Stephen Turnbull sat down to talk about his transition from player to manager and how well the players have responded.
“The transition is a case of so far so good. Obviously, we are only training at the moment and that’s different to games, as you know I won’t be shouting or screaming at anyone in training or at least I’ll try not to. To be fair, the lads have been different class. Things have run smoothly so far and I’m sure there will be hiccups along the way but at the minute, but it’s been quite a simple transition so far.”
Speaking to the website, ‘Twinny’ revealed that having been part of the playing squad in recent seasons has given him some advantages.
“When you’ve played with certain people before, they have a certain perception of you, and you have a certain perception of them. Thankfully, I know what these lads are like. I know that these lads are winners you know; I’m not coming in here and wondering what’s he like or is he hungry enough. I have played with these lads and know what they like as players. I would say that they are all winners, so it is easier in a way of knowing what all the characters are like but harder when you have to step over that line and be their manager and not their team mate.”
Turnbull added that the backroom staff will have a large role to play this season with their wealth of experience.
“I will be relying on all of the staff, not just John (McDonald) and Lynchy (Craig Lynch) but I’m talking about Shawsy (Stephen Shaw), Olly (Andrew Oliver) and Nicky (Nick Gray). I’m going to be on the phone to Nicky all of the time. It’s not just two or three of us, it’s seven or eight of us who make the team. I’ll be asking all of them for their help and taking on whatever they say. I’ll be using whatever knowledge I can off them as well.”
Later in the week, we will also be bringing you a video interview with Stephen Turnbull as he looks ahead to the start of the new season. Keep an eye on the club website, as we will also be bringing you an interview with our goalkeeping coach, Dale Walker.
