Derby probably.
+ Visit Cardiff FC for Latest News, Transfer Gossip, Fixtures and Match Results |
Wonder what's next for Josh Murphy after he has bombed his Reading trial??
being forced to play Warnock ball had absolutely destroyed his confidence.
either that or being handed a bumper contract at a young age has turned him into a bit of a twat (I probably would be if someone gave me a load of cash in my early 20s)
It probably doesn’t help that his twin has turned it round and is now a regular starter under Howe. Norwich fans always rated Jacob the better player but there’s not 2 or even 3 divisions between them.
It’s a shame because in the Prem he tore some right backs apart. I remember him giving Callum Chambers nightmares and him being taken off at HT if my memory serves me right.
You-re right, he was the BBC's man of the match.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45847412
i expected Murphy to turn things around at Preston last season where he, initially, was working with a manager who knew him as a teenager at Norwich I believe. True, injuries didn't help him at Preston, but he made little or no impression when he was fit and, with no disrespect to Pearcey's team, he must have fallen a long way because there was a time when Reading, and every other Championship club, would have snapped him up on a free without the need for a trial.
I can't explain why Murphy's career has gone so wrong. Being a "flair" player at a Warnock club is always a challenge as you tend to be the first one to be left out when things start to go wrong and the way our former manager handled Murphy in that first season showed the limitations at the top level that have held Warnock back throughout his career,
However, Murphy was rarely the player he was for a while in the Premier League under Neil Harris and Ryan Lowe was critical of his attitude at Preston towards the end of last season. So, while I think Murphy's confidence took a knock because of the way he was messed around by Warnock, that doesn't fully explain what went wrong - he's got to take some responsibility for the fact he has lost his way so dramtically.
Murphy was bought by Warnock, so he must have liked what he saw in the player and he was given plenty of opportunities in the first team (averaged around 30 appearances a season under Warnock) but failed to perform consistently and ‘went missing’ at crucial times. I don't think it is asking too much to expect a player in this day and age to do his share of defending when the opposition have the ball but this is something that Murphy showed a marked tendency not to want to do. It is hardly surprising therefore that he was in and out of the team and this is entirely down to the players attitude. The fact that he has continued to do this since says it all for me. Once again blaming the manager is the easy option for those who have a short memory as to what was achieved between 2016 and 2019.
I've heard this said several times of the way we played under Warnock, and I don't necessarily agree.
I don't think that he expected or even wanted the wingers to do a particularly high amount of defending.
if you look at where on the pitch we did most of our defending it is a classic low block. We put the opposition under very little pressure until deep into our half.
my (probably basic) understanding of the way Warnock teams worked is that they could almost be split into two. defenders for defending, attackers for attacking. so while he wouldn't have held much truck with an attacking fullback, he didn't place too much defensive workload on the wingers. I think we are going to see a lot more defensive workload this season!
Warnock's wingers were encouraged to beat their man, to try to fashion a big chance, with less focus on retaining possession than other sides. if there's a 20-30% chance of beating your man and making a big opportunity then Warnock's wingers are encouraged to try it every time, and not worry about losing the ball.
what is less fun from the winger's point of view is that you'll be be pretty isolated on the pitch, the ball will probably be launched in your general direction from half the pitch away and if you lose it you might not get another touch for 10 minutes.
I think THAT is what has destroyed Murphy's confidence, rather than being asked to track back.
just the way I see it though, others may disagree.
I think he was just average (at championship level) and the price we paid for him was never going to be worth it whoever we had as manager.
There was glimpses of quality but I'd say most championship wingers with a bit of pace will provide something. Ollie Tanner could turn out to not be good enough but will show glimpses along the way and he has come from non league.
Because of the fee, because of some early promise we just wanted to believe he was better than he is and he quite clearly isn't. He isn't going to suddenly start to show that early promise consistently.
Now I'm not shitting on him at all. A lower half championship player, even top half league 1 is of course a bloody fantastic level for a professional footballer. He has played in the prem and earned a fantastic wage along the way. Good luck to the guy but even if everything magically aligned for him I don't see him tearing this level up like we all so wanted to happen.
Yes.
I don't think the fee was used against him negatively, if anything it made the club hang onto him for far longer than it should have.
I also think subconsciously we wanted the 10m star winger to turn it on and he got fair support for a long time.
To be fair 7m for goals machine flint is a bargain.