Robert Hamilton Turnbull (22 June 1894 – 1946) was a Scottish

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

. Turnbull was originally a

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

, serving in the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communi ...

, and joined

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

in 1921 as an amateur. He was originally a

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

and made his debut on 27 December 1921 against

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...

Ninian Park Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovations during its lifespan and hosted fixture ...

; Arsenal lost 3–4 in a tightly fought game. Turnbull only played occasionally at this stage, making only five appearances in the 1921–22 season. The following season he played a little more regularly, featuring in eight of the ''Gunners first fifteen matches. At this point in time, mid-November, Arsenal were bottom of the table, having only won four matches. With Arsenal's regular

centre forward Forwards (also known as attackers) are outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring goals as well as assisting them. As with any attacking player, the role ...

Henry White out of form and no money available to buy a replacement, Arsenal manager

Leslie Knighton Albert Leslie Knighton (15 March 1887 – 10 May 1959) was an English football manager. He managed Arsenal, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, Birmingham, Chelsea and Shrewsbury Town. Management career Knighton was born in Church Gresley, Sw ...

switched Turnbull from defence to attack, and the gamble paid off; Turnbull scored 21 league goals that season, including two four-goal hauls against

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

and

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

. Turnbull's goals saved Arsenal from relegation and they eventually finished a comfortable 11th. An additional goal in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

against

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

brought Turnbull's total for the season to 22, which was then a top-flight record for an Arsenal player. However, his blistering form could not last, and he only scored six goals in 1923–24. The arrival of Harry Woods forced Turnbull out of the side altogether and he was sold to

Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, south-east London, which compete in . Their home ground is The Valley, where the club have played since 1919. They have also played at The Mount in C ...

in November 1924; in all he had scored 28 goals in 66 matches for Arsenal. After just three months at The Valley, he was sold on to

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

, where he rediscovered his form: in less than three seasons he scored 58 goals in 87 first-team games.Chelsea FC Player Profile: Bob Turnbull
Stamford-Bridge.com After leaving Chelsea in 1928 he had brief spells at

Clapton Orient Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional football club based in Leyton, East London, England, who compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a profess ...

Southend United Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

and

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

.Bob Turnbull
Doing the 92 After retiring, he stayed on with Palace as a trainer, until his death in 1946 aged 52.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Turnbull, Robert 1894 births 1946 deaths Date of death missing Place of death missing Scottish men's footballers Royal Corps of Signals soldiers 20th-century British Army personnel Men's association football defenders Men's association football forwards Association football coaches Arsenal F.C. players Charlton Athletic F.C. players Chelsea F.C. players Chatham Town F.C. players Leyton Orient F.C. players Southend United F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. non-playing staff Footballers from Dumbarton English Football League players