David Turnbull: The case for the defence

David Turnbull has started both games of the Cinch Premiership season, totalling 113 minutes on the field and scoring two goals. Given that he only started 6 league games last season, with a further 22 coming from the bench, it’s fair to say that this was an unexpected start to 2023/24 for the Carluke native.

His inclusion has split opinion. There are those amongst the Celtic support, like me, who value his talents highly. His ability to thread passes through defences, as well as provide a significant goal threat from midfield, make him a danger to opposition whenever he is selected.

The opposing view is that his inclusion slows our play down and prevents us getting up the park as quickly as we otherwise might. The time he takes on the ball, as well as the sometimes-delayed nature of the way in which he releases it when picking out passes, can be a disruption to the flow of our game and allow opposition the breather we so desperately don’t want them to have.

This was certainly a concern for former manager Ange Postecoglou. Despite his intense style of play, quick throw-ins and ‘never stop’ mantra, Turnbull did make 25 league appearances totalling 1820 minutes in the big Australian’s first season in charge. This changed in 2022/23, however. Though he made more league appearances (28), Turnbull’s playing time dropped by more than half to 873 minutes, signalling he wasn’t foremost in Ange’s thoughts when fielding a side.

Obviously, injuries contributed somewhat to this reduced playing time, but the earlier discussed concerns regarding Turnbull’s negative effect on Celtic’s pace of play no doubt figured heavily in Postecoglou’s decision-making.

It’s easy to see, too, why Ange went with the other options at his disposal. Callum McGregor’s tireless engine at the base of midfield, combined with the talents of both Matt O’Riley and Reo Hatate in the advanced midfield positions, provided a dynamic and energetic centre around which the feted Angeball could be built.

Asked by The Herald in May 2022 why Turnbull’s return from injury had been delayed at that time, Ange said, “You just never know when the right time is and obviously the team has been playing pretty well. He’s ready to go and it’s great to have him back. He had a brilliant first half of the year for us right up until the League Cup final. I know he was disappointed missing out and he’s had to work hard in rehab, but he’s ready to go.”

There are a few ways to look at what’s been said there. The first is the extremely obvious interpretation that Ange was taking an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach to the team at that time. Yes, Turnbull had been unfortunate with his injury, coming at a time when he had been playing well. But, in his absence, the team had performed well and there was no reason to disrupt that momentum.

A second look at what Ange could have been saying, however, is that, actually, he had no intention of bringing Turnbull back into the fold. That the injury had been exactly the excuse needed to embed new players like Hatate and O’Riley into the team. In doing so, he had found the style of play he desired and Turnbull wasn’t going to provide what was necessary.

Whatever the true nature of the matter, what’s clear is that Turnbull was not suited to Ange’s style of play. We enjoyed great success under our previous Aussie gaffer and, what’s more, we achieved that success watching a brand of football that we enjoyed and was not suited to Turnbull’s game. This, I think has led to an attitude amongst the Celtic support that David Turnbull had no future at Celtic. That Ange’s omission of him last season was proof enougn that he is not ‘Celtic class’.

I am in no doubut that, had Ange Postecoglou not departed Glasgow for the bright lights of North London this summer, David Turnbull would, instead, have been the one heading for the exit door. Ange would have continued to build a team with his embedded football philosophy always at the forefront of that reconstruction and Turnbull would have been forced to seek his fortunes elsewhere.

But the fact of the matter is that this is not how history played out. Turnbull now finds himself managed by Brendan Rodgers, a manager with equally strong but very different ideas on how the beautiful game should be played. Rodgers’ style, it’s true to say, is more contemplative, slow and methodical than that of his predecessor. If Ange’s team sometimes had the chaotic energy of Jim Carrey, Brendan’s carries more of the broodiness of a Denzel Washington performance.

And, perhaps, that’s where we need to re-evaluate what David Turnbull could continue to contribute to Celtic in this new age. Yes, his style of play may have been out of place in the last two years but his ability as a footballer has not diminished in that time. He still possesses all the skill on the ball and the threat from the edge of the box that he always did. Sometimes, like in the first half against Aberdeen, it will not come off. But I still believe David Turnbull has a significant amount to contribute to a Brendan Rodgers side. For every criticism of his sometimes-snail-like place, there is an argument that this is exactly what we need in some situations.

So often in recent times, especially in Europe, we have looked frantic and panicked. David Turnbull is anything but and it’s possible that his relaxed and considered approach to playing the game, especially in the centre of midfield, could provide a great anchor for us in a storm.

His maturity, even at 24 years old, cannot be questioned and, if you need proof of it, watch David Turnbull: The Comeback Story, produced by Motherwell FC in 2020. The 40-minute documentary charts David’s long and difficult recuperation from a significant knee injury. In it, countless coaches, physios and doctors vouch for the midfielder’s character, sighting his determination, professionalism and level-headedness as major reasons as to why he will go far in the game. David, himself, does nothing to dispel these notions during the production either.

It’s those characteristics, combined with his obvious footballing talent, that make David Turnbull worth holding onto. And, at his relatively young age, it’s still possible he could go on to have a long and successful career in the hoops. There are a lot of variables that could affect that but one thing is crystal clear in my mind – regardless of his future at or away from Celtic Park, David Turnbull remains an excellent footballer and one any club would be lucky to have on their books.

LAURA BRADBURN