News: Celtic In For Tough Test Against Dundee

[TheDarkBlues]

Celtic coach John Kennedy believes Dundee boss Paul Hartley will have his players particularly fired up when they meet in the Scottish Cup in February.

The former defender, who is now part of Ronny Deila’s backroom staff at Parkhead, knows Hartley well from his playing days and conceded that the Hoops are in for a tough assignment when they head to Dens in arguably the tie of the fifth round.

“Obviously coming into the draw you want one at home and then you take it from there but we’re away from home and we’ve found it difficult against Dundee twice already this season,” he told Courier Sport.

“So it’s a tough tie for us but we’re certainly moving forward and progressing as a team, so hopefully we can continue that.

“I obviously know Paul well from his playing days and I knew the type of character he was there.

“But you can see now in his team, it certainly reflects his type of character.

“The bits of the game against Aberdeen I’ve seen, they showed real fight and real determination and commitment.

“That sums Paul up and I think it is important that your team reflects what you are.

“It’s going to be tough and it’s probably one of the toughest ones we could have asked for.

“In manager terms, Paul’s still young and he’s done very well where he’s been so far.

“He’s certainly brought in some good players – he’s brought in players who know the league, who have been there and done it, and it’s helped Dundee establish themselves this season.

“The way they’ve played this season, you can see a real team spirit there and that’s down to the way Paul has got them playing this season.

“It makes it more difficult when you come up against them and we’ve found that already this season.”

Celtic booked their spot in the last 16 thanks to a thumping 4-0 win over Hearts at Tynecastle, although the manner in which striker John Guidetti won a penalty for the Hoops prompted criticism from some quarters.

Some claim he slipped, others claim he dived, and replays certainly suggested little or no contact with the challenging Hearts defender, but Kennedy leapt to the player’s defence yesterday.

“He’s not that type of player – he’s not the type of player who looks to con anyone,” he said.

“His momentum has taken him forward, he’s tried to cut the ball back and sometimes your natural movement in that instance is to fall over.

“But he’s certainly not dived and he’s not been theatrical or claimed to the referee.

“The referee gave the decision very quickly and that was the end of the matter so in that respect if anyone tries to come out and call him a cheat or anything like that, I certainly don’t think that was the case.”

Kennedy added his belief that Dundee will be up against an even stronger Celtic than they are at present, as he feels the players can only build on the platform Deila has created since arriving at Parkhead.

“Ronny has certainly settled in and he’s the right type of character for the job,” he added.

“Initially, as there always is when a new manager comes in with new ideas, things can take time and sometimes it looks as though things are stuttering along.

“Then the question marks come in, but I think in recent weeks you are beginning to see a team that are fully committed to what the manager is trying to do.

“Once you get that then things start to move forward.

“Winning is the most important thing at Celtic and as a manager or a player, you’ve got to have that mentality.

“When we don’t play well it’s a case of making sure we win the match and that’s the sign of a good Celtic team.

“Performance-wise you want to win a match in a style, but if that style doesn’t come across in a specific game then it’s just a case of making sure you win it and moving on.

“Ronny can be heated when he wants to be and can be really enthusiastic when he wants to be but he’s very calm and thoughtful about what he wants to do.

“From my perspective it’s been a fantastic learning curve working under him.”

Source: Courier