With Jack Ross leaving Hibernian, a number of outlets are wheeling out the runners and riders for his replacement at Easter Road but nobody is really talking about Celtic coach John Kennedy.
Yet, they probably should be. Let’s not forget that Kennedy was actually the preferred choice of Hibs prior to Ross’ arrival in Edinburgh – as reported by The Scottish Sun in June 2020.
Ron Gordon, who remains the majority shareholder at Hibs, was said to be enamoured with Kennedy and would have given him the job had the Celtic coach been up for it.
Ultimately Kennedy preferred to stay for a nine-in-a-row push and ultimately the failed bid for ten. He even became interim boss of the Bhoys for a good chunk of time.
Now, he must be seriously considering forging his own path elsewhere.
That’s not a judgement of his work with Ange Postecoglou or his relationship with the Australian. In fact, Postecoglou seems to consider Kennedy as a valuable member of the staff at Lennoxtown.
It’s just a reflection of how Hibs might view Kennedy and how the Celtic man might view his own career.
The Daily Mail reported over the summer after Postecoglou’s appointment that Kennedy was already considering his long-term future, harbouring ambitions of one day becoming a recognised manager himself.
He’s made no secret of the fact that Celtic is his dream job at some point down the line. Indeed, as we discussed recently The Athletic have reported that some on the Bhoys board still consider Kennedy as a successor to Postecoglou one day.
But wouldn’t those ambitions be better served by forging his own path elsewhere? If he is a managerial success elsewhere it would go a long way to building trust with a Celtic support who are finding it difficult to forget last season.
If he truly does want to become Celtic manager one day, he might be better off taking a role at a Hibs, or another club and trying out his coaching methods away from Lennoxtown.
In other news, Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon hints at next career step decision as Hibs speculation surfaces.
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