Murphy is following a well-trodden path - YEP 6/8/13
Luke Murphy has an impressive cast to follow but is more than happy to take centre-stage at Leeds United. Lee Sobot reports.
David Platt, Neil Lennon, Danny Murphy and Robbie Savage.
And what about Rob Jones, Geoff Thomas and Seth Johnson – remember him?
The list of top-class prospects nurtured at Crewe Alexandra goes on and on.
It is to Leeds United’s gain that the man hoping to join that list is Elland Road’s latest arrival, with Luke Murphy out to continue past trends by blossoming up in grade at Leeds.
Murphy, 23, arrived at Leeds on July 1 with quite a reputation being the club’s first one-million pound signing since Richard Cresswell back in 2005.
And added to the weight of the seven-figure price tag was the connection with Crewe – a club famed for producing future stars over the last 30 years under Dario Gradi.
By putting pen to paper at Leeds, Alsager-born Murphy ended a 16-year stint with the Alex who spotted his talents at an early age– just as they had done with messrs Platt and Jones to name but two.
Both went on to excel on the highest stage and Murphy is targeting exactly the same at Leeds.
“I’ve said it before and it’s not a fluke the players that Crewe have produced,” said Murphy.
“They keep doing it year-in, year-out and I’m sure there’s many more to come.
“When I left Crewe they didn’t put any pressure on me – they just wished me all the best and sent me on with their best regards.
“But you don’t want to be the one that doesn’t quite make it who has gone on from Crewe and hopefully I can keep the tradition going here at Leeds for many more years.”
Murphy looks certain to do just that if first impressions are anything to go by.
After a relatively quiet pre-season, the midfielder excelled in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat of Brighton, the six-foot two ace capping a fine display when bagging an injury-time winner that nearly took the Elland Road roof off.
United’s new £1m recruit hopes his all-important strike will prove the first of many during his Leeds United career.
“I like to think I get my fair share of goals,” said Murphy. “I got nine last season and I like to think I can chip in with my share – and create goals.
“That’s hopefully why the manager has brought me in.
“Obviously the intensity and the quality is that little bit better in the Championship than in League One but – playing with better players – and that’s not to say that Crewe don’t have good players - but playing in a higher league it helps me and hopefully brings my game on.
“In my position you have got to want the ball all the time – off the full backs, off the strikers, off the centre halves – it’s non-stop work for the full 90 whatever minutes it is.
“Saturday was the perfect start to my Leeds career.
“Obviously not many of the fans have seen me play so I was really eager to show what I can do and hopefully impress the fans. “Hopefully I’ve done that.”
What cannot be doubted is that based on Saturday’s display against Brighton, Murphy looks likely to take the rise in class from League One to Championship level in his stride.
That could have been expected arriving from such a hotbed of talent as Crewe.
Yet there is no doubting that Saturday’s atmosphere at Elland Road was a world away from what Murphy was used to at Alexandra Stadium, formerly known as Gresty Road.
In his last home appearance for the Alex, Murphy performed in front of a attendance of 6,547 observing the final day 2012-13 clash between Crewe and Walsall.
At Elland Road on Saturday there were 33,342.
But Murphy says he simply relished the occasion of playing in front of such a large attendance with the midfielder having also excelled in April’s JP Trophy final win at Wembley against Southend in which he bagged a sixth-minute opener.
The new recruit is clearly one for the big stage and Murphy says Saturday’s gargantuan crowd definitely acted as United’s “12th man.”
“I think the crowd lifted everybody,” said Murphy.
“There was a real positive energy about the place and as soon as you walked out you could feel it – even when we came off for the warm up. The manager drilled that into us – that we’ve got to really put on a show for all these fans that have turned out and hopefully we did that.
“They were definitely the 12th man and they made the difference.
“The fans really pushed us on and we didn’t stop for the full 90 minutes. It paid off in the end.”
Asked what he was expecting from Saturday’s home debut, Murphy pondered: “It’s the famous Elland Road ground and famous fans so I knew what it was going to be like.
“But obviously it’s something that I will never forget – walking out there and listening to the fans sing and cheer.”
Some 95 minutes later, it was Murphy’s name in particular being cheered from the rooftops.
It is thanks to his late intervention that Leeds already sit fourth in the Championship ahead of tomorrow night’s Capital One Cup tie at home to Chesterfield which will be followed by Sunday’s Championship visit to fifth-placed Leicester City.
It could be argued that Leeds United’s new seven-figure purchase approaches his next two Whites assignments following the perfect debut; a fairy-tale even.
But not quite – as in Murphy’s dream his debut winner was that little bit better.
Asked if his late strike was the stuff that dreams were made of, Murphy laughed: “I’ll take that definitely but in my dreams it wasn’t quite like that...It was a screamer from 40 yards!”
