SCOTS OUT TO TWIST AND SHOUT
SAYS JAMIE MURPHY
NATIONAL coach Alex McLeish will ring the changes against Hungary this evening and (left to right) Stuart Armstrong, Charlie Mulgrew, Scott McKenna and Ryan Christie were dancing to his tune last night
THE distance from Brighton and Hove Albion’s training ground to Hampden Park in Glasgow is 460 miles. For Jamie Murphy, the personal journey he has been on between both points, via Ibrox Stadium, makes his old life on the south coast of England seem light years away.
Last Friday night in Mount Florida, the 28-year-old finally fulfilled a lifelong dream by winning his first Scotland cap in the 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica.
It was his second big career wish that has come true this season after signing on loan for boyhood heroes Rangers in January.
Just a few short months earlier, the former Motherwell attacker was walking the streets of Brighton to mild indifference, while playing for their Under-23s on a Friday night.
Now he is being stopped for selfies everywhere he goes in Glasgow and could not be happier to be playing his football in an environment that shares his own passion for the game.
‘It is an honour to play for your country and get that first cap,’ beamed Murphy, who replaced Matt Ritchie with three minutes to go at Hampden in Alex McLeish’s first match of his second spell in charge of Scotland.
‘Just three months ago, I was playing in an Under-23s game at Brighton’s training ground on a Friday night.
‘What’s it like to be under the microscope now as a Rangers and Scotland player? To be honest, sometimes down south you can walk down the middle of the street and it’s fine. Nobody really cares. Nobody knows who you are.
‘That’s certainly not the case up here. There is much more passion about football up here and that’s the way I grew up. That’s the way it should be.
‘It’s not really been hard to adjust to it. When you play for Rangers, you know what comes with it.
‘I was a Rangers fan for long enough and it used to be me looking at players that were walking down the street. As long as people are nice about it, selfies are not a problem. It comes with the territory. I’m just delighted to be back up here and playing football again.’
Murphy initially agreed a threeand-a-half-year contract after Rangers and Brighton negotiated terms on a £1million-plus move during the January transfer window.
The move became complicated, however, when Brighton’s legal team insisted on a credit check. But both Murphy and his parent club fully expect the loan to become a permanent deal in the summer.
For the winger, his decision to walk away from being a peripheral figure in an English Premier League squad has been vindicated by his international recognition and new lease of life back in his native Glasgow.
‘It has been great,’ he said. ‘It was disappointing in the last eight months or so not playing or making some squads with Brighton.
‘It’s hard not playing games. I’ve always played football since 17 or 18, so not playing is disappointing, especially when you know there is nothing you can do about it.
‘But I feel vindicated for moving to Rangers, definitely. It (winning Scotland recognition) was a big reason for moving.
‘I feel like I’ve been capable of playing for the national team for a couple of years. But I’ve not had the opportunity to play every week at club level in the last year or so.
‘So it has been great to come up to Rangers, play every week in a successful side, and show what I can do.
‘I’m only 28 and I am just as fit as I have ever been. I’ve been quite lucky with injuries, so, hopefully, I can go on for as long as possible.
‘Being at Rangers has lived up to my expectations. The last couple of games (losing to Celtic and Kilmarnock at Ibrox) have obviously been disappointing, but otherwise it’s been great.
‘We had a chance against Celtic, so to play well without winning was disappointing.
‘But we need to pick ourselves up.
‘The Scottish Cup semi-final (against Celtic at Hampden next month) is coming up and we need to push up the league table, as well.
‘We play my old club Motherwell on Saturday. It was probably one of the first games I looked at when I signed for Rangers. I’m sure I will get a bit of stick at Fir Park, but that comes with the territory.’ If winning his first cap was a dream come true, the defeat to Costa Rica made it bittersweet. But Murphy is hoping to get another appearance under his belt tonight and a victory in Hungary. ‘The new manager has come in and has been great with us all,’ said Murphy. ‘He has given first caps to a few players and he fielded experienced players as well. It was good to mix it up. ‘But we were disappointed to lose to Costa Rica. They’re going to the World Cup this summer, but we were still disappointed to lose at home.’