Ange Postecoglou singles out member of Celtic backroom staff for praise

By Lewis Laird

May 2, 2022

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has singled out John Kennedy for praise after leading the rest of the staff on the 56-year olds arrival in Glasgow.

Kennedy has been at the club for a number of years as part of the backroom staff under Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon.

The former Celtic defender also had a spell as caretaker boss at the backend of last season before Postecoglou became manager at Parkhead.

After such a disappointing season last year, there were some questions over whether the current staff at the club would remain when Postecoglou arrived in Glasgow.

The former Socceroos manager decided to stick with Kennedy and the likes of Gavin Strachan at the beginning of his tenure to determine whether he would like them to remain around the club.

The duo still remain in the Celtic Park dugout and have received great praise from Postecoglou along the way.

Last night, Postecoglou also received the PFA manager of the year award after a successful first year as Celtic boss.

However, he was quick to praise those around him at the club, singling out John Kennedy for his role in leading the other staff.

Postecoglou said [Daily Record]; “It was my call not to bring anyone in – and just to assess the staff I had.

“The key to that was then getting them to believe in me. They’ve been outstanding.

“Led by John Kennedy, who has been at the club a long time. He understands what success looks like, but all the staff have been great.

“For us to be in the position we are has taken a massive collective effort.”

After such a difficult time last season, it could have been easy for Kennedy to move on or Postecoglou to make that decision.

But, with the amount of praise he has received from players and managers over the years, the 38-year old clearly has a lot of great ability as a coach.

Postecoglou has seen that keeping the backroom staff together during his first 12 months in charge, and they have enjoyed success once again this season.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the likes of Kennedy. For now, it is working under Postecoglou, and hopefully, we will continue to see that going forward.

In other news, Champions League details as Celtic close in on title.