The cynical Celtic connection snipes don't add up when you hear what Ange Postecoglou says of John Kennedy

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,