Celtic’s John Kennedy slams title jibe by ex-Rangers defender Gareth McAuley

Coach insists Celtic’s ninth consecutive league success is “legitimate and worthy”

Celtic assistant manager John Kennedy. Pictures: Craig Foy/SNS

Celtic assistant manager John Kennedy has accused Gareth McAuley of “mud-slinging” after the former Rangers defender claimed there will always be an asterisk next to the 2019-20 Premiership title.

Kennedy insists Celtic’s record-equalling ninth consecutive league success is “legitimate and worthy” after they were declared champions by the SPFL board when the season was curtailed last week.

McAuley hit out in his column in the Sunday Life newspaper in his native Northern Ireland, describing the title win as “tainted and hollow” because the campaign was not concluded on the pitch.

But Kennedy is adamant the 13-point lead Celtic held over Rangers when football was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic on 13 March could never have been overhauled by the Ibrox side.

He believes McAuley, who made 10 appearances for Rangers under Steven Gerrard before hanging up his boots last year, is simply playing to the gallery.

Kennedy said: “We’re very aware of the mud-slinging and people trying to put you off track.

“But we’re set on how we do things. We block out the noise. We keep things in-house and make sure we’re focused. To be honest, I

don’t let what anyone says bother me.

“UItimately, the ones who come out and say that kind of thing are Rangers minded or are the opposition.

“The most important thing for us is we know what we’ve achieved is very legitimate. It’s very worthy. I know exactly how much work and effort goes into this.

“Had the shoe been on the other foot, would Gareth McAuley be saying there’s an asterisk against Rangers’ title if they had been leading? Certainly not.

“The people who say this are the people you expect to say it. There’s an element, too, of playing the game and saying what your support wants to hear.

“But they can try and lift their support as much as they want, say what they like, because the reality is the trophy’s sitting at Celtic Park.

“We know the world we live in, the tension in a place like Glasgow. Emotionally, things can get wound up very easily.

“Gareth McAuley is someone who, in terms of his career, you’ve got to admire him. But in terms of getting involved in something that doesn’t really involve him now, it’s unfortunate.

“He’s from a Rangers background and he’s been asked his opinion. But the reality is it’s not going to affect us in any way.

“The season was cut short amid unprecedented circumstances. Nobody could do anything about it.

“So, you’ve got to then make a decision on that and we were sitting 13 points clear with a handful of games left. For us, we were going to win the title regardless. It’s one we’ll savour. It’s part of our history now.

“Regardless of what anyone else thinks, there certainly won’t be an asterisk beside our title.

“It’s 100 per cent deserved.

“For someone to come out randomly and say what Gareth McAuley has? To be honest, I don’t care. The decision’s been made and we are worthy nine in a row winners.

“There’s always talk going on. We decide what’s worthy of listening to. But all talk of asterisks and a title being devalued, it doesn’t matter to us – we’re nine-in-a-row champions, we’ve got the trophy again.

“There’s every chance we would’ve extended our lead at the top. The form we were in and the way things were looking everywhere else, I think there would’ve been a strong possibility of us increasing that 13 point gap. And, 100 per cent, we would’ve won the league anyway.”

Kennedy has been part of the first team coaching staff at Celtic since 2014, winning two titles each since then under Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers and now Neil Lennon.

The 36-year-old, whose playing career at the club was cut short by injury, says the current management team will intensify their efforts to win a record-breaking 10th consecutive title next season.

“On a personal level, I’ve always been driven to win as much as I possibly can,” he added. “I know Neil’s been the same. We want to get as many trophies as we can.

“We’ve never allowed our eye to come off the ball. Ten is the next milestone now for everyone. We’re in a position to make it happen.

“We’ve already put nine behind us. The focus is now on ten. Pretty much after last week’s celebrations, we had a meeting and it was about the next season.

“We’ve been relentless over the years and that’s why we’ve been so successful. It’s not going to change.

“The players, to be fair, motivate themselves. We’ve got a stable group and the new boys who came in very quickly adjusted.

“We’ve got born winners in the squad. They’ve all tasted success now and they want more and more of it.

“There’s also a few who have tasted the other side of it and that makes them all the more appreciative of silverware – and fuels their desire for a lot more. We’ve been relentless with winning – and no one’s ready to ease up on that.

“We’ve got a group of brilliant professionals, really talented. But they are also supported by a strong backroom staff.

“For as long as me and Neil are in place there will be no let up in the desire to be successful. This is Celtic. It’s about winning trophies.”

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