DAVID TURNBULL has issued a heartfelt promise to Celtic supporters.
The talented midfielder was introduced to the action on Tuesday night in the 72nd minute as a substitute for Reo Hatate with the Hoops already 2-0 adrift of European champions Real Madrid.
Eden Hazard popped in the third behind the blameless Joe Hart shortly afterwards, but the 60,000 sell-out crowd at Parkhead continued to give extraordinary vocal support to their favourites irrespective of what was unfolding on the field during the opening encounter in Champions League Group F.
CROWDPLEASERS…Joe Hart, David Turnbull and Kyogo Furuhashi accept the acclaim of the Celtic fans after the loss to Real Madrid at Parkhead.
Turnbull said: “We know what these fans are like. They know that we are trying our hardest and they respect that.
“At the end, they were all still clapping us. It was a good feeling to have that support despite the result.
“We now want to repay them against these teams by going head-to-head with them and getting the results they want to see.
“The response at the end of the game in the dressing room was positive. We want to compete against these teams and we did that against Real Madrid in spells. It is now about doing that for the 90 minutes.
“We will just dust ourselves down and get on with it. You saw it the other week. We made nine changes in the team and we still got the victory we wanted.”
The Scotland international, speaking to the Daily Record, continued: “It was a good marker for us. We can take positives. I don’t think we looked out of place at any time.
PARADISE…David Turnbull and the Celtic fans after he had scored the final goal in the 4-0 derby triumph.
“We had chances, it was just about taking them and keeping the door shut at the other end. I don’t think it was a bad performance. It is now just about sticking at it and going again.
“We can take confidence from the way we played, 100 per cent. We know the other games will be hard, as well, but we will go into them and just try to play our own football and get the results we need.”
Analysing Carlo Ancelotti’s world-class players, Turnbull added: “Some of the positions they took up in behind us and the patterns of play they had probably worked on were really impressive to watch.
“The way they pass and move the ball, one and two touch in midfield, as well. Those are the kind of teams you want to come up against. We can learn a lot.
“We just need to do it for every minute of the game. We created plenty of chances in the first-half. I wouldn’t say in the second-half we were poor. They punished us with the chances they created. That is what we need to do ourselves.
THREE CHEERS…Moritz Jenz and Giorgos Giakoumakis join David Turnbull in celebration after the fourth goal.
“It is about going out in the next game and playing the way we know we can. We are not just going to forget about it.
“These are the kind of teams we want to compete against. It is about putting it right in the next few games.”
The Hoops did not look for excuses against the Spanish giants, but it could have been a different outcome if Callum McGregor’s 21st-minute left-foot drive had ricocheted into the net after slamming against the inside of Thibaut Courtois’ right-hand post. Dame Fortune smiled on the holders as the ball flashed to safety.
Liel Abada and Daizen Maeda both passed up excellent opportunities when the game was goalless.
However, as Turnbull insists, it’s about “sticking at it and going again”.
And giving the Celtic fans something to shout about.
