CELTIC ON THE MONEY FOR GREEK
Shattered DT’s getting plenty of kip as Ange keeps driving on his Bhoys
CELTIC have agreed an initial fee of £2.5million for Greece goal-grabber Georgios Giakoumakis.
The 26-year-old was top scorer in the Dutch top flight last term for relegated VVV-Venlo and his club have insisted on a sell-on clause with the Hoops.
But personal terms are still to be
DAVID TURNBULL reckons he’s getting more kip due to Ange Postecoglou’s all-action approach at Celtic.
But the Hoops star is wide awake with excitement over the team’s impressive displays while being part of a dreamy midfield alongside born-again Tom Rogic and skipper Callum McGregor.
Turnbull and his team-mates are reaping the rewards of buying into the high-octane methods of their new manager.
Postecoglou is placing hefty demands on his troops with potent intent and attacking aggression at the heart of his philosophy.
The boss admits himself it’s a physical challenge for the squad and wants more signings secured to boost quality as well as numbers, providing the current group the rest and rotation required to maintain their tempo.
Turnbull afforded himself a smile when asked if the exertions led to more sleeping as he laughed and said: “Maybe a wee bit. I’ve always been a bit of a napper!”
But Celtic’s stars are seeing the hard work rewarded with five straight wins under the new gaffer and the midfielder loves being part of the positive plan.
Turnbull said: “He’s always demanding more of us, whether it’s in training or in games.
“He’s always telling us before and at half-time to keep working hard, keep pressing for the team and win the ball back, and that gets a good reaction from everybody. It’s been good. “That’s the way he wants us to play and everybody is buying into it. It’s working so far. We all want to go out there and express ourselves, that’s what we’re doing. “We’re working hard in training but at the moment it’s a tough schedule, so there’s not as much training as we’d like. “That’s what all the boys would want and personally I’m feeling a lot fitter. I’m feeling great and it looks like everybody else is as well. It’s just getting his ideas across, getting boys in and the team that he feels is right at the moment. We are all gelling together. It’s working so far, so long may it continue.”
Within the collective, individuals are beginning to shine.
Signings such as Liel Abada and Kyogo Furuhashi have immediately caught the eye in the attacking sense, while Ryan Christie and James Forrest have sparkled too.
Turnbull is part of an engine room that is purring with the classy McGregor and sublime Rogic hitting top form.
The ex-Motherwell man loves being within that unit and added: “We know what Tom can do, he’s
He’s always telling us before and at half-time to keep working hard, keep pressing DAVID TURNBULL ON EXPECTATIONS OF BOSS
magic on the ball. I’ve played against him a good few times, so I knew how good he was.
“Training with him all last year and this year, you can see his class.
“I love playing with Cal when he’s sitting behind me. He always finds the ball and manages to find
me or Tom in the pocket. It’s great to play with both of them.”
Defensively, Celtic are also on the rise with three clean sheets in their last four games.
New keeper Joe Hart has added experience while Anthony Ralston and Stephen Welsh, at 22 and 21 respectively, are stepping up.
The pair were outstanding in the 2-0 Europa League play-off first-leg win over AZ Alkmaar, with the gaffer describing right-back Ralston as “unbelievable.”
Hart made key stops at crucial times against the dangerous Dutch to cement his status as No.1.
Turnbull said: “Joe has been excellent. You see the save he pulled off on Wednesday in the first few minutes. That’s what we need.
“Every game we’ve played, he’s looked very comfortable and he’s playing the way we want to as well.
“It was a tough match, we knew going into it that we had to be on
our game. We were and we came out with the win. It gives us a lot of confidence and the past few games as well, it’s breeding through the team and everyone else involved. You can see that on the pitch.”
Celtic face St Mirren in the league tomorrow looking for a fifth straight win on their own patch and Turnbull reckons the return of punters has helped immensely.
He added: “The fans have been brilliant since the first game back.
“It’s great to see them all and the noise is incredible. They got right behind us and that’s what the team needed. They’re pushing us on.”