops coach for the manager’s gig.

    The Danish cracks are drawing up a shortlist for the position after sacking Bo Henriksen at the weekend following a poor start to the Superliga season. Record Sport understands Midtjylland – who knocked Celts out of the Champions League qualifiers last season – have yet to make contact with Parkhead chiefs over an official approach for Kennedy.




    But the Danes have already discussed the possibility of putting the long serving Parkhead backroom man on to their whittled down list of candidates. Kennedy is understood to be happy with his role at Lennoxtown having been kept on in a key role under Ange Postecoglou having worked alongside Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon – before spending the last three months of the season before last as caretaker boss after Lennon’s departure.




    The 38-year-old has a big reputation behind the scenes at Celtic Park and had been tipped to become a manager on his own at some point in the future. He has been linked with the Hibs job more than once in recent in recent years.
     
  3. PaddyJamieson

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    I'd be disappointed to lose him. He seems an important part of Ange's team. Never really took to him, but also feel a lot of the hatred has been over the top. Biggest black spot on his time here was - like so many others - Lennon's last year. Him taking over for those games and changing absolutely nothing was embarrassing.
     
  4. ticketyboo0 Gold Member Gold Member

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    I trust Ange, if he deems Kennedy as important enough to keep then that's all that matters.
     
  5. RalstonFanClubPresident

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    There's probably also a reason why Ange kept him on and spoke highly of his contribution last season.
     
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  6. LectersLuncheon

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    Seem to be getting pelters from all sides here so let me clarify a few things.

    After this im done lol. Lets just agree to disagree.

    "john kennedy was not a defensive coach" .
    What was he then? Being the only other coach on Deilas staff along with Collins, who, we're told was in charge of fitness and conditioning, what exactly was he doing. Whether his label was defensive coach or not, surely as an exCB his job, or part of his job would have been to train or help train defenders and coach defensive aspects of their game? No? Not his purview? Hed nothing to do with our defence?

    "Every player only has nice things to say".
    So what? How does that translate into whats good for the squad and club? VVD claimed Collins was the biggest influences on his success. Thats one of, if not THE best centre back on the planet lauding Collins. Does ANYONE want Collins back at Celtic? Wanyama claimed Lennon was the greatest manager hes ever worked under. Bring him back too? Players ALWAYS wax lyrical about coaches they LIKE. It means * all. Imo anyway.

    "Ange claimed Kennedy this and that".
    What exactly is he supposed to say? Aye, hes *. Players like him though. Of course not. kennedy could be an absolute bomb scare as a coach, which i dont believe he is, and any Celtic manager is gonna talk up his influence. Its madness to think otherwise.

    "Kennedy part of the most succesful period of this and that"

    Genuine question here, how much influence of tactics, style of play, footballing philiosphy, training, game prep etc do you actually believe he has had, or has? They way a few on here are harping on, youd think Kennedy won those titles single handedly.

    Bottom line is, there would appear to be a divide within the Celtic support about the merits of keeping Kennedy manager after manger.
    Im in the camp that its time to move on. I wanted him gone with Deila and Collins, i wanted a brand new staff after BR, i wanted Lennon to freshen it up, and i still want Ange to get shot. Its time for new blood and new voices for the players to listen to.

    In fact, Ill just let Anges reasoning talk for itself;

    “We have brought in Harry and made a couple of subtle changes to the coaching staff, so people don’t get too comfortable in terms of the voices that they hear. “You are always trying to make those subtle changes because, from the first day of pre-season, you don’t want the players to think, ‘OK, we’re just going to roll out what we did last year’ and expect success to come. That’s not how it works. I always try to maintain a dynamic environment where there is an enthusiasm and freshness around the place."
     
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  7. Mr. Slippyfist

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    You know something buddy, you really ought to just stick to making your regular rants about Sevco (at least they are entertaining and make some sense) because genuinely everytime I read one of your comments about Celtic, I 100% believe you haven’t a clue what you’re babbling about.

    Not one single point you’ve raised in that last post carries any substance whatsoever, but I’ll respect your effort and address it point by point:

    John Kennedy was not and IS not the allocated “defensive coach”. This myth/rumour has been addressed several times, yet some folk continue to nitpick over this supposed role. He is an overall coach, not simply there to coach defenders to defend. One would imagine that being an ex-defender he’d be able to coach them to do that job (yes that much would make sense) and to be fair he probably is (unless of course you and others are insinuating that we have had the worst defensive outfits in footballing history because of Kennedy) but it’s not solely his remit, nor because of his being a defender - if that were the case then why not point the finger at other coaches who were defenders? Deila, Chris Davies, Kolo Toure, Danny McGrain et al….

