JOHN KENNEDY will take the team on Sunday and manage his first Glasgow Derby.
Neil Lennon’s departure means the former Celtic player, scout and coach has the opportunity to show what he can do as a manager in this short space of time before now and the end of the season.
For Celtic, it’s all about clawing back as many points as possible. They are twenty points behind their Glasgow rivals who were never really challenged to win this title.
Former Celtic teammate Didier Agathe believes John Kennedy will be as cool as a cucumber this Sunday at Celtic Park and knows from experience John will not be frantic or over the top when he sets up his team.
“John was always very calm for such a young player coming into the Celtic team.” Agathe told SunSport.
“He kept his emotions inside. He didn’t talk too much, he was focused and professional.
“John was only 20 at that time, and I remember his performances in the games against Barcelona and Rangers.
“Those were big occasions and he was terrific. For his age, he was so calm and so composed.
“But that was always the mentality John had. He was mature for his age and he could handle the pressure.
“He was there for a reason. It was because he had talent, but also because he didn’t panic on the field
“Whether it was Barcelona or Rangers, John was always very calm and that won’t have changed over the years.
“Celtic have lost the league, but there will still be pressure on them this weekend.
“You always want to beat Rangers, and getting the three points would at least lift the atmosphere at the club.
“But John can handle that pressure. He will be focused this week and he will have the team prepared.
“I have no doubt John can lead Celtic to good results in the games until the end of the season, and beating Rangers would be so important.”
It’s still important to Celtic fans that we go all out for the win and while we can’t win the league, we must show we have something about us in the coming weeks to set us up for next season.
John will not be the manager at that point but he’ll do his stock no harm in general to grab a win here.
