Kris Boyd has blasted Celtic for their poor handling of John Kennedy’s departure, saying the club failed to show proper respect to one of their longest-serving figures.

Kennedy, who spent 27 years at Celtic as a player, coach and assistant manager, quietly left the club earlier this week alongside Brendan Rodgers, but it took nearly 48 hours for Celtic to officially confirm his exit, and when they did, he wasn’t even given a separate farewell post.

Instead, the club issued a generic statement thanking Kennedy and other departing staff members in a single paragraph.

Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Rangers striker didn’t hold back:

“The one I do feel sorry for is John Kennedy.

“For somebody with the service that John’s given — 27 years and 24 trophies as a coach — to be treated like that is not good enough.

“Was he even shoved out the door? When did he find out he was gone? In the newspapers, or when the story broke? It’s just not good enough.

“I know Celtic will say they looked after John Kennedy after he had a bad injury, and that’s fine. But at the same time, for me, John Kennedy should have been treated better as well.”

Kennedy’s exit ends a near three-decade association with Celtic, during which he served under six different managers and played a key role in multiple title-winning campaigns.

For many, the lack of a proper tribute to a figure so deeply embedded in the club’s history is another sign of the disconnect between the Celtic hierarchy and the wider fanbase, something that has only grown since Brendan Rodgers’ acrimonious exit earlier in the week.

Dermot Desmond made a rare trip to Celtic Park on Wednesday night. He was sitting in the directors’ box as Celtic eased to a 4-0 win over Falkirk, watching on as Martin O’Neill returned to the dugout at Parkhead for the first time in 20 years.