Celtic Assistant Manager John Kennedy spoke to Gerry McCulloch at Celtic TV after the controversial winter training camp in Dubai came to a close. Both First Minister and he Deputy were active in the media condemning the trip and some of the photos that they seen – including photos of Neil Lennon and Scott Brown having a beer at the poolside and some players apparently having a drink in the hotel just as the Celtic party were getting settled into their hotel and before the team started to get down to the serious business of winter training. Sturgeon questioned Celtics intentions in travelling to Dubai during a pandemic and suggested that their stated purpose was for R&R and not elite training (which is allowed in the rules).
Kennedy also looked ahead to the rest of the season and discussed Odsonne Edouard who continues to attract transfer speculation and criticism that his attitude isn’t right this season. Watch Kennedy’s interview below and you can also read exactly what he’s been saying here…
There’s been a furore over the trip to Dubai. Do you have any regrets over it?
“I understand that a snapshot arrived back in the shape of a couple of pictures and everyone assumes it was some kind of holiday. It was far from that. We had to take extra care in terms of preparation. A lot of work went into it behind the scenes which people won’t know about.
“It was planned months in advance. We took advice from the Government and JRG (Joint Response Group) to make sure it was OK to travel and it was all approved. All the protocols we put in place when we arrived in Dubai were also approved so we knew what we were going into.
“The training we did out there was second to none, in comparison to what we could have done back in Scotland. We did it for the right reasons, in terms of what we could work on as a team to be ready for the second half of the season.
“There’s been slip-ups with minor things which, if you get a snapshot of something, you can criticise and jump on it. We speak to the players as much as we can about the protocols. If there’s any error we try to eradicate that or fix it, and that’s what we did. The photo maybe paints a bleak picture, but we have to move on.
“We had a situation leading into it where we were good to go but while we were there, the latest lockdown came into place. So that looks worse in itself when you’re looking in from afar.”
Is it about perception, though? There were clearly merits, football wise, in going away. But can you understand fans being angry seeing those pictures?
“We understand 100 per cent that if you look at a picture, the perception might be different. It might look a certain way but when we were there, we had an area of the hotel designated to ourselves. We had our own entry and exit in and out of the hotel.
“We went to the training centre with first class protocols. We had an area to work which was just for us. So we were working from morning to mid-afternoon very hard. Back at the hotel we had our own areas which we would stay around.
“That was our bubble. In terms of what we got out of the week from a work point of view, it was very positive. We had some great sessions and got a lot of coaching work done that we wouldn’t have done back here. It was a challenge this year with Covid but with help from the club, the Government, the SFA, the hotel over there, it allowed us to do it We got work done that we know will stand us in good stead for the second part of the season.”
Given that the Dubai break has worked well for Celtic in the past, was it a case of assessing risk over reward?
“That’s definitely the case. When we first started talking about the trip a few months ago, things were looking better around daily life regarding Covid. Restrictions were being lifted, there was talk of fans getting back into stadiums by January.
“At that point, things seemed to be moving in the right direction. That’s when we first spoke about Dubai, that’s when all the planning was done around it.
“Nearer the time, things began to change and obviously we were in Dubai when the final lockdown came in. Again, the perception of that will look worse but we arrived, followed all the protocols and got the work done. We understand the situation and how it may look but we did what we had to do. We got the approval needed.”
The people who agreed to the trip appear to be the ones now beating Celtic with a stick over it. Is that frustrating?
“There’s probably things getting fed back in bits in pieces but we will correspond with the people who need to hear from us. We’ve sent a lot of stuff back through advisors and we took the advice of everyone to make sure we were not stepping out of line. We did what we could to make sure we weren’t breaking any rules or giving ourselves any problems.
“Football gets a lot of exposure. It’s easy to jump on something and criticise but it’s important that people get the full picture. There was a lot of effort put in to make sure that we mitigated all the risks and adhered to all protocols.”
Did the club take precautions by travelling on a charter flight?
“We chartered our own plane. That was something we made sure of to do it the right way. If we’d had to fly commercial we wouldn’t have done it. We chartered a plane to stay in the bubble and we didn’t breach it, so everyone was as safe as they could be.
“Everyone is pinning this on Dubai but Covid is everywhere and it is difficult to control it. It can turn up anywhere. Other Scottish and English clubs have been impacted by it. We maintained our bubble in Dubai and had strict guidelines. When we got back on Friday we went to Celtic Park and everyone was tested.”
There’s an argument to say the club should have used this week to play games in hand instead of going away. Was that considered?
“We knew we could have fitted one of the games in but when you come out of a busy December
schedule, we always feel the benefit of then not going into another busy month. When you go from a busy December into a busy January, it’s tough.
“We have seen the benefit of the winter break when you have that reset. We felt it was the right time to hit that button and take a week out from the games to get more work done. It always sets us up well but ultimately we will play the games anyway.”
📸 Images from the Bhoys’ mid-season training camp at the NAS Sports Complex, Dubai.
𝗩𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘆 ⬇️#CelticFC 🍀🇦🇪
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 8, 2021
A lot of people have said this title race is now over. What is your reaction to that?
“I can understand there is a big difference in points but it isn’t over until it is finished. That has to be the players’ mindset for the rest of the season. We have a lot of ground to make up and a lot of challenges ahead of us but we will attack every game to win it. That is all we can do.
“Things have to work out for us elsewhere but we have to put ourselves in a position where we can get close enough to put (the)Rangers under pressure.”
It appears that Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell have given their backing to Neil Lennon until the end of the season. Will that stability help the team right now?
“It brings clarity to the situation. There is a lot of noise around the big two in Scotland. The board has been fantastic in keeping a cool head and seeing the bigger picture in terms of: ‘Are things still working?’
“In terms of the rumours that go around, it brings that to a close and allows everyone to focus on what is important. That’s performances and results in every game.”
Great stuff to see the BHOYS relaxing CELTIC FC can afford to do that and why not,BALLS to the bigoted press lets get on with the second half of the season when the newco start to cave inn