Pat Bonner has urged a complete overhaul at Celtic should Eddie Howe come in the door, and believes John Kennedy should be included in the departures.
Celtic have had the season from hell in our pursuit to secure 10-in-a-row. Neil Lennon was in his position for far too long before he left, whilst Kennedy has struggled for form since taking over on an interim basis.
Kennedy has been at the club throughout his entire professional career both as a player and as part of several backroom teams. However, with the Eddie Howe rumours still lingering, the temporary manager’s long-term future is in question.
And Bonner, speaking on BBC Sportsound yesterday, believes his time is up as he urged everything to do with the current regime to be booted out the door.
“If Eddie Howe comes in and he’s bringing Richard Hughes in with him, then it’s got to be clean-cut – everything from Peter Lawwell down – all of that needs to go I’m afraid. I know Peter is due to leave later on, but right from this moment in time it has to happen. Let Eddie get on with the job to rebuild this club.
“I’m afraid probably so (should Kennedy leave) because he’s got an influence. John Kennedy’s not an assistant manager or coach who will sit back. He wants to be on the pitch. You can see that, that’s the type of man he is.
“Now if that’s the case, you’ve got to put some trust in John Kennedy after this particular year. Would he be able to almost reignite that group of players and a new group of players coming in? I think Eddie Howe has got to do it his own way if he comes in and brings in Richard Hughes.”
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Pat Bonner not wrong, but John Kennedy future should be in the hands of the new Celtic manager
If Celtic want to keep Kennedy around and ensure he has a job for life at the club then that’s fine. However, he should never be imposed on any new manager when it comes to his backroom team. That simply must be in the hands of the new gaffer and the new gaffer alone.
If, let’s say, Howe comes in as the new boss, Kennedy’s future should be down to him. Or at least the prospects of him being part of the managerial team.
When Brendan Rodgers was appointed back in 2016, Kennedy actually had to go through an interview for Rodgers to see whether he would be a good fit [The Scotsman]. Whether he’s afforded something like that this time around remains to be seen. But it shouldn’t be down to anyone other than the new manager as to whether he plays an influential role in the backroom team.
Bonner wants a total overhaul at Celtic. Everyone in the football department from Peter Lawwell down is to be removed in his view. Whether that’s actually feasible is another thing. We know Lawwell is off and we know we’ll have a new manager and Director of Football. They will, in turn, bring in their own recruitment team you would imagine. So there will be plenty of changes in that regard.
However, that could take some time. Hopefully we can make as many of the necessary changes we need to this summer to build a team capable of winning the title back next season. That is the sole focus for next season.
As for Kennedy? At the minute, that’s anybody’s guess.