GOAL-DEN OLDIE MURRAY IS MINT
CLEVER STRIKER IS STEP AHEAD
WITH 37 Premier League goals to his name, you’d imagine Glenn Murray has nothing left to prove.
But that’s not how the 37-yearold, who recently joined Nottingham Forest on a short-term deal from Brighton, sees it.
“You’re always being judged in this game,” says the striker, who marked his debut with a brace in last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Wycombe.
“There’s always doubters, always people who’ll write you off. Too slow. Too old. I don’t know how many times those two things have been thrown at me.
“You’ll never stop having something to prove and that’s still a driving force.”
That Murray is old is beyond doubt. The Cumbrian started his career with Non-League side Workington in 2002, joined Carlisle in 2004 and is now in his 16th season as a pro.
Grateful
But too old? Certainly not. Murray’s golden years came between the ages of 33 and 36, when he outscored a plethora of world-class strikers as Brighton established themselves in the top-flight.
And as for pace, he never had much to lose.
“I was never blisteringly quick, which as a young man I was devastated about,” he admits. “I always felt that if I’d had that extra yard I’d have gone higher.
“But it’s come full circle now, where I’m probably grateful that my game hasn’t changed.
“At the end of the day, I think every player has to learn to work with what they’ve been blessed with, whether that’s speed, strength or whatever. I worked within my parameters and carved the best career I possibly could.
“In the modern game now, my type is less popular. You look at Manchester City, the best team in England right now, and they play with a false nine.
“I don’t think there’s as big a call for a target man - if that’s what you want to call me - these days. You get the odd one, like Olivier Giroud, but it’s become a specialist role rather than something widespread. It’ll come back round - everything does.”
Murray is at pains to stress that he is not using the word career retrospectively.
Whilst ramping up his media commitments in preparation for life after football, he insists that the end of the line remains beyond the horizon.
“I think most footballers use 35 as a yardstick,” he says. “I don’t know why, but they do.
“That’s the age most of us aim for and to get there - while scoring goals in the Premier League - I was absolutely delighted.
“Now I feel I’m past that stage of worry, where you question how long you’ll play and what your legs have got left.
“That anxiety is gone, and every game is a bonus. As long as I can play, I will.”
For six months of the current season, he couldn’t. Loaned from Brighton by relegated Watford as a replacement for the injured Troy Deeney, Murray barely featured under unpopular manager Vladimir Ivic.
After his flying start to life at Forest, Hornets supporters may wonder why.
“I can’t answer that,” says Murray. “I just wasn’t in favour. It’s the manager’s decision, he’s welcome to it, and he lives or dies by it.
“The disappointing thing for me was that I wasn’t given a proper opportunity.
“I started one game, plus a few sporadic sub appearances which amounted to about 100 minutes.
“But that’s part and parcel of life in football. I’ve got no hard feelings.”
Now, though, he is working under his former Brighton boss Chris Hughton, with support from Amex old boys Anthony Knockaert and Gaetan Bong.
“Chris was a huge part of me coming here,” he adds. “We’ve been successful together and I understand the way he works. He understands and appreciates me as a player.
“He’s been massive for me. As you get older, you’re easier to drop.
“But he stuck with me in the Premier League and I’d like to think I repaid him. Now he’s given me an opportunity here, and I’m very grateful.”
IT’S great to see my old mate Glenn Murray back amongst the goals at Nottingham Forest after a miserable six months on loan at Watford.
The 37-year-old joined the Reds from Brighton in January and opened his account with a brace in last weekend’s 3-0 win over Wycombe.
Glenn’s numbers over recent years speak for themselves. He got 13 Premier League goals in 2018-19. Twelve the year before that. Twenty-six when Brighton got promoted.
And I’ll be honest here when I played with Glenn at Brighton in 2008, I would never have guessed he’d become a double-digit Premier League striker.
Morose
He was very quiet in those days. When we used to go to the gym, he’d go and find a place to train on his own. He seemed so morose you sometimes wondered if he actually liked football, and I even asked him once! He does - he just keeps himself to himself.
What always stood out was his intelligence. To this day, he’s one of the cleverest people I’ve ever played with