JOHN KENNEDY proclaimed over the weekend that on their day, he still believes this Celtic team to be the best in the country.

He knows that actions speak louder than words, and the onus is now on his players to back up the words of their interim manager somewhat by beating Rangers for the first time this season.

The tangible reward for that will be progress in the Scottish Cup, but according to Frank McAvennie, there may also be a residual benefit to Kennedy himself and his hopes of landing the Celtic manager’s job on a permanent basis.

While Eddie Howe remains the favourite for the role, and the preferred candidate of the board as well as perhaps the vast majority of supporters, McAvennie believes that Kennedy is still in with a shout of succeeding Neil Lennon. And if he can beat Rangers in the cup and then in the league in a few weeks, he may well give the Celtic board a decision to make.

“I think everyone has a chance,” McAvennie said.

“John has come in and he’s done what he’s been asked to do.

“He’s been in there since he was a boy, got injured, and now he’s learnt his trade under two different managers.

“Is he a manager that the fans want to see? I wouldn’t think so. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets it, because Celtic’s Celtic.

“I just hope they’ve not put all their eggs in the one basket with Eddie Howe. I hope they haven’t put it down to ‘Eddie’s coming’.

“They’ve done that with players before, not managers, and they had people in talking to them and they’ve ended up at different clubs.

“They’ve got to get this over the line and they’ve got to do it right, because the fans are not happy at all with what has happened this season and they’re quite right, because they haven’t turned up in a lot of games this season. So, we’ll see what happens.

“It’s not a case of the fans not wanting [John]. There will always be fans who will stick by John. He’s been at the club since he was a kid.

“Some will see that and think he knows what he’s doing. He’s done alright since he came in.

“He's saying that about them individually [that they are the best team in the country]. I've always felt Celtic had a great squad but unfortunately, individually is what Celtic have been playing this season. They've not played as a team. Rangers have played as a team. It doesn't matter how many individuals you have, if you don't play as a team you'll get beaten.

“If John has any prospects of getting the job, getting a result on Saturday could help out for him.”

While McAvennie credits Rangers for the way they turned the tables on their city rivals this season, he believes that complacency on Celtic’s part played just as significant a role in their downfall.

“I think Celtic have turned up at the start of the season thinking 'we'll win this',” he said. “There was a wee bit of arrogance from the board and the players to think Rangers weren't going to put in the kind of performance they have.

“You have to credit them, they've won the league well. But Celtic haven't turned up. I enjoyed the performance at the weekend but there haven't been enough of them this season. But if they turn up this weekend they can give Rangers a game.

“You don’t become a bad player overnight, but some of the guys who have been brought in haven’t been good enough, it’s as simple as that. But some of the boys that were there are good enough, and that showed at the weekend.

“When they play and they have that balance with (James) Forrest out wide, then they have got a good team. They will go and give Rangers a game.

“Hopefully, Rangers will do what Celtic did at the start of the season and just think they have to turn up to beat Celtic, and hopefully Celtic can go there and turn them over. That would be nice.”

For McAvennie though, the biggest thing at stake this weekend is not the chance of silverware, nor the opportunity for Kennedy to boost his job prospects. It is simply the opportunity for these Celtic players to earn some sort of redemption in the eyes of an angry support.

“It's not so much stopping them doing the double, it's more beating Rangers,” he said.

“They haven't done it and they haven't turned up this season, I don't think, in many games. It's a big thing this season for the fans - they've two games against Rangers, one in the Cup and one in the league.

“If they go and win the two of them it's great for John and it's great for the players. It's giving the fans something because they haven't had much to shout about this season, let's be honest. And if the players have any pride about themselves they'll go and do that.

“I think they can go and win it, I really do. They've nothing to lose. I'd love them to go there, after Rangers have already tied up the league, and put a performance in for the supporters.”

*Frank McAvennie was speaking to promote coverage of Rangers v Celtic exclusively live on Premier Sports this weekend. Premier Sports is available on Sky, Virgin TV and the Premier Player. Prices start from £10.99 per month.