Former Celtic chief blamed for 'shocking' recruitment as key behind-the-scenes call leaves lingering effect
The club’s former Head of Football Operations was sacked at the beginning of the year
Charlie Mulgrew believes the buck lies with Paul Tisdale in terms of Celtic’s poor recent recruitment record and that his appointment led to John Kennedy leaving the club.
After managing several sides in the English lower leagues, Tisdale was appointed club Head of Football Operations in October 2024. At which point, Kennedy was assistant manager under Brendan Rodgers and was held in high esteem at the club, having represented Celtic in various roles for over a quarter of a century. Mulgrew thinks that somewhere along the way the power balance shifted from Kennedy to Tisdale regarding transfer matters as the former number two left the club alongside Rodgers in October.
After overseeing an underwhelming summer window, as well as appointing Celtic managerial flop, Wilfried Nancy, Tisdale would also depart Parkhead a few months later. However, the January transfer window has also flattered to deceive, as Celtic sit third in the Premiership table going into the split. After years of Scottish Premiership domination while they were signing the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Matt O’Riley, Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers, it begs the question, where did it all go wrong in terms of Celtic’s recruitment?
Mulgrew on ‘shocking’ Hoops recruitment
Speaking alongside Kevin Thomson on The Breakdown Podcast, Mulgrew claimed: “I heard that when he (Tisdale) was there, John Kennedy lost his say in a lot of stuff, in terms of recruitment, so he made that decision. He is now away. They need to get somebody else in to sort that out.
“The last 18 months, it has been shocking. You could list 15 players right now that’s not been good enough. Tisdale, it coincides with him being there. Then I heard that when he was there, John Kennedy lost his say in a lot of stuff, in terms of recruitment, so he made that decision. He is now away. They need to get somebody else in to sort that out.
Kennedy’s undivided loyalty to the club made him a popular figure among players, staff and the fans during his later years at the club, making it even more surprising that he left with Rodgers after 27 years. The pair are now in Saudi Arabia with Al-Qadsiah, who currently sit fourth in the Pro League.
Transfer record shows youngster need a chance - Mulgrew
Celtic’s output machine, Benjamin Nygren has been the only real standout of any of this season’s new additions. Mulgrew would in turn like to see more young players coming through the youth ranks given a chance, using the example of 19-year old right back, Colby Donovan, who made his Celtic debut at the start of the season and has since made his way up the selection pecking order. He continued: “What I would also say is that bringing boys through the academy, they need to be given more of a chance.
“If you look at Colby Donovan, who is the latest to breakthrough if you want to say, he only got his chance because Ralston was injured and Johnston was injured. He got brought up through default, and now he is ahead of Ralston. How many players in the Celtic Academy have been let go because they haven’t been given the opportunity? There needs to be bravery from the hierarchy to give younger boys a chance, and then move them on.”