Ange Postecoglou isn’t the type to mess about.
It’s obvious from listening to him for two minutes that, if someone doesn’t know their stuff, the straight-talking Aussie will set them straight. The way it should be.
That’s not just outside the Lennoxtown bubble. Inside the inner-sanctum, it’s the same.
Joe Hart put it on the line last week when he explained that you are either with Postecoglou or you are not.
If you are not, you won’t survive in his environment.
Taking all of this on board, it leads you straight to John Kennedy. And, perhaps to a lesser degree, Gavin Strachan.
This time last year, Kennedy was left holding the baby.
Neil Lennon had been axed and Celtic were scrabbling around trying to convince Eddie Howe to take the job.
Howe wanted to bring an entourage with him, yet, in the end, he took cold feet in any case and walked away from the job.
Enter Postecoglou. Now given his background and the fact he was walking into a strange environment, it was logical to assume he’d want a confidante. A trusted friend or colleague whom he could lean upon to get him through the difficult moments.
At this point, Kennedy was not thought to be long for his post, despite the fact he had answered the club’s call to look after the team as the club hunted Lennon’s successor.
He was the one who had to stand there and face the flak at the end of last season as Rangers ran away with the title by 25 points and buried Celtic’s Ten in a Row dream without fuss.
Through that carnage and the constant loss of bad goals, Kennedy had the finger pointed straight at him by a number of fans. What does he do? What is he working on through the week?
It’s always the same in football. Dermot Desmond is among those who have pointed out that, when a club is successful, the manager and the players are brilliant and the hierarchy don’t get a mention.
When it goes wrong, though, it’s as much their fault as those in charge of the playing staff and those who wear the jersey. Coaches and assistant managers fall into the same bracket.
No matter that Brendan Rodgers thought highly enough of Kennedy to have him on board and use his skills alongside Chris Davies to win seven consecutive trophies, the end of Lennon’s second term as gaffer brought scorn onto Kennedy in some quarters.
Same for Strachan. He’s only there because of his dad, was the mantra amongst cynics.
But, if that was the case, Postecoglou would have found them out instantly. He would have seen right through them straight away if they weren’t up to it.
Instead, it's been the opposite. They have been by his side throughout a glorious term and the manager’s words as he collected his Manager of the Year Award told a story.
He said: “It was my call not to bring anyone in and just to assess the staff I had. They’ve been outstanding.
“Led by John Kennedy who has been at the club a long time. He understands what success looks like but all the staff have been great.”
Postecoglou might be a magician, but no manager can do it on his own.
And, while the focus has quite rightly been on the Aussie and the star signings who have lit up the club and breathed life into it when reviewing the successes, it takes talented and hard workers behind the scenes for any club to have success.
Kennedy, in the words of Postecoglou himself, has been at the head of that back-up crew.
If the words from the main man don’t outline the assistant manager’s importance and value to the club, nothing will.
