Murphy seems to have found his mojo at Pompey

[Cyclops]

Murphy was heavily criticised by several fans for many aspects of his game when he was at City - attitude, involvement, 'we bought the wrong brother etc'. He is often cited as one of two Warnock's bad and expensive buys.

This season, he is an automatic pick for Pompey and has performed well, scoring and making goals. In fact, his brother has also improved at Newcastle and has secured his place in the first XI.

Have the brothers just got better, the older they've become? Perhaps, but I think both if not loved, have felt appreciated by the home fans - and Pompey fans are vocal and almost on the pitch, so that Murphy will have absorbed the positive vibes.

At Cardiff, Warnock was often criticised for how he managed Murphy and his other expensive signing, Reid, and both have moved on with some success. But, maybe it is the critical fans who need to look at themselves. Could they have contributed to the poor performances of Murphy and Reid?

Yesterday, Murphy's performance was one of the key differences in the performance of the two teams.

[Dave St]

you reckon, he plays like that 1 every 10 games . somone put 50p in him tonight!

[goats]

Murphy was heavily criticised by several fans for many aspects of his game when he was at City - attitude, involvement, 'we bought the wrong brother etc'. He is often cited as one of two Warnock's bad and expensive buys.

This season, he is an automatic pick for Pompey and has performed well, scoring and making goals. In fact, his brother has also improved at Newcastle and has secured his place in the first XI.

Have the brothers just got better, the older they've become? Perhaps, but I think both if not loved, have felt appreciated by the home fans - and Pompey fans are vocal and almost on the pitch, so that Murphy will have absorbed the positive vibes.

At Cardiff, Warnock was often criticised for how he managed Murphy and his other expensive signing, Reid, and both have moved on with some success. But, maybe it is the critical fans who need to look at themselves. Could they have contributed to the poor performances of Murphy and Reid?

Yesterday, Murphy's performance was one of the key differences in the performance of the two teams.

He found his level down the bottom of the championship or league 1…..PL you are having a laugh

[The Lone Gunman]

At Cardiff, Warnock was often criticised for how he managed Murphy and his other expensive signing, Reid, and both have moved on with some success. But, maybe it is the critical fans who need to look at themselves.

Are you serious?

Murphy was bought by Warnock (for £11 million) to play in the Premier League. Since leaving City he's spent two years in League One and is now involved in a relegation battle in the Championship. And that equates to success?

Josh Murphy celebrates his 30th birthday in a couple of weeks. Took him a while to find his mojo, didn't it? The truth is he's now in a very similar position to where he was when Warnock blew a large percentage of the club's Premier League transfer budget on him - in the middle of the Championship.

As for Bobby Reid, he was a poor signing because he was never going to fit comfortably with Warnock's style of football. The player himself realised that pretty quickly and got away as soon as he could.

Incidentally, Jacob Murphy has been a regular starter at Newcastle for the last five seasons.

[insider]

He was good last night against our makeshift right back

[Trigger]

Against anyone else I would have enjoyed seeing it. Good to see him enjoying his football finally.

[MacAdder]

I only watched the highlights yesterday and from what I saw he ran the show.
However, some perspective is needed as our defending was abysmal at best, allowing the opposition to get on the ball, turn and run at us.

Murphy had many chances here and showed very little.
He struggled against better defensive teams, be it lack of confidence or ability, I always thought he was predictable.
Josh Murphy was one very expensive mistake and had to go.

[Forest Green Bluebird]

Are you serious?

Murphy was bought by Warnock (for £11 million) to play in the Premier League. Since leaving City he's spent two years in League One and is now involved in a relegation battle in the Championship. And that equates to success?

Josh Murphy celebrates his 30th birthday in a couple of weeks. Took him a while to find his mojo, didn't it? The truth is he's now in a very similar position to where he was when Warnock blew a large percentage of the club's Premier League transfer budget on him - in the middle of the Championship.

As for Bobby Reid, he was a poor signing because he was never going to fit comfortably with Warnock's style of football. The player himself realised that pretty quickly and got away as soon as he could.

Incidentally, Jacob Murphy has been a regular starter at Newcastle for the last five seasons.

murphy stats.JPG

More often than not an 'impact' sub prior to this season.

[The Lone Gunman]

More often than not an 'impact' sub prior to this season.

Jacob Murphy's Premier League appearance stats for Newcastle for the past five seasons:

2020/21 - 17 (+9) apps
2021/22 - 13 (+20) apps
2022/23 - 14 (+22) apps
2023/24 - 14 (+7) apps
2024/25 - 17 (+4) apps

[City123]

Clapped the away fans and did the ayatollah in fairness. Seems a nice enough guy, just didn't really work out here unfortunately

[North Cardiff Blue]

I only watched the highlights yesterday and from what I saw he ran the show.
However, some perspective is needed as our defending was abysmal at best, allowing the opposition to get on the ball, turn and run at us.

Murphy had many chances here and showed very little.
He struggled against better defensive teams, be it lack of confidence or ability, I always thought he was predictable.
Josh Murphy was one very expensive mistake and had to go.

He played well, he is a confidence player and good on his day at the right level, everything went well for him yestarday, and his team won all the second balls, they were like a poor quality well organised determined Warnock team.

[The Lone Gunman]

Clapped the away fans and did the ayatollah in fairness. Seems a nice enough guy, just didn't really work out here unfortunately

When Warnock paid £11 million for Josh Murphy, he was 23 years-old and had just fully established himself in a Norwich team that finished 14th in the Championship.

After three seasons at City he had a season-long loan spell with Preston, which was a complete failure (0 starts and 0 goals, just 12 sub appearances). He then had to drop into League One for two seasons with Oxford before moving back to the Championship with Portsmouth.

