In a season when Celtic have been crying out for new ideas, many fans longed to see the introduction of David Turnbull and Leigh Griffiths. Griff came in from the cold to help Celtic win the title last season and Turnbull had scored a number of goals from midfield at Motherwell, proving the pair’s worth.
Prior to the Lille home match, Neil Lennon claimed that Turnbull needed to get fitter. Meanwhile, the questions of Griffiths’ fitness have been ever-present since August. Despite those claims, Lennon granted Turnbull a start in that closing Europa League fixture and he delivered a super performance and a goal, lasting the majority of the match. Leigh Griffiths, on the other hand, has been used as an emergency sub to get us a goal this season. He seemed to have fallen way down the pecking order but was called upon in the Scottish Cup Final and delivered a stunning strike to put the Hoops in front during extra time.
After the Cup Final, Griffiths challenged Lennon to give him more minutes. The striker felt that he was fit, but not match fit, and the only way to get up to speed was to play matches. Lennon questioned the striker, stating that he needs to do more, but he ultimately granted Griffiths a start against Ross County last night.
The upshot of Griffiths and Turnbull starting yesterday was a goal apiece in a 2-0 victory. Perhaps too much is made of bleep tests and running stats? No doubt these things have their place in modern football, but the pair have proved that if you give them the chance then they can actually last the majority of the match and deliver the goods. At the end of the day, that is all that matters.
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