    Next point, about players speaking highly of ex-coaches? I’m genuinely struggling to think how twisted your mind is to try and use positives to suit your negative narrative. So what if Virgil spoke highly of Collins? So * if Wanyama said Lennon was the best coach he’s ever worked under - what’s that got to do with Kennedy? If other folk are willing to freely state Kennedy is a good coach, do you think they have some perverted agenda, or could it be that they actually have some semblance of an idea what they’re talking about, other than some rambling crackpot on the interweb? There’s been instances of folk being at Celtic and after they’ve left have stated Kennedy to be a top coach - see Ajer and Damien Duff for examples - what is their “agenda” behind that? I personally have spoken to footballing staff currently in Scotland’s top flight who cannot speak highly enough of his qualities and standings, I’ll more than happily take that on board over guesswork.

    “Ange claimed Kennedy blah blah blah” - well, of course it’s your opinion on whether or not you think Ange is simply blowing smoke up JK’s *, but I think if our title winning manager says it’s so, I’m more akin to believing what he says, rather than you trying to make out Ange is fulla * :56::56::56:

    “Kennedy part of the most successful this and that” - it’s actually laughable that whilst trying to use the fact that Kennedy has been here under….what…4 regimes now and asking what it is that he does, that you didn’t actually take the short time to think of how a guy that is such a * coach and *knows * all* has managed to be at the club for so long under X amount of different managers, and be spoken so highly of by said people and numerous players and ex-players….

    And, to wrap it all off, that last pathetic attempt by you to attempt to use Harry Kewell being brought in to freshen up things as some sort of dig at Kennedy, well, that is just plain moronic and quite frankly * stupid of you to make such a suggestion. That’s like saying Ange brought Siegrist in to freshen things up because Hart was *…unbelievable!
     
  8. celtic warrior

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    Off topic....but have we actually ever had a defensive coach?

    I can only assume that Mjallby under Lennon and his first stint was it given he also had Thompson and Parker.

    But since then I can't think of anyone who'd have been possibly handed that role...Kennedy is supposedly never been given it...Toure was a technical assistant so hard to say if he was ever given it....I doubt guys like Duff were ever given it.

    And our defensive issues at least feel like they've been same despite changes in managers and players.
     
  9. Taylor1

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    The fact the majority on this forum poll don't think Kennedy's role at the club is justified, is indicative to me at least, that the wider Celtic support just don't rate Kennedy as a coach at all. Of course there is not going to be substance at this stage on the merits of Kennedy's role at Parkhead, but there is going to be mounting informed speculation and critical analysis of his performance or not over the past decade at Celtic park.

    There has been overt speculation in the Celtic support and elsewhere in the past, that John Kennedy has only been kept on in the coaching position because of the " sympathy vote " in the Celtic boardroom over his career ending horror leg break. That is fair and justified speculation and conjecture to me. It may be true and it may be false, but fair speculation and conjecture nevertheless.

    Some now say Kennedy is the " overall coach ", that's a strange supposition to take, considering Kennedy was renowned as a very capable centre back, so I think it is normal and safe for to assume his role centres on being a " defensive coach ", given his proven past experience in that position. Is it not ?

    And if it is not, what then qualifies him to be referred to as a " overall coach " ?.

    As far as former coaches and ex Celtic players waxing lyrical about Kennedy's mythical abilities, I don't recall a certain Neil Lennon lauding Kennedy's supposed talents or not, in fact I remember very clearly last season, a very disastrous disconnect in and out of the dug out between Lenny and a stern and dour faced Kennedy.

    If looks could kill and all that.

    There is also an "unwritten rule " in the footballing fraternity, that one manager should never publicly criticise another manager. Yes some may break that rule, but it is rare. So the counter suggestion is very effective and credible in this case, and cases like it

    So, it is hardly likely that someone is going to break ranks and publicly condemn John Kennedy. We have to rely on informed speculation and conjecture then, until the bigger picture finally emerges.

    I am not in any way, shape or form, against anyone on a Celtic forum, advancing fair and balanced informed speculation and conjecture based on observation and critical analysis, in the absence of hard and established facts.

