Pause>>>Rewind >>>Replay…

Celtic assistant manager, John Kennedy is focused on the Hoops stepping right back to their usual winning ways following the international break

- Tony Connelly

THE international break may have hit pause on the Scottish Premiership fixtures, but the majority of the Hoops players have been in action with their respective countries. Those who remained at Lennoxtown were put through their paces under the watchful eye of John Kennedy who had the chance to have a closer look at the new Bhoys.

It many ways it might seem hard to believe that Celtic are only four games into the season, given everything else that has happened around the league. With eight European games played, a place in the League Cup quarter-final secured and 11 new players signed, there’s a lot to reflect on during the pause in fixtures.

Looking back at the last couple of months, and the dramatic end to the first period of the season, John Kennedy is confident Celtic will only get stronger as the season progresses.

“It’s been a very positive start,” said John Kennedy in an exclusive interview with the Celtic View. “My experience has taught me how difficult this first period is. It’s a very intense time. You just come back from pre-season and are quickly trying to get up to speed and get the match sharpness back. Before you know it, you’re into the qualifying games which come around very quickly.

“We all know the disappointment of the Cluj result, and we would love to have gone through that tie. Ultimately, it was a setback but the response we’ve had since then has been first-class. It’s been a great start in the league and we’re in the Europa League group stages which is a great achievement. We’re sitting in a good place and we’re looking forward to the next part of the season.”