Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MURRAY: FUNSTER BOSS HAS SEAGULLS FLYING HIGH
GLENN MURRAY says Brighton is a seat of learning – and that Patrick Vieira would do well to follow Graham Potter’s lead.
The former favourite at both clubs – a feat in itself given the rivalry between them – believes Potter is proving the ideal headteacher.
Brighton have made the Premier League sit up and take notice after four wins in their first five outings.
And while that will make not one jot of difference to the Eagles at Selhurst Park tomorrow night, Murray (below) says the example is a blueprint for success.
He said: “The main thing Graham has done is change the culture – it’s a real learning environment.
“It sounds cheesy but it is a brilliant place to go to work. Football clubs can be stuck in the past with older players being a little bit hostile. They can be brutal sometimes.
“Graham has created a place of fun and laughter. It’s very harmonious and he’s done it through encouragement.
“For example, in his first year, we would be losing games and I’d be frustrated. But, we were playing well. Graham would come into the dressing room afterwards and he’d say: ‘You did well today boys, keep doing what you’re doing…’”
“I was looking at him thinking ‘We lost.’ I was part of the older generation with the mentality of ‘It doesn’t matter how we played, we’ve lost.’ “I saw kids coming into the first team. I thought to myself that they would think it was OK to lose and the manager was happy. But he could see the bigger picture. You can see his whole philosophy at the final whistle. If you look at him after the match, you’ll see him going on to see the players and then coming off happy.
“The way he has progressed the club is incredible. To take us from what the club was to where it is now with a limited budget is fantastic.”
Ex-striker Murray, 38, who retired this summer, said the rivalry between the two clubs was ‘unique’ and that it should be held up alongside any derby in the country.
He expects Vieira to come good at Selhurst Park, and says that he has been handed a blank sheet of paper to work from, unlike Potter.
Murray added: “Vieira has been blessed with a squad that’s young, energetic and mouldable. He can do what he wants with them. Graham had an experienced, resolute team but made the transition work.
A lot of people looked at him and thought ‘Seventeenth? The club’s not progressing. But I can tell you from someone that’s been inside it, that it was.
“To change the whole philosophy and culture of a club while remaining stable is an amazing thing to do and we are only starting to see the fruits of his labour.”