Edward Hunter Turnbull (12 April 1923 – 30 April 2011) was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He played as a forward for Hibernian and Scotland, forming part of the Hibs "Famous Five" forward line. He then had successful spells as manager of Aberdeen and Hibs, winning a major trophy with each club.

Eddie Turnbull
Personal information
Full name Edward Hunter Turnbull[1]
Date of birth (1923-04-12)12 April 1923
Place of birth Carronshore, Falkirk, Scotland
Date of death 30 April 2011(2011-04-30) (aged 88)
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1946–1959 Hibernian 349 (150)
International career
1948–1958 Scotland 9 (0)
1949–1958 Scottish League XI 4 (0)
Managerial career
1963–1965 Queen's Park
1965–1971 Aberdeen
1967Washington Whips (USA)
1971–1980 Hibernian
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Early life edit

Turnbull was in the Royal Navy during the Second World War, serving aboard HMS Bulldog, HMS Alnwick Castle and HMS Plover.[2] In November 2015, he was posthumously awarded an Arctic Star military campaign medal.[2]

Playing career edit

Making his professional debut at the age of 23 when the war ended, during the late 1940s and 1950s he was one of the Famous Five, the noted Hibernian forward line, along with Gordon Smith, Bobby Johnstone, Lawrie Reilly, and Willie Ormond. During his time with Hibernian they won three Scottish Football League titles, and in 1955 he was the first British player to score in a European club competition.

Although Turnbull was selected nine times to play for Scotland and played in the 1958 FIFA World Cup, he did not physically receive an international cap at the time.[3] This was because he did not play in any Home International matches, and caps were only awarded for playing in those matches until the mid-1970s.[3] This situation was rectified in 2006 as a result of Gary Imlach's successful campaign for his father Stewart Imlach and other players affected by this rule to receive recognition.[3][4][5]

Coaching career edit

He was manager of Aberdeen between 1965 and 1971 winning the 1969–70 Scottish Cup and finishing second in the league in 1970–71.[6] After that he returned to Hibernian, winning the 1972–73 Scottish League Cup. He also managed their 7–0 win over their Edinburgh derby rivals Heart of Midlothian on 1 January 1973.

Turnbull died on 30 April 2011, aged 88.[7] Hibernian chairman Rod Petrie stated that no-one had made a greater contribution to the club than Turnbull.[7]

Honours edit

Player edit

Hibernian

Manager edit

Aberdeen
Hibernian

Career statistics edit

International appearances edit

Appearances and goals by national team and year[8]
National team Year Apps Goals
Scotland
1948 3 0
1950 1 0
1958 5 0
Total 9 0

Managerial record edit

As of 6 December 2013
Team From To Record
G W D L Win %
Queen's Park[9] 1963 1965 104 44 19 41 042.31
Aberdeen[10] 1965 1971 315 150 66 99 047.62
Hibernian[11] 1971 1980 454 219 110 125 048.24
Total 873 413 195 265 047.31

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Brown, Alan; Tossani, Gabriele (11 April 2019). "Scotland - International Matches 1946-1950". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b Hislop, John (18 November 2015). "EDDIE TURNBULL AWARDED ARCTIC STAR". Hibernian FC. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Pattullo, Alan (2 March 2006). "Turnbull makes history at last as he is awarded first retrospective Scotland cap". The Scotsman. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  4. ^ Imlach, Gary (9 February 2006). "Recognition would have meant everything to Dad". The Scotsman. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  5. ^ Eddie Turnbull: Having a Ball, Eddie Turnbull, Martin Hannan; Random House, 2012 ISBN 9781780574684
  6. ^ "Former Aberdeen Manager". Aberdeen F.C. 30 April 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Eddie Turnbull". Hibernian F.C. 30 April 2011. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  8. ^ Eddie Turnbull at the Scottish Football Association
  9. ^ Queen's Park manager Turnbull, Eddie, FitbaStats
  10. ^ Aberdeen manager Turnbull, Eddie, FitbaStats
  11. ^ Hibernian manager Turnbull, Eddie, FitbaStats
Bibliography

External links edit