45-goal star can take Rangers to a new level

9
45-goal star can take Rangers to a new level

 Article by: Richard, for Ibrox Noise

28-year-old, 5’ 10” Glasgow-born winger Jamie Murphy played for Clyde as a boy before joining Motherwell’s under-13 team. After progressing through the ranks at Motherwell he made his first-team début during the 2006–07 season, and scored his first Motherwell goal from the penalty spot in a 2–0 away win over Hibernian in May 2008.

With Motherwell having qualified for European competition, in July 2008 Murphy scored a hat-trick against Albanian side Flamurtari in the UEFA Europa League and he remained a first-team regular in Motherwell’s first team when he signed an extended contract in May 2010 tying him to the club until the summer of 2013.

After scoring in the first leg of Motherwell’s 2010–11 Europa League third-round match against Aalesunds FK on 29 July 2010, he became Motherwell’s leading goal scorer in European football, breaking the record previously held by Stevie Kirk.

In January 2012, Motherwell accepted an offer from Sheffield Wednesday to sign Murphy, but he rejected the proposed transfer and on late December 2012, Sheffield United came back in for him and offered £100,000 in a bid for him to join the Blades. However, by 27 December it was reported that the Blades bid had been rejected by Motherwell with Murphy dismissing all of the transfer speculation.

Murphy played his last game for Motherwell on 2 January 2013, having been made captain for the occasion, in a 1–0 loss to Celtic at Celtic Park. He was always known at Motherwell as a top scoring winger and in his last four seasons at the club – here is how consistent he was: –

In season 2009-10, he played 44 games and scored 10 goals.
In season 2010-11, he played 49 games and scored 12 goals.
In season 2011-12, he played 40 games and scored 13 goals.
In season 2012-13, he played 29 games and scored 10 goals.

He departed from Fir Park having scored those 45 goals in his last 162 appearances for Motherwell which is an excellent return for a winger in goal scoring terms. Shortly after his departure Murphy was awarded the Clydesdale Bank Premier League Player of the Month award for December.

Despite interest from Huddersfield Town and Rangers, Murphy’s move to Sheffield United was finalised on 3 January 2013, when he signed a three-and-a-half-year contract after Motherwell boss Stuart McCall accepted a bid of £100,000 which could rise to £250,000 with certain conditions included in the fee.

Murphy made his Blades debut two days later, in a 3–0 third round FA Cup victory against Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium, before making his league debut for United against Yeovil Town at Bramall Lane a week later. Murphy’s first few months with United were hampered by a bad hamstring injury, and he finished the season having played 21 games and scoring only two goals.

It was not until December 2013 that Murphy began to consolidate his first team place, with his improved fitness the key to his change in fortunes and on 31 January 2015, Murphy signed a new contract with United keeping him at Bramall Lane until summer 2017. Later that day, Murphy came off the bench in the second half and scored both goals against promotion rivals Swindon Town to give United a 2–0 home victory.

In his younger days, Murphy was a regular for both the Scotland under-19 team and the Scotland under-21 team and he scored five goals for the under-21 side as the team reached the play-offs of the European under-21 Championships.

In August 2015, Murphy signed a four-year contract with Championship side, Brighton & Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee and played in 40 games and scored 6 goals and in season 2016-17 he played another 39 matches and scored only 4 goals.

Murphy received his first call-up to the Scotland squad on 10 March 2016, from Gordon Strachan for the friendlies against Czech Republic and Denmark on 24 and 29 March.

It is no secret that Murphy has found it difficult to break into the regular starting line up in the EPL this season with the Seagulls and is now heading to Ibrox for this Rangers daft supporter who is hoping to kick-start his career again back in Scotland and in his home town.

Welcome home Jamie!

No posts to display

9 COMMENTS

  1. …A very sound choice…and no need for a translator to explain the Culture or the Rich and Proud History of Rangers, nope!
    …this lad already understands what wearing 'The 5 Star Jersey' means so I'll be expecting/hoping to see Pride, Passion & Commitment from the off and I think I'll get it…Good info btw IN…the brief saved me a bit of time 🙂

  2. He's on loan to the summer you have to sell season books for next year to get him permanently so he may only spend 5 months at your new club going for1

  3. Go on eh murph, brilliant signing, he’s one of our own, proud to have him don the royal blue of eh teddy bears, knows what it’s all about an give that bit ah quality up front we need

Comments are closed.