Current Player #23 Josh Murphy

Scotchegg said:
Why is that a choice when both play together on opposite wings?

It's bizarre how hard some are working to try to convince others that Murphy is not up to scratch when the rest of us are watching a player tear up the opposition week in and out!
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No, just suggesting there might be others out there like Dale who would be a cheaper option, more reliable, more consistent, so arguably a better return on investment all round, but Murphy’s recent form puts a question mark there.
 
TailsWeWin said:
It’s bizarre to see how hard you are working to
convince people Murphy has been worth the swathes of money he has been paid over some considerable time.
Even considering his form over the last few games.
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Maybe you should listen out for the reaction he gets from the crowd or the MoM awards he has been getting to realise that you are very much in the minority when it comes to acknowledging Murphy.
 
Scotchegg said:
Why is that a choice when both play together on opposite wings?

It's bizarre how hard some are working to try to convince others that Murphy is not up to scratch when the rest of us are watching a player tear up the opposition week in and out!
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I don't think anybody is tearing it up that's a bizarre comment .
Over 12 games we are 17th in the form table .
I except he's had a few good games but he's far from tearing anything up .
Tuesday night in Bolton he was a passenger .That night will haunt me for years .
 
I was talking to another fan this week who said "I came off Yellows Forum a couple of years ago and my mental health immediately improved".

I've never been one to make light of mental health issues, and have had my own issues as I'm sure many others have too. But there is at times a need to constantly find the negatives in any situation. It's draining after a win, and sometimes really toxic after a defeat.

I appreciate that I'm at the other end of the spectrum, and I'm always going to antagonise others as a result. So I won't be saying anymore on this beyond this final comment.

We have a minimum of 7 games to go this season and we much win 4 or 5 of them. An in form and confident Josh Murphy gives us the very best chance of doing that. And alongside Owen Dale they are giving us moments of genuine excitement to get out of our seats and create the atmosphere we've been lacking for so long.

Murphy, like every other player, deserves our support, and they will get it from me and thousands of others at games between now and the end of April or into May. So much of what else is posted is about predetermined views from over a year ago or unnecessary speculation.
 
Scotchegg said:
I was talking to another fan this week who said "I came off Yellows Forum a couple of years ago and my mental health immediately improved".

I've never been one to make light of mental health issues, and have had my own issues as I'm sure many others have too. But there is at times a need to constantly find the negatives in any situation. It's draining after a win, and sometimes really toxic after a defeat.

I appreciate that I'm at the other end of the spectrum, and I'm always going to antagonise others as a result. So I won't be saying anymore on this beyond this final comment.

We have a minimum of 7 games to go this season and we much win 4 or 5 of them. An in form and confident Josh Murphy gives us the very best chance of doing that. And alongside Owen Dale they are giving us moments of genuine excitement to get out of our seats and create the atmosphere we've been lacking for so long.

Murphy, like every other player, deserves our support, and they will get it from me and thousands of others at games between now and the end of April or into May. So much of what else is posted is about predetermined views from over a year ago or unnecessary speculation.
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Your holier-than-thou attitude is really rather tedious sometimes.
I thought your attitude was ‘this is a forum; all views are welcome.’ Well, only if they concur with yours, it seems.
 
RyanioBirdio said:
You’d be happy to commit another £420,000 to him?
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If someone had asked me this question 6 months ago, I would've said no way, he'd not done enough when he played, apart from a couple of very good 45 mins, and at times seemed completely uninterested, and would then completely disappear for weeks at a time, often without any real clarification as to why, and I wanted him gone.

Maybe there were genuine injuries or mental health issues, or maybe it was a motivation issue, who knows? But I felt enough was enough, and he should be released at the first opportunity.

However, in recent months, he's seemed a totally different player, and not just in his performances, but his attitude and body language have improved massively as well, and I feel he's done enough (just) to make up for his previous shortcomings, and to be offered a new contract, but on lesser terms, and maybe even with an appearance based bonus element included, to keep him motivated and on his toes.

But if he continues to perform to the levels he has in recent weeks/months, then we'd be mad to not offer him another contract, in my opinion.

Given the recent upturn in him overall, I'd much rather see us take a punt on Murphy again, than carry on flogging the dead horse that is Browne, or Edwards.
 
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I don’t have a strong view on whether we should re hire Josh Murphy, that would depend on his fitness, finance, and who the manager is. But he’s been good recently and despite being stereotyped as a lazy inconsistent winger is actually pretty hard working and able to get back and tackle. He should be scoring most weeks at this level as once he gets the ball with a little bit of space he’s capable of finding the corner of the net.

He and Dale were ineffective at Bolton but because our midfield were s**t never got the ball. He was certainly not the worst player that night.
 
Scotchegg said:
Do you even watch games?

Murphy and Dale have been the stand out performers in the last few weeks and have pretty much had their fullbacks on toast at will.

Goodwin is not up to speed yet, which is why I spoke of him recapturing his form from earlier this season. If he does that then he will thrive off the service these two will provide.

I would also like to see Goodrham in the number 10 role which is where he is most effective. That as a front four would absolutely get me excited for next season.
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That’s a ridiculous comment. To say Murphy and Dale have had their full backs on toast at will is just nonsense. They didn’t get a sniff at Bolton, they were average against Cheltenham for most of the game. Yes, Dale got the cross in for the winner - unless of course you’re calling one great run and cross ‘on toast and at will’. Pompey they were supposedly great but we scored one goal - a penalty. Yesterday, I can’t comment as I wasn’t there. I call a winger who supposedly has his full back ‘on toast’ and creating chances ‘at will’ one like a modern day Giggs or Robben, relatively speaking, who is relentlessly taking on his man and setting up tap ins for his team mates. Murphy and Dale are doing well but reign it in a bit, they aren’t putting chances on a plate over the course of 90 minutes.
 
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Easy for me to say as it’s not my money but I would definitely offer Murphy another contract. He has been flourishing all season and on his day (and he has had quite a few this season) he is unplayable. I get we need to trim the wage bill but there are other contracts which we can wind down that will help us there - Browne, Henry, maybe even McGuane?
 
I also realise this is best case scenario and reliant on fitness but imagine being a right back playing against us next season. You’ll be knackered after 60 minutes of facing Murphy and then he gets replaced by Edwards. You wouldn’t know whether you’re Arthur or Martha.
 
Even if he scores in each of the last 7 games, then he's been nowhere near value for money over the course of his 2 year contract.

If you asked me if I'd rather have 1 Josh Murphy in the summer, or 2 players like Owen Dale, then it's the second option every single time.

He has improved considerably under Buckingham having offered very little under Robinson and Manning. He was also on a downward trajectory after leaving Preston in 2022. It's a feather in Des' cap that he's got more out of Murphy than others before him, but that in itself should serve as a warning to the club given that Buckingham's position isn't exactly set in stone.

I'm not against him staying on if the terms suit the club better, but he needs to be seen as a high risk/high reward contract renewal and one to renew only once we've recruited some more sturdy players (like Dale) who you know will be turning up through those bleak winter months.
 
Osei Yaw said:
Even if he scores in each of the last 7 games, then he's been nowhere near value for money over the course of his 2 year contract.

If you asked me if I'd rather have 1 Josh Murphy in the summer, or 2 players like Owen Dale, then it's the second option every single time.

He has improved considerably under Buckingham having offered very little under Robinson and Manning. He was also on a downward trajectory after leaving Preston in 2022. It's a feather in Des' cap that he's got more out of Murphy than others before him, but that in itself should serve as a warning to the club given that Buckingham's position isn't exactly set in stone.

I'm not against him staying on if the terms suit the club better, but he needs to be seen as a high risk/high reward contract renewal and one to renew only once we've recruited some more sturdy players (like Dale) who you know will be turning up through those bleak winter months.
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Yes I think that’s fair. But Robinson and Manning hardly played him, I dont think we really know what went on.
 
There are good reasons for keeping him, there are equally good reasons for letting him go. I think this is something where we just have to accept the decision of the powers that be. Murphy is certainly playing the best he has ever done for us.

One thing I will say, Murphy has demonstrated his rather less than robust nature at OUFC, whether that's mentally, physically or a combination of the two (and they most definitely go hand in hand). With this in mind, is offering him a significantly reduced deal with bags of performance-based conditions a way of reinforcing his self-worth and value so that he performs to his best? Possibly not.
 
I'd wait until the end of the season to see if he can both stay fit and keep his form going. I do realise that might mean interest from elsewhere, but c'est la vie (as those great philosophers B*witched once said).

I'm fairly fed up of the club employing players who are both a) expensive and b) unavailable for long periods. If 'a' they have to be both robust and outstanding, if 'b' they have to be extremely cheap and also capable of making the tea.
 
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Amazing, before Murphy decided to get of his backside and start earning his massive salary, people on here were saying get rid of the injury prone and high earners that weren't contributing.
In that bracket players such as Murphy, Browne, Henry and Edwards were named.
Suddenly now he's starting to contribute in some people's eyes he's the new Messiah.
When are we going to wake up and get real. We can't continue to employ flakey players that aren't robust enough to be reliable through a long hard season.
Look at the top 5 teams who have opened up a gap from the rest, what do they all have in common.
They have players that are technical, streetwise, robust and physical.
Historically these are the type of players required to gain promotion from this league.
Unless there is a change in recruitment policy this summer, I feel could be stuck in this league for a good while.
 
Nox said:
Amazing, before Murphy decided to get of his backside and start earning his massive salary, people on here were saying get rid of the injury prone and high earners that weren't contributing.
In that bracket players such as Murphy, Browne, Henry and Edwards were named.
Suddenly now he's starting to contribute in some people's eyes he's the new Messiah.
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What nonsense
Who has suggested that he is the 'new Messiah?'
People are not unreasonably suggesting that over the past 6 to 8 weeks he has been our best player as well as scoring 4 goals in 8 games.
Not sure why that causes such a response?
 
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