Although a large portion of the season is still left to be played, it has already been quite the roller coaster campaign for Celtic. The Hoops fans have witnessed plenty of ups and downs, including multiple managerial changes.

The first one came back in October when Brendan Rodgers resigned from his post as manager, after falling eight points behind Hearts in the title race. The Northern Irishman had always maintained that he wanted to see out his three-year contract at Parkhead, but ended up quitting midway once again. The statement from Dermot Desmond that followed was a clear indication though that the behind the scenes situation had become unsustainable.

Things simply were not clicking for Rodgers this season after the club failed to strengthen the squad in the summer. In fact, the roster was weakened and that was visible on the pitch, both in the performances and the results.

So, Rodgers might have quit at the right time and the decision was somewhat understandable. He was not the only one who departed though. John Kennedy left alongside, an exit that was even more unexpected considering his history with the club.

Kennedy came through the youth ranks at Celtic, played senior football for the club and was forced into an early retirement at the age of 26 due to injuries. After retiring, he worked with the Hoops as a scout, youth and first-team coach, assistant manager, and interim manager.

So, Kennedy's decision to leave was not something that many would have predicted, as he had survived multiple managerial sackings and departures in the past. Since then, he has gone on to join Rodgers at Al-Qadsiah as an assistant. Why did he choose to depart Celtic though?

According to The Scotsman, former Celtic coach Darren O'Dea said: "I'm going to make a comment that I probably shouldn't, I should probably keep this to myself. 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. 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 further stated on the matter: “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.”

So, did Kennedy choose to leave Celtic himself after so many years at the same place? Or was that decision made for him by the club? It appears that it might have been the latter.

Could things have turned out differently for someone like Wilfried Nancy if Kennedy had still been at the club, helping with the transition to life at Celtic Park? That is certainly a possibility. It is in the past though and all we can do now is concentrate on the present and the future.

For now, Martin O'Neill is the manager of the club until the end of the season. After that, they will need to find another permanent manager. Hopefully, that search is already underway. The likes of Ange Postecoglou, Roberto Martinez and Jens Berthel Askou have been linked with a move to Celtic in the summer.

It is also worth mentioning that O'Dea himself left the club last summer, taking up a coaching role at Swansea City. But things did not turn out as expected for him there, and he found himself without a job a few months later after manager Alan Sheehan was sacked.

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