“As much as I didn’t have a long career when I came back from injury, it prepared me for where I am now. So, when I stopped playing, I felt equipped to quickly move into something else, which was the other side of football – firstly analysis and recruitment, then coaching. My own experience with injury now helps me relate to injured players. Everyone’s different and I think it’s about getting to know the person.”
John Kennedy and Brendan Rodgers at the Premier Sports Cup semi-final, Celtic against Aberdeen. Photo AJ for The Celtic Star
With his current manager Brendan Rodgers, whom he has worked with before, he highlighted the personal touch he brings to the role, with it being as much pastoral as anything else.
“Brendan’s very much a people person”
“With Brendan Rodgers and all the staff at Celtic, there’s a lot of interaction. Brendan’s very much a people person,” Kennedy explained. “He wants to manage and make decisions, but he wants to get to know people. Every day he’s got players coming in and out of his office. He’ll sit them down and it isn’t always a conversation about the game or the performance. It could be – how are you feeling, how are you settling, how’s your family?”
Ronny Deila Celtic manager with coach John Kennedy (right) during the Pre Season Friendly between Celtic and De Bosch at St Mirren Park on July 01, 2015. (Photo by Jeff Holmes/Getty Images)
He added: “That’s his way of connecting with players and getting the best out of them. Of course, we are pushing players and developing them, but it’s also our job to make them feel comfortable. And so that culture and environment feeds into how you handle them when they are injured.”
Paul Gillespie
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