Celtic interim manager John Kennedy has explained what his first meeting with new Chief executive Dom McKay will be about.
Kennedy is only in charge of the club until the end of the season, with major question marks hovering over his long-term future. With so much change coming to Parkhead this summer, it looks as though Kennedy could leave as part of the rebuild.
The first step of that rebuild happened on Monday when McKay started his new job at Parkhead. He won’t officially take over from Peter Lawwell until July 1st, but in the meantime will be part of a vital transitioning period.
And Kennedy has stated that he expects to meet McKay before the week is out as he explained what the meeting would be all about.
“It’s not an interview”
As quoted by the Daily Record, Kennedy said: “The conversation will be a casual one. I’ve never met him before so it’s very much about an introduction and a general chat about things. It’s not an interview. It’s not a case of me trying to make a pitch for the job – that’s never been my intention anyway.
“My intention has been purely to lead the club through this period and then, when the time comes, if somebody wants to sit down and have a chat about how the squad is looking and what everyone is thinking going forward, then we’ll have that conversation.
“But I’m genuinely not stressed about what the future holds for me. I’ll deal with it if it comes long. I know in my time here I’ve been fully committed to every position I’ve ever been in and I’m content with that. So we’ll deal with that if it comes but it’s not me sitting on Friday trying to make a pitch. It’s very much an introduction and a general chat and we’ll take it from there.”
Dom McKay won’t be the one who decides John Kennedy’s fate
So Kennedy claims that his meeting with McKay isn’t an interview. Instead it’s just a general getting-to-know-you exercise. And that would make perfect sense given the circumstances.
Because it shouldn’t be McKay who determines Kennedy’s long-term fate. He shouldn’t be the man who sits down with the interim boss and confirms he’s getting kept on for next season as part of the new manager’s backroom staff.
That decision simply must be made by the new manager, whoever that man may be. Only he can take a look at Kennedy and decide whether he fits his backroom team. If he doesn’t, then it’ll be time for John to depart the club.
And that may not be a bad thing in the long run. Kennedy could do with earning his stripes as a manager elsewhere. It looks like the most logical next step in his career after holding every position at Celtic imaginable.
He’s been a scout, a youth coach, a first-team coach, an assistant manager, and now an interim boss. The job here in the long-term is too big for him at the moment. He’s even shown that in his first six games in charge too. A move would surely be what’s best for him in his career just now.
But we’ll see what happens. It’s clear, however, that we shouldn’t be expecting any fireworks to come from this meeting between Kennedy and McKay.
In other news, we discuss why this Celtic youngster needs more chances at Parkhead.
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