Didier Agathe reckons John Kennedy has what it takes to get the better of Steven Gerrard on Sunday and put together a winning run of matches to take him to the end of the season. But despite backing his old Celtic team-mate extensively in his remit taking the term after the exit of Neil Lennon, Agathe doesn’t go as far as saying he believes Kennedy will be given the job at the end of the season.
The Interim Celtic manager clearly made an impression on Agathe when as a young central defender he broke into Martin O’Neill’s side almost two decades ago.
“John was always very calm for such a young player coming into the Celtic team. He kept his emotions inside. He didn’t talk too much, he was focused and professional,” Agathe told David Friel at Scottish Sun. “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,” Didier added.
“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.”
Looking back at the injury nightmare that ruined what looked like being a brilliant playing career for Kennedy, Agathe is full of admiration for the way the Interim Celtic manager dealt with the blow of a career ending injury and bounced back to learn his trade as a coach and now manager.
“Everybody knows John’s story and what happened with the injury and the operations. All I can say is he was a really top player. It wasn’t easy to break into that Celtic team, but Martin O’Neill really trusted him,” Agathe revealed. “At 20, he was playing against Barcelona and then standing out in big games against Rangers. He was a quality defender and it was sad he had to end his career early, as he fought so hard. But he didn’t walk away from football.
“He stayed at Celtic and learned. He has been a big part of the club’s success. John has now worked under Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon. He will have picked up a lot. It’s been good to see him on the staff of the first team. He came through tough times and worked hard, so he deserves it,” the former Celtic wing-back added.
Looking to what’s next for Celtic, Agathe insists that patience is going to be needed as the next manager is effectively about to begin a major rebuild and that will not bear fruit immediately. “It’s a very difficult situation for the club just now because nobody thought this would happen. The team won Nine-in-a-Row, they were looking good to make it Ten and it hasn’t happened. Now Celtic will look at a different approach. It feels like a fresh start. But that is not easy and there are many changes coming, so I do think it’s better to appoint someone who knows Celtic.
“I would like to see someone who is passionate about the club, who knows what it means to win for the fans and the team. I also believe the board must give the manager time to get things right, because they will almost be starting from scratch.
“It will be a new manager, new players and a new system. That can take some time, so there will have to be patience.
This summer Celtic need to get the right structure in place, they need top scouting and they need investment. The board will be looking at all of this right now, but it’s difficult to know what kind of manager they will appoint,” Agathe admitted.
On his old pal Neil Lennon, Agathe was disappointed at the way things work out for his former teammate but reckons that Lennon will bounce back and get another job in the game.
“I felt sad for Neil when he left because it has been a strange season for Celtic. He started it with some new players and no fans in the stadium, and things didn’t go well. That is the same for other clubs too, but it seems like Celtic weren’t the same team without the supporters at games.
“I was surprised at the results and when I saw some of the games, you could see the players had become a bit fragile.
But I know Neil will return to football soon. He is a great man and gave so much to Celtic.”
