The major talking point today appears to be when Eddie Howe may start at Parkhead, but it looks as though John Kennedy has a huge chance to send a statement to the next Celtic boss.
It had been reported in recent times that Howe was happy to keep Kennedy on. Gavin Strachan too [Daily Mail]. But it wasn’t clear what capacity both men operate in under the Howe regime. You can’t see Kennedy becoming the next assistant manager once again. He’ll surely be hoping for, at least, a role in the first-team coaching set-up.
Assuming it is Howe, Kennedy has every right to be a touch concerned. He has no previous relation to the likely next Celtic manager. He’ll be lucky if Howe even knows about his career history at this point in time. So it’s fair to say that Kennedy has something to prove.
And with last night’s report in the Scottish Sun, stating that Howe is likely to start in June, Kennedy could have a massive chance to showcase himself to the new man.
Make no mistake, Kennedy’s interim reign has been anything but impressive. He’s made some eyebrow-raising in-game decisions and only has two wins out of four since taking temporary charge. A failure to beat Dundee United and Rangers had an angry support absolutely seething.
John Kennedy must make the most of his spell as interim Celtic boss
But with Howe set to take over in the summer, the job is all Kennedy’s for now. That means he’s going to receive the opportunity to take on Rangers at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup. He’s going to get the chance to end our rival’s unbeaten league run at the same venue too. He’ll also have a chance to win at Pittodrie and Easter Road – two grounds we’ve failed to find success at this season.
Most importantly, Kennedy will have the Scottish Cup run in his own hands. If he wins that, it’s his. Nobody else will have played a part. The interim boss would’ve been in charge of all four matches if we manage to achieve it.
In short, Kennedy has on his plate something he couldn’t have dreamed of at the start of the season. A chance to become a trophy-winning Celtic manager. And if he does so whilst landing a couple of blows onto our rivals? Even better. That’s the kind of thing Celtic supporters appreciate. It’s the kind of thing that would surely impress Eddie Howe.
Succeeding in these tasks could be the difference between being dumped down to the development team or being part of Howe’s first-team coaching staff.
It’s a huge two months for Kennedy should things remain the same.
In other news, we discuss why Celtic should go for the 12-goal striker with big links to Howe.
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