    These observations and thoughts are the very things that informed speculation and critical analysis is born from. And what also makes debate on a forum thought provoking, interesting, amusing and entertaining all at the same time.

    I don't think we should be trying to stifle or squash that.

    Who is to say that Ange has maybe seen Kennedy's limitations as a defensive coach over the past season, and given all the goals Celtic continue to leak from set pieces under Kennedy's supposed watchful eye and tuition, and Ange has thus concluded and decided for himself that he needs a proper, capable and diligent coach in that important position, and that the appointment of Harry Kewell, a known quantity to Ange, is not a subtle nudge and a wink to Kennedy, that it is time to start looking around for another job and moving on.?

    Fair and balanced informed speculation and conjecture ?

    I think so.
    Time will tell.
     
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  10. stubhoy07 Gold Member Gold Member

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    Been back and fourth with my opinion on Kennedy. Truthfully done a lot of whining about like most have but the black and white of it is he on paper at least, is one of our most successful assistant managers ever. Been part of many successful management teams that all seem to rate him.

    I wouldn't lose sleep if he moves on. In all honesty though I'd sooner he leave at the end of the season if he is to go. Want as minimal disruption as possible when we can see so many of our players developing week on week. Kennedy might have loads or very little to do with our plays development but we could do without the distraction of off field events right now
     
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  11. Callum McGregor The Captain Gold Member

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    Means nothing though, the vast majority of our support don’t have a clue about how good or bad he is as a coach. It’s not an opinion based on observation or critical analysis, it’s just uninformed speculation.
     
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  12. LectersLuncheon

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    Sincere question, would you say then that his 10 games in charge dont relate to his coaching credentials, and are therefore not a valid observation of his abilities?
     
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  13. Callum McGregor The Captain Gold Member

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    A tiny sample size at the tail end of the worst season in our modern history. I said already in this thread and I stand by it, I think it’s clutching at straws to hold it against him. Especially when weighing up if he should be a coach at the club. He’s been involved in far too much success and been spoken about highly by a lot of people who do actually work with him, to use that tiny stint against him.

    The fact he was linked with the Hibs job and now the Midtjylland job shows that there are people in the football world who rate him.

    If some of our fans don’t like him, whatever, but I just don’t see anything substantial to claim he’s not a good coach. I think he’s just an easy target because him getting the job initially can be viewed as nepotism. Even if it was, he appears to have proven himself to the people that matter.
     
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  14. Taylor1

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    I have a healthy respect for the vast majority of Celtic fan's ability to judge Kennedy's contribution to the cause or not over the past decade, based on the instability and deficiences in the Celtic defence over the intervening period.

    The evidence speaks for itself in that regard I would suggest.
     
  15. Callum McGregor The Captain Gold Member

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    He’s not the defensive coach and we had the best defence in the league last season.
     
  16. Taylor1

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    It's a weak and incomplete defence really.
    We had the most clangers and * ups in defence too in the league last season, all from set pieces. Nothing changes still.
    Tell me one Celtic fan who does not hold their hands to their eyes, when a cross ball comes in the Celtic box ?.
    What about the defensive disasters in Europe last season under Kennedy's expert tuition and coaching ?
    What say you ?
     
  17. celtic warrior

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    Look obviously I don't know all the inner workings of everything happening behind closed doors at Celtic....no one does unless your directly employed in a position that is relevant to what us as fans, waffle on about.

    But I see two constants at the club, yes it is a lazy link fine, whatever....but they are John Kennedy and our Defensive weaknesses.

    Both of which seem unaltered despite going through managers and raft of different players.

    If Ajer is someone who spoke and sounded out Kennedy as a direct impact and he's the only player to do so...surely there is weight to the possible idea that Kennedy has been involved/is involved with our defensive coaching somewhere.
     
  18. celtic warrior

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    Aye we did....but every single fan on this forum will tell you we have issues in certain aspects of defending.

    They have been that way for a good long while now and managers and players changing don't seem to change it.
     
  19. Callum McGregor The Captain Gold Member

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    Of course we do, but we’ve had that for as long as I can remember, right back to the MON days. Being an attacking team will always influence that too.
     
  20. Callum McGregor The Captain Gold Member

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    I bet if you went and watched Dundee or St.Johnstone games from last season you’d see a lot more clangers.

    I agree we need to improve in defence, we always do, but that’s not solely on Kennedy.
     
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