IN DEFENCE OF MURPHY

..

**************

..

Issue 20 of TTP begged the question of how we will remember Murphy. To my mind there isn’t a great deal of difficulty with this one because he followed Melia and those of us who were around at that time will well remember the feeling of absolute desperation as we watched Melia preside over an outfit that was taking a first class, high speed ticket out of the League.  Remember that 86/87 was the first season that there was automatic relegation from the 4th division.   Melia lasted until the end of October and in that time we’d amassed six points from 13 League games and been absolutely humiliated by Sheffield Wednesday in the Maine Road debacle. We went to games hoping at best for a 0-0 draw and knowing that although we had followed a pretty poor team for years this was the nadir and that we were witnessing the death throes.

A quick look at the statistics tells all.  In the 17 games he was in charge he used 24 players who -between them managed 10 goals and conceded 41. We lost 7-0 to Wednesday; 5-0 at Cambridge; by 3 at Swansea with the scant reward of triumphs at Halifax and against Tranmere in the League Cup. How on earth did he manage to convert what was a possible promotion challenging team three months earlier into the poorest outfit in living memory memory?

The team had been left was moderately useful although Les Chapman had had a clear out most notably the dispatching of Thorpey to Tranmere. He’d been left with Walker in goal who hadn’t done badly the previous year, Leonard who was a pretty useful striker, Matthewson a tremendous defender and assorted bits and pieces players such as Hendrie,  Hodkinson and Mossman. He’d also got Bill Williams who is the sole survivor of those days.

The real problem he faced was in making up his squad and the way he went about it gives the opportunity to look at ‘the lads who nearly did do it’ – take us out of the League that is.

His first signing was Ronnie Glavin who had a fair record at Barnsley – that may well have been the case in the past but we saw precious little evidence of it at Edgeley. He came as player / assistant manager (or some such title) and it may well have confused him because he spent far too much time on the bench when he should have been taking responsibility on the field.

Promising youngsters

Melia make great play of his ability to spot youngsters although having spent the previous 12 months in Portugal prior to coming to County and thus not having seen any of the kids he brought in this was a fairly dubious claim to start with. First of them was Andy Cockhill who purportedly had been at Derby and was trumpeted as having great ability. His reputation was sufficient to give him 5 totally embarrassing games and a very swift departure shortly after Murphy’s second coming. Somebody called Peter Grant arrived after being chucked out by Ipswich after a YTS spell. His contribution was one League game (v Wolves),  and an appearance in the Wednesday debacle and thereafter a departure as swift as Cockhill’s.  A lad called Martin Melvin was brought in for his outstanding promise and proclaimed to be one for the future. His County career must be the shortest on record comprising a few minutes as substitute in the Wednesday fiasco. One thing they all have in common is that they have never heard been heard of since and that says it all.

Loanees to give stability

You’ve got to get Melia credit it didn’t take him long to work out but his attempt at building a squad was a disaster. He turned to loan signings.  Even before the first game he brought in Ken Brannigan from Wednesday as a defender. The only stability he gave seemed to be to the opposition as they scored almost at will.  He got sent off at Cambridge and bears direct comparison with the other loanee Simon Farnworth from Bolton who got his marching orders at Aldershot.  Another area of comparison between the two is the downward spiral of their career after leaving County. Brannigan was soon pensioned off from Hillsborough and ended up as a part time player in the Scottish 2nd division with Kilmarnock and Farnworth is compiling a guide to the bobbins clubs of Lancashire having been seen at Bolton, Bury and Preston.

Lower Division Journeymen

For more years than I care to remember County’s reputation for signing mediocre 3rd and 4th division players had been unsurpassed. Here we are talking about players who manage to scrape a living by moving around every season as soon as they are found out by their present club but prior to the word getting around generally.  Melia joined in this merry-go-round with a vengeance by acquiring the likes of Neil Bailey, (ex Newport and Wigan);  Wayne Entwistle, (ex Bury, Burnley, Crewe, Wimbledon etc etc ad nauseum) and Vernon Allatt, (ex Halifax Rochdale and Preston). These are the sort of player who will only assist in preserving mediocrity at best, add nothing new and certainly have little loyalty or enthusiasm for the club they play for.  So it proved, although to be fair to Allatt he did make reasonable contribution of 10 goals to the survival cause after Murphy’s arrival. But in general for these three County was just about the last stop in professional football. Allatt managed three games at Crewe leaving County; Entwistle had a miserable season at Bury and a game and a half for Hartlepool and Bailey retired to be Youth Team Manager at County after a spell on loan at Newport.

Experienced old heads

The start of the Melia era saw him sign Tom McAdam a vastly experienced player with Celtic. We should have been surprised that he was prepared to come South and I suspect that he surprised himself with what he found, realised that he backed a loser and cleared off back to Scotland at the first opportunity.  Mike Lester had been a poseur extraordinaire at a variety of clubs and he certainly didn’t change on arrival in Stockport. There’s often a lot to be said for using some experience to bring on the younger players, (remember how Colville blossomed when Frank Worthington played), but in this instance it most assuredly didn’t work. Murphy soon saw through Lester and got rid of him as soon as possible.

Non League captures

Now and again it’s possible to spot potential in non League football but those Melia brought in from there didn’t fall into that category. His first choice was Levi Edwards who had turned out for the likes of Ashton United.  Melia gave him three games and gave up on him which was a shame because despite his many faults he subsequently made a useful contribution under Murphy. Ian Stevens had been at Preston and had faded into non League – he turned out, was enthusiastic but that was hardly sufficient.  However Melia’s last signing broached the bounds of comprehension. Roy Mitchell played in a Liverpool Sunday League team and after a game and a half returned there never to be heard of again.

The Barnsley Connection

Glavin had arrived from Barnsley and it can only be assumed that he was instrumental in the remaining captures. David Wilkes played a few games at Oakwell but had been in Hong Kong prior to coming to County. He must surely be one of the all time worst players to wear a County shirt and after Melia’s departure he never played again. Last year he resurfaced at Carlisle as youth team coach and their current position is probably an apt reflection of his skills. Ian McKenzie made his debut at Hillsborough having played a single game for Barnsley and managed to last not only through Melia but also Murphy and Hartford without ever inspiring any confidence.

All in all then that truly appalling three months that Melia presided over saw him inherit 8 players and bring in 16. Of the 8 already at Edgeley, Matthewson, Mossman and Evans followed Murphy to Lincoln; Leonard was sold to Bradford; Hendrie had to retire through injury and Hodkinson and Walker subsided into non League.  At least most of them had some kind of recognisable career after leaving County. The 16 he brought in most certainly didn’t and that tells it all. The 3 youngsters have never been heard of since; the loanees have achieved absolutely nothing in the game; the Old Heads matched their description and quickly faded out; the Non League captures made a swift return journey and the Barnsley connection derailed shortly after leaving Edgeley. Of the 16 only Stevens and Farnworth still play League football and even then at a pretty poor standard.

Melia gave up after a debacle at Orient at the end of October.  The Conference wasn’t beckoning – it was ready with open arms.  Murphy arrived and his first League match saw a 50% increase in points tally with a victory over Cardiff . The tide had turned. It’s easy with hindsight to have a go at Murphy and even easier to forget what a remarkable job he did. What would you prefer promotion and trips to Wembley or the delights of Gateshead and Slough?

..

March 1993