David Platt, Neil Lennon, Danny Murphy and Robbie Savage.
And what about Rob Jones, Geoff Thomas and Seth Johnson – remember him?
The list of top-class prospects nurtured at Crewe Alexandra goes on and on.
It is to Leeds United’s gain that the man hoping to join that list is Elland Road’s latest arrival, with Luke Murphy out to continue past trends by blossoming up in grade at Leeds.
Murphy, 23, arrived at Leeds on July 1 with quite a reputation being the club’s first one-million pound signing since Richard Cresswell back in 2005.
And added to the weight of the seven-figure price tag was the connection with Crewe – a club famed for producing future stars over the last 30 years under Dario Gradi.
By putting pen to paper at Leeds, Alsager-born Murphy ended a 16-year stint with the Alex who spotted his talents at an early age– just as they had done with messrs Platt and Jones to name but two.
Both went on to excel on the highest stage and Murphy is targeting exactly the same at Leeds.
“I’ve said it before and it’s not a fluke the players that Crewe have produced,” said Murphy.
“They keep doing it year-in, year-out and I’m sure there’s many more to come.
“When I left Crewe they didn’t put any pressure on me – they just wished me all the best and sent me on with their best regards.
“But you don’t want to be the one that doesn’t quite make it who has gone on from Crewe and hopefully I can keep the tradition going here at Leeds for many more years.”
Murphy looks certain to do just that if first impressions are anything to go by.
After a relatively quiet pre-season, the midfielder excelled in Saturday’s 2-1 defeat of Brighton, the six-foot two ace capping a fine display when bagging an injury-time winner that nearly took the Elland Road roof off.
United’s new £1m recruit hopes his all-important strike will prove the first of many during his Leeds United career.
“I like to think I get my fair share of goals,” said Murphy. “I got nine last season and I like to think I can chip in with my share – and create goals.
“That’s hopefully why the manager has brought me in.
“Obviously the intensity and the quality is that little bit better in the Championship than in League One but – playing with better players – and that’s not to say that Crewe don’t have good players - but playing in a higher league it helps me and hopefully brings my game on.
“In my position you have got to want the ball all the time – off the full backs, off the strikers, off the centre halves – it’s non-stop work for the full 90 whatever minutes it is.
“Saturday was the perfect start to my Leeds career.
“Obviously not many of the fans have seen me play so I was really eager to show what I can do and hopefully impress the fans. “Hopefully I’ve done that.”
What cannot be doubted is that based on Saturday’s display against Brighton, Murphy looks likely to take the rise in class from League One to Championship level in his stride.
That could have been expected arriving from such a hotbed of talent as Crewe.
Yet there is no doubting that Saturday’s atmosphere at Elland Road was a world away from what Murphy was used to at Alexandra Stadium, formerly known as Gresty Road.
In his last home appearance for the Alex, Murphy performed in front of a attendance of 6,547 observing the final day 2012-13 clash between Crewe and Walsall.
At Elland Road on Saturday there were 33,342.
But Murphy says he simply relished the occasion of playing in front of such a large attendance with the midfielder having also excelled in April’s JP Trophy final win at Wembley against Southend in which he bagged a sixth-minute opener.
The new recruit is clearly one for the big stage and Murphy says Saturday’s gargantuan crowd definitely acted as United’s “12th man.”
“I think the crowd lifted everybody,” said Murphy.
“There was a real positive energy about the place and as soon as you walked out you could feel it – even when we came off for the warm up. The manager drilled that into us – that we’ve got to really put on a show for all these fans that have turned out and hopefully we did that.
“They were definitely the 12th man and they made the difference.
“The fans really pushed us on and we didn’t stop for the full 90 minutes. It paid off in the end.”
Asked what he was expecting from Saturday’s home debut, Murphy pondered: “It’s the famous Elland Road ground and famous fans so I knew what it was going to be like.
“But obviously it’s something that I will never forget – walking out there and listening to the fans sing and cheer.”
Some 95 minutes later, it was Murphy’s name in particular being cheered from the rooftops.
It is thanks to his late intervention that Leeds already sit fourth in the Championship ahead of tomorrow night’s Capital One Cup tie at home to Chesterfield which will be followed by Sunday’s Championship visit to fifth-placed Leicester City.
It could be argued that Leeds United’s new seven-figure purchase approaches his next two Whites assignments following the perfect debut; a fairy-tale even.
But not quite – as in Murphy’s dream his debut winner was that little bit better.
Asked if his late strike was the stuff that dreams were made of, Murphy laughed: “I’ll take that definitely but in my dreams it wasn’t quite like that...It was a screamer from 40 yards!”