Frank McAvennie has put a spotlight on the worrying way Celtic have been using David Turnbull over the last three games.
Since John Kennedy has come in, he’s consistently taken Turnbull off as his first substitute. Against Aberdeen, Dundee United, and Rangers, the interim boss has hooked David. That’s despite the fact all three games were up for grabs at the time of the substitutions.
It’s a stark contrast to how he’s been using several of the underperformers around him. Ryan Christie, for example, has played 90 minutes in all three games under Kennedy so far.
And McAvennie has warned Kennedy that Turnbull will soon get fed up if he’s consistently hooked.
As quoted by Football Insider, McAvennie said: “I just do not get it. I would be very careful with Turnbull because there will come a time when he gets fed up of it and look elsewhere. He is a super exciting player and he compliments Scott Brown in there.
“I was just a wee bit disappointed when he changed it. He took Turnbull off (vs Rangers) but he should have gone like-for-like and replaced Christie with Forrest. Christie did nothing in the game, he did not do anything.
“He has never really excelled against Rangers. I am not saying he is a bad player, but it should have been like for like on Sunday. We needed a goal and we went flat when Turnbull came off. It has happened before. I am fed up of this fitness nonsense. The coaching staff should have him fit.”
David Turnbull still looked a threat vs Rangers despite poor display
Only Kennedy will know why he keeps making this blunder. It’s clearly something that he thinks the team needs at the time. However, it’s difficult to know what exactly he’s seeing that makes him think that.
Minutes before coming off against Rangers, Turnbull had just burst beyond the Rangers defence. He got a shot off on Allan McGregor and produced the first real exciting moment in a while during the game. David was clearly up for it and still able to cause the opposition harm.
Compare that with Christie. Yes, Ryan looked lively in stages, but he never produced advancing runs beyond the defence or proved himself to be a goal threat at any stage. Yet, he continuously plays under Kennedy whilst better-performing players are hooked.
However, Turnbull won’t get fed up anytime soon. There are only five league matches remaining as well as the Scottish Cup that’s still to be played ut. Once those matches are over, it’s a fresh start for everyone under the potential new manager.
Turnbull will know any new boss may look to utilise him better. At the very least, he’ll fancy his chances of not being the first sub every week.
This is one of the frustrating trends with Kennedy’s management over the last three games. Taking Turnbull off when games are still there to be one has been infuriating. Hopefully, he’s learned his lesson by now.
In other news, the Dermot Desmond comment that should appease Celtic-admirer Jesse Marsch.
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