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I speak to him a lot- John Kennedy discusses his Brendan Rodgers connections

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Image for I speak to him a lot- John Kennedy discusses his Brendan Rodgers connections

John Kennedy has revealed that he still speaks regularly to Brendan Rodgers.

To say that the Irishman left Celtic under a cloud two years ago would be an understatement with the nature of his overnight exit more than a bone of contention for many supporters.

The circumstances that brought about his departure to Leicester City may never be fully explained but no one can be in any doubt about the impact that he made when he became Celtic manager in May 2016.

Suddenly every area of the club was appraised and improved, every area of training and preparation was  overhauled with the transformation in players staggering.

In the spring of 2016 Scott Brown looked done in, James Forrest was drifting aimlessly with no-one quite sure what roles Stuart Armstrong, Tom Rogic and Callum McGregor were meant to be performing.

By the autumn a new-look style had been created, the squad that had crumbled in two Hampden semi-finals earlier in the year were on their way into the history books as the Invincible Treble winners.

Kennedy was involved in the handover as Rodgers took charge, picking the club up by the scruff of the neck and launching an incredible series of 12 domestic trophy wins.

While discussing the three managers that he has coached alongside during a Zoom conference with a number of Celtic websites, the current Interim boss said:

In terms of his decision making he was always very clear, that is one thing about Brendan, he has unbelievable confidence in the way that he conducts himself and the way that he makes decisions. An amazing talent of getting everyone on the same page, of getting the best out of people.

The coaching was great but when you are a coach or a manager then psychologically is a huge part of it as well. Players have to feel that you are there to help them, you are there for their good and when you do that Brendan had a great knack for helping people, getting them on board and being part of the process.

Great guy, in terms of his in-game management he is very decisive. You might be on the back foot a little bit, automatically he will try and think ‘how do we try and block this up a bit more’. He would sometimes just go and get a striker on and BANG as quickly as that.

He’s very decisive, very clear in what he wanted, a terrific manager to work with. In terms of getting in touch I speak to him a lot. I have a great relationship with him, he’s very honest, very open.

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