Murphy started 22 games for City in the Premier League, made 7 sub appearances and scored 3 goals. He wasn't a disaster in the top flight, but wasn't a success either.

Most of the evidence suggests the middle of the Championship is his level.

[delmbox]

When Warnock paid £11 million for Josh Murphy, he was 23 years-old and had just fully established himself in a Norwich team that finished 14th in the Championship.

After three seasons at City he had a season-long loan spell with Preston, which was a complete failure (0 starts and 0 goals, just 12 sub appearances). He then had to drop into League One for two seasons with Oxford before moving back to the Championship with Portsmouth.

Murphy started 22 games for City in the Premier League, made 7 sub appearances and scored 3 goals. He wasn't a disaster in the top flight, but wasn't a success either.

Most of the evidence suggests the middle of the Championship is his level.

That Premier League record is better than I would've thought to be honest, probably more than Adama Traore contributes most seasons

[The Lone Gunman]

That Premier League record is better than I would've thought to be honest, probably more than Adama Traore contributes most seasons

Bobby Reid's record by comparison was 16 starts, 11 sub appearances, 5 goals.

Nobody came in for Murphy, but Fulham were quick to snap up Reid.

[tomcat]

Murphy was heavily criticised by several fans for many aspects of his game when he was at City - attitude, involvement, 'we bought the wrong brother etc'. He is often cited as one of two Warnock's bad and expensive buys.

This season, he is an automatic pick for Pompey and has performed well, scoring and making goals. In fact, his brother has also improved at Newcastle and has secured his place in the first XI.

Have the brothers just got better, the older they've become? Perhaps, but I think both if not loved, have felt appreciated by the home fans - and Pompey fans are vocal and almost on the pitch, so that Murphy will have absorbed the positive vibes.

At Cardiff, Warnock was often criticised for how he managed Murphy and his other expensive signing, Reid, and both have moved on with some success. But, maybe it is the critical fans who need to look at themselves. Could they have contributed to the poor performances of Murphy and Reid?

Yesterday, Murphy's performance was one of the key differences in the performance of the two teams.

I was told by an ex-player that Warnock destroyed his confidence regularly in front of other players, he's was a sensitive young man and was hugely affected by it.

[MacAdder]

I was told by an ex-player that Warnock destroyed his confidence regularly in front of other players, he's was a sensitive young man and was hugely affected by it.

Aw diddums. He shouted at me!!

FFS the world's gone feckin mad!

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Aw diddums. He shouted at me!!

FFS the world's gone feckin mad!

Are you serious?

[A Quiet Monkfish]

Are you serious?

I seriously doubt that was the case. More to the point it was Murphy's unwillingness to track back that limited his appearances..

[chrisp_1927]

Would like to see Murphy do well, there was always a good player in there and he seemed a genuinely decent bloke.
I'd echo some of the previous comments that it always seemed like he struggled with confidence rather than a bad attitude.

[tomcat]

I seriously doubt that was the case. More to the point it was Murphy's unwillingness to track back that limited his appearances..

You've hit the nail on head, that's exactly what the issue was, Murphy is a flair player and Warnock wanting him tracking back and making tackles all game

[MacAdder]

Are you serious?

100% serious.
Murphy was a passenger in so many of his games for us and a waste of a shirt.
Warnock paid big bucks for him and would have rightly expected nothing less than blood sweat and tears.

I can imagine Alex Ferguson being merciless if any of his players performed the way Murphy did for us, and not just with words!

If NW did have a go at him, not uncommon in a changing room half time team talk, he was only voicing what many of us on the terraces were thinking.

(You may have gathered he was not one of my favourites )

[Cyclops]

You've hit the nail on head, that's exactly what the issue was, Murphy is a flair player and Warnock wanting him tracking back and making tackles all game

I get all that, but wonder whether a good manager could get a 'flair player' track back. Jacob Murphy at Newcastle is a good example of a winger who often tracks back to support his fullback and doesn't have a problem with it. He seems to have consolidated his place in the team this season as a result of this plus creating and scoring goals. The crowd appreciate him working too. You've got to be fit to do that!

[the other bob wilson]

All I know was that Murphy was a better player in the first half of his first season with us than he was after that. He was in the Premier Lwague when he played his best football for us , yet was a Championship player for the majority of his time here and I struggle to think of a spell where he was more effective in the lower league than he was in the top one. Murphy wasn’t blameless for the way his career panned out at City, but both he and a player who has spent virtually all of the time since he left us in the top flight (Decordova-Reid) were bit part players during the closing stages of 18/19 and that has to be seen as an indictment of the manager who paid such large fees for them less than a year earlier.

[olderblue]

All I know was that Murphy was a better player in the first half of his first season with us than he was after that. He was in the Premier Lwague when he played his best football for us , yet was a Championship player for the majority of his time here and I struggle to think of a spell where he was more effective in the lower league than he was in the top one. Murphy wasn’t blameless for the way his career panned out at City, but both he and a player who has spent virtually all of the time since he left us in the top flight (Decordova-Reid) were bit part players during the closing stages of 18/19 and that has to be seen as an indictment of the manager who paid such large fees for them less than a year earlier.

We paid what was reported to be £10-11million for Murphy, I remember that I was really looking forward to seeing him in action for the City, sadly I’m struggling to remember how many times I came away after watching him play and thinking he was well worth the money?

If and when he did shine, it was so infrequently that I doubt anyone could have justified the price tag and decision to buy him

For what we paid he was a massive failure here, and that must reflect on the manager who must have known the type of player he was signing