MURRAY FOLLOWS IN CROUCH’S FOOTSTEPS
(AND JUST WANTS TO KEEP SCORING)
It IS perhaps a little unorthodox for a footballer, at the age of nearly 35, to be looking up to role models. It is a sign of the times, then, that Glenn Murray has an abundance of examples to follow, even within the Brighton changing room.
Murray is the Premier League’s current poster boy for longevity. He scored twice on Saturday to help Chris Hughton’s side rescue a point against Fulham. It was his 15th goal since the start of last season. Only six players in the division have scored more, and only Jamie Vardy out of them does not play for a top six side.
It is a laudable return for a forward whose first appearance in the top tier did not come until he was 30. At Brighton, he only need look across the training pitch at 37-yearold full back Bruno to realise what can be achieved, even at his age.
Indeed, Murray is aware of a host of strikers, from Peter Crouch to his former Crystal Palace teammate Kevin Phillips, who prove the peak of a player’s career can no longer be defined by his age.
‘I look at Bruno first-hand every day he trains,’ said Murray. ‘Does as much running as everybody at the club. He looks sharp, looks good. I look at him, he’s three years older than me, and I think ‘‘Why not?’’.
‘I also look at Peter Crouch and I feel as though maybe even when a striker is not up for 90 minutes or a manager doesn’t feel he’s capable of 90 minutes, he is always capable of bringing something from the bench.
‘I look at Jermain Defoe down at Bournemouth, who looks as sharp as ever. Why can’t I play on?’
Murray has even turned to yoga to ensure he stays as flexible as possible. ‘As a club develops I think more becomes available for a player, and I think I just try and take on everything that I can,’ he added. ‘Obviously we’ve got a lot of science behind football these days and we’ve got a lot of people who can advise us on how best to look after our bodies.’
Brighton boss Hughton is all too aware of the benefits. He can see that his striker, keeping the likes of £14 million Jurgen Locadia out of the starting line-up, is making the most of the modern game, a chance Hughton would never have got in his day.
‘He’s a very good professional,’ Hughton said. ‘He certainly looks after himself as regards how he goes about his life, what he eats, his preparation. So he does everything right.
‘the modern- day professional has more around him, more support to play longer. In my day there were 11 players and one sub and even when there were two subs you were playing game after game after game.
‘there is more rotation now. Medically, players are looked after better. But every player is different. Some are capable of playing longer and I think you will find far more players will play longer.’
While Hughton had his old head to thank for Brighton’s point, it was the inexperience of youth that perhaps cost Fulham all three at the Amex, Aleksandar Mitrovic undoing the hard work by needlessly giving away the penalty six minutes from time, scored by Murray, that saw the hosts draw level.
the Serbian was adamant that the ball had not touched his arm, but replays contradicted him. It was tough on a Slavisa Jokanovic’s side, whose key players dazzled for large parts of the game, none more so than Jean Michael Seri.
the summer signing from Nice started the move for Andre Schurrle’s superb opener, before rejoining the move to find the German with a delightful flick over the Brighton defence. It is the kind of creativity Mitrovic and his team-mates will thrive upon this season.
‘We’ve a lot of fast players who can give the final ball and have good vision,’ said Mitrovic. ‘I like playing with these players. they made my job easier. If I have good players with me, I will always score goals.’