Today David Murphy announced his retirement from professional, at the young age of 30. Bad news for Blues. We haven't won one game at home since Murphy has been injured. In fact, the last home win back in October, Murphy scored twice.
Murphy scored 7 times in 106 games for Blues over 6 years, which is unfortunate as when he played he was fantastic in the Championship, even if he struggled under McLeish. Had Murphy played more in the last three years, I can't help but feel that we would have finished higher up in the table. Who knows, maybe we'd be top half? Is that overstating his influence?
Maybe not the best defensively, but going forward, Murphy was one of if not the best full back in the division. He was similar in playstyle to Leighton Baines - good set-pieces, great crosses and terrific going forwards.
Murphy can lay claim to something not many players can - scoring a goal in Europe for Birmingham City. Not only that, he scored away in Brugge, which was a massive game for many of the fans who went. He scored away at Stamford Bridge as well in the cup. These goals cemented his place as a fan favourite with the Blues fans.
He was loved at Hibernians as well, playing over 100 times for them before his £1.5 million move to Birmingham in 2008. He was known as a likable guy, a good man and of course, a good footballer.
Unfortunately, Murphy's time at Blues was plagued by injuries, which hampered his impact on the team. It's unfortunate that Murphy has been forced to retire through injury, as he could have been fantastic for Blues and a club hero.
I wish him all the best for the future.
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