John Kennedy

Tbf, the Director of Football should be making that decision in an ideal world, in consultation with the new head coach.

We need a fresh start and JK in his team selections has demonstrated how much part of the problem he is.. Uninspiring just like him.

 

I think the DoF should choose a new manager, I don’t think he should choose that managers staff.

If you get an experienced manager who knows what he’s doing, you trust his decisions to know best about who he wants standing next to him and to compliment his management style.

 

We have seen enough to know that his team selection, tactics, ability to motivate, game management, and future planning are extremely poor.

He should be out on his * at the end of the season.

You were one of Lennon's staunchest supporters, and sneered at people who saw him for what he was. Are you going to do the same thing with Kennedy?

 

If Howe is set to be our next manager, it is safe to assume that he knows next to nothing about Kennedy.

 

I can’t for the life of me see how he’s qualified to be a DOF for a club of our stature.

 

How far would you take that? If Howe demands him as his assistant manager to come in, on recommendation by somebody like Rodgers. Would you overrule what the new manager wants to get him out the club?

Me saying I want us to stop picking coaching staff for whoever the next manager is doesn’t feel like ‘sneering’ yo me and I apologise if it is.

I got it wrong with Lenny, I expected more of the Lenny we got last season but this season is what a lot of people aeen coming that I never and I know they people are as gutted as what happened this year as I am. I can admit I was wrong though, I still think Lennon’s tenure with us is better than he’ll ever get the credit for, especially now.

and I’m in no way arguing for Kennedy to be our manager btw, I’m just saying the board, a DoF or the fans should have no say in who the new manager wants in his coaching staff.

 

Not at the cost of a good manager.

I would reluctantly let Howe suggest (or even demand) a director of football for the same reason. (The club should have appointed a director of football before approaching him.)

I would certainly advise him against retaining Kennedy though, especially on the advice of the board or Rodgers alone.

Fair enough, man.

I agree that the new manager should be free to bring in his own people.

My worry is that the board railroads Howe into retaining Kennedy, or else someone like Rodgers advises him to keep Kennedy. Rodgers, for all his success in the game, is a fantasist. I used the word 'quixotic' earlier, and I think that it describes his judgement perfectly.

Perhaps it is an overcorrection, but I believe that now is the time to be utterly ruthless, and clear out the old guard. Something is clearly rotten at the club.

 

I’m the opposite on the DoF, and it might just be because its the Bournemouth guy is the rumour that Howe would want, and looking at the transfers they’ve done. It isn’t good reading, would be repeating the Congerton mistake for me under BR’s advice. A good manager is good at what they do, not necessarily good at the stuff that goes into scouting and negotiating.

For what it’s worth, a clean breakaway is the most likely scenario under somebody like Howe, my point was more just nobody should have any say in who the managers own staff is except the manager.

 

I can sleep a bit easier tonight.

 

It's generally known/accepted that Lennon tends to follow/copy how MON managed - which was by sitting in his office and letting the coaches do the "coaching"

Lennon also, in the interim stage, came out and stated he wasn't going to change much, that he was going to allow the coaches/players to continue what they knew/doing - the only one left was Kennedy.

It's been stated before by players from his first tenure (Wilson) that Lennon didn't take as much of a hands on approach, that analyst of opponents and stuff was barely more than ten minutes during dinner the day before a game.

It's generally known/accepted he has a drinking issue, rumours of him being on the sauce a lot kept surfacing (generally don't like using this one as something to bash the lad with)


Add all that up, there is enough circumstantial evidence in my eyes to suggest that Kennedy has been basically running the show the past 2 seasons. Lennon let Kennedy take the reigns it would seem during the run in on the 8th title, then likely figured it worked, so why change it. He's then went in to hiding in his office more often than not, to which point a lot of these players will be wondering why the * they playing for Lennon - which would explain a lot of the downing of the tools.
Kennedy on the other hand will be proving he didn't learn * all from Rodgers, or Deila, and the players will be finding the coaching/training to be hollow and empty if Kennedy hasn't actually bothered his * to go away and learn things. Rodgers, Deila, Klopp, Howe, they ALL go away during off season, when the clubs don't play a match for a fortnight or whatever and spend time at Ajax, Porto, Dortmund, Barcelona, Marseille, etc and learn from other coaches. Not heard once of Kennedy doing that.
In fact, the fact Kennedy refused and knocked back a * easy Hibs job is starting to make we wonder if he is a lazy * and is just expecting to get the Celtic gig/easy pay day.

What has he actually done, went away on his own back, to further his own career?


as @LectersLuncheon says, these guys who have left the club and been asked about Kennedy in passing are hardly about to say "useless *, no appetite" when they are likely friendly and more so likely want to keep Celtic and it's staff sweet for when they come calling for poaching a player off us.
Barely gonna see Rodgers call Kennedy out then the next week chap our door and ask to sign McGregor.

 

Has to be somewhere in between the two extremes (I get you probably aren't on either side of the extreme here, just want to type this out though).

The DoF has to oversee the football structure completely, backroom staff should ideally be in line with how the club want to play and what we want to achieve in the next 1-3-5-10 years time.
A new head coach should be the DoF picking, one that would come in to the setup and ideally, within reason, be in line with what are achievements are and how we want to play football (to a certain degree). The backroom staff should already be in place to just continue on, the new manager shouldn't really change much of their job role, although how it is implemented may change on the day to day.
However, you can NOT just throw a head coach in to a team of 12 coaches/analysts and expect him to perform a miracle. He should be allowed to bring in his own right hand man, maybe a specialised coach he thinks we need/would help achieve the goals, maybe a prominent scout he trusts or knows what style of player the manager will go for, but again these 3 or 4 staff members must also be coming in to work with the team already in place.

When the manager leaves, inevitably these hand picked backroom staff will leave as well, but the core of our setup should still see a dozen coaches/analysts remain at the club and it is a simple process of hiring the next manager who requests 2-4 of his own staff to compliment the setup.


I fear, at Celtic, we will take the cheap option as always and just keep Kennedy and Strachan here, allow Howe to bring in whoever he wants, when he leaves he takes it all with him and in 3 years time we are left standing exactly as we are today with just Kennedy and Strachan with their * in their hand.

 

It's the implementation of a modern structure at the club and the revamping and coordination of the departments (analysis, scouting, recruitment, coaching, fitness, etc) that I think should be the priority.
I have issues with Howe demanding too much in terms of the staffing, and should absolutely have no say in the DoF, as the DoF will be assessing his performance and could ultimately advise the board to sack him if he does a * job.

In terms of Kennedy, if the DoF comes in, meets and assesses the man, looks at his CV and wants him in a coaching role, that's fine.

 

The part about Kennedy would be a tough pill for a lot to swallow, me included, if it was to be as open and legit as the DoF making an honest assessment of him and actually wanting him to remain.

IF he does remain though, from, my own personal opinion on the guy and his career, the first task he should be given (once allowed to due to covid) is to go and take a few weeks out of the club and go see some of these other clubs. They hold open days for up and coming coaches to learn things, he needs to go do these sort of things, get a football coach education from people that are not his mates or his boss pretending to play football manager (lawwell). For his own sake if nothing else.

 

JK: "We want to go out on Sunday, be free in our play but be very organised in knowing what we’re doing and go back to showing what we really are."


JK: "We’ve not been ruthless in the last two games against Rangers. We’ve got to be more clinical. When the big moments come along in these big games, we’ve got to be more clinical. It’s something we have to fix going forward

JK: "James has trained all week. He’s been good. Mikey’s trained this week so we’ve got a better squad in terms of options going in to the game."


JK: "We have to turn it around and at a club like Celtic you have to win silverware. It’s very much about the next game being Rangers and can we set our stall out to make this the starting point for the next era for success."

 

I dont hate him and I have no substantial evidence to rate him as a leader.

If he wants a long career in the game he needs to go broaden his horizons elsewhere and earn his career, away from Celtic.

I wish him well but time to * off.

 

There was literally no rumours I remember that Lennon had a drinking problem when manager. Where have u seen this? Also saying he hid in his office and players didn't know now who they were playing for. Again where are u getting this?

 

During his first spell, when Thommo was sacked for reasons to do with his drinking, the rumour was that it was because the board thought Lenny had a problem himself and that Thommo was a bad influence in that regard.