I like Chris Sutton. As a player he was an outstanding striker for Celtic. Never afraid to mix it up and certainly not afraid to tell it how it is to the media. As a pundit he continues to tell it how it is and has quickly become a cult figure in the media for Celtic fans and a pantomime villain for the rest.
However, he is way off the mark when it comes to his criticism of the Assistant Manager. Sutton speculates in todays media that Lennon seems a “lonely figure” in the technical area during matchday. Is Sutton privy to instructions being shared between Lennon and Kennedy about matchday etiquette? And where does Sutton get the impression that Kennedy has “run for the hills” and that he would like them to be “more visible” to show him more support.
For me Suttons argument falls flat on his face when he refers to Kennedy as the “defensive coach”. Kennedy never has been a defensive coach. Ever. This fantasy that because he was a defender in his playing days automatically makes him responsible for the coaching of our defenders is laughable and needs to be be put to bed. In fact, I thought I did here in a recent article, but maybe I was wrong.
This is an ex player/pal trying to take the heat off his mate. Maybe he is back tracking after publicly stating Lennon had to go after the defeat to Ross County. Sutton really needs to make up his mind.
There seems to be a lapse in Suttons memory here. Kennedy was part of the backroom staff when Ronny Delia was the manager and although the Hoops still went on to win two league titles with the Norwegian, his tenure was not all plain sailing. Performances were poor and crowds were dwindling because of it. There wasn’t question marks over Kennedy’s loyalty to the manager then.
And lets not forget how highly Brendan Rodgers thought of Kennedy. Kennedy was a key backroom member of staff during the Rodgers era and Brendan was so impressed with him that he offered Kennedy a place with him at Leicester. John turned it down to stay with Celtic as the quest for the ten was ongoing.
Suttons criticism, to me, looks like a cynical ploy to take some heat off his pal, but in my opinion, it’s a crass move for someone who has done nothing but show loyalty to Celtic.