John Kennedy Celtic stay frustratingly looks much more likely

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The prospect of John Kennedy being involved at any senior-level position with Celtic next season shouldn’t really be entertained.

We’re talking about a key cog of last season’s disastrous calamity. A man who played a central role in throwing away the 10 as an assistant manager before embarrassing us during his temporary stint as an interim boss.

Let’s get this out the way immediately. Celtic fans don’t dislike Kennedy as a man. He comes across as a well-meaning and respectful professional when speaking to the media. What Celtic fans don’t like is untouchable figures at their football club. Individuals who, regardless of how many failed regimes they’re part of, are always given a key role.

Kennedy falls into that bracket. He wasn’t received well by the Celtic support as a first-team coach under Ronny Deila. And he didn’t impress with Neil Lennon despite the success won with Brendan Rodgers. Fans don’t understand what Kennedy actually does, and he seems immune to accountability at the same time.

That’s one of the reasons the Eddie Howe to Celtic appointment looked so attractive. He was one we were prepared to make sacrifices for. A man who was demanding that his own backroom team be brought in to clear the decks at Parkhead. There looked to be no room for Kennedy in the dugout with the likes of Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone reportedly being headhunted [Sky Sports].

It looked likely that, at the very least, Kennedy was getting bumped down the Celtic Park ranks. That perhaps even dropping down to the youth teams was one of the options in store if Celtic couldn’t bring themselves to actually sack him.

Eddie Howe no-deal makes John Kennedy Celtic stay appear more likely

Now, however, with the Howe deal dead, it’s looking much more likely that there will be a place for Kennedy in the first-team ranks. Especially if Celtic press ahead with reported plans to sign up Ange Postecoglou as manager.

Postecoglou doesn’t seem to have that same demand Howe had to bring his own group of backroom staff. Even his assistant at Yokohama, fellow Aussie Shaun Ontong, has only been working with him for a year.

You also have the fact that Kennedy, and Gavin Strachan for that matter, both have their UEFA Pro Licences. Something that the potential new Celtic manager doesn’t yet have. An article from the Times claimed that Posteocglou is a manager who relies heavily on his assistants in training. That he often remains distant from his players in training and that it’s the work of the assistants to get his message across.

It’s much easier to see Celtic holding onto the likes of Kennedy then. A man who remains popular in the Parkhead dressing room if not with the support. A figure who didn’t look important enough for Howe to keep but looks like he’d be a key man for Posteocglou.

Celtic will also likely push this idea of having a “Celtic man” in the ranks to help the new manager. Even if it isn’t as an assistant boss, don’t be surprise if he sticks around now that the Howe talk is dead.

Celtic look as though they can get away with making fewer sacrifices with Posteocglou than they could with Howe. If that proves to be true, Kennedy likely won’t be going anywhere.

In other news, Celtic have put important transfer options at risk due to their dallying.