Darren O’Dea drops John Kennedy Celtic exit bombshell

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The Celtic Star

·18 février 2026

Darren O’Dea drops John Kennedy Celtic exit bombshell

Former Celtic coach Darren O’Dea has provided the first real insight into the mess at Lennoxtown this season and amid a number of revelations the one that John Kennedy was removed by the club after 27 years of outstanding service is perhaps the most shocking…

Darren O’Dea at Celtic Park. Photo Celtic FC

O’Dea, who recently admitted tapping up Adam Idea for a move to Swansea after leaving Celtic to become Swansea’s assistant manager at the start of the season, was speaking on Open Goal’s ‘Keeping the Ball on the Ground’ podcast and gave the first real insight to the behind the scenes events that led to Celtic’s season falling apart for a period with the stabilising impact of Martin O’Neill keeping things from totally collapsing.

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Brendan Rodgers and assistant John Kennedy attend a team training session at the Celtic Training Centre in Lennoxtown. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

O’Dea takes us through his understanding of events with the biggest surprise being the club making the call on John Kennedy’s position at the club and not the long serving Celtic Assistant manager. The Irishman also explains just how important a role Kennedy had at the club and believes that had he stayed the hapless Wilfried Nancy might have had a much better chance of succeeding.

Celtic captain Callum McGregor with Celtic Manager Wilfried Nancy Celtic Team Training and press conference, Lennoxtown Training Ground, 2 January 2026. Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

As it is O’Dea has some sympathy for the Frenchman, believing Nancy walked into an absolute mess.

“I’m going to make a comment that I probably shouldn’t, I should probably keep this to myself,” Darren O’Dea stated.

“John Kennedy leaving Celtic is bigger than Brendan Rodgers leaving Celtic in terms of impact. He’s been there for 27 years. The staff there runs to his tune. Neil Lennon put a tag over him – ‘chief of staff.’ He runs the day-to-day.

John Kennedy and Brendan Rodgers at the Premier Sports Cup semi-final, Celtic against Aberdeen. Photo AJ for The Celtic Star

“He’s obviously loyal to the manager and buys into what the manager wants, but he runs the staff, and the staff won’t have liked him leaving. That’s my opinion on it anyway,” O’Dea said.

“Nancy coming in, you weren’t just changing manager for manager. You’re having to change everything, and then you’re trying to win games. It would have been different, 100 per cent (if Nancy had kept Kennedy).

“My understanding was he wasn’t asked to stay. He was gone. That’s my understanding of it. It wasn’t a conversation. He left with Brendan.”

John Kennedy and Stephen McManus sign for Celtic as 14 and 15 years olds in February 1998. John Kennedy became the youngest ever Celt when Kenny Dalglish gave him his debut in April 2000 against Motherwell in a 4-0 win at Celtic Park

O’Dea was asked if Brendan Rodgers was settled at the club before O’Dea left to join Swansea last summer, and explained that he believed that Brendan planned to see out his three year contract as he had continually said that he would.

Brendan Rodgers talks to the media after the match. Hearts v Celtic, 26 October 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

“No. I don’t know if this is factual, but my understanding was he would have left at the end of the season at the end of his contract.

“With the way he previously left the club, he certainly wanted to honour his contract.

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2024 Dermot Desmond on the 18th tee during the final round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2024 on the Old Course at St. Andrews Golf CLub, Fife, . 06/10/2024. Picture Fran Caffrey / Golffile.ie

“But a lot has obviously happened and it’s culminated in Dermot Desmond having had enough. I don’t know if Brendan went in and offered his resignation, no-one has an idea what exactly happened. Because he didn’t get sacked, he left.

Chris McKay and Paul Tisdale, Motherwell v Celtic, Scottish Premiership. 30 December 2025 Photo by Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

“But then there’s the wipeout – John Kennedy left, Paul Tisdale eventually left after Wilfried Nancy. The amount of change is incredible.

“I listened to Nancy’s first few interviews and I thought ‘you’re not really reading the room here.’ But I felt sorry for Nancy, because he was coming in to an absolute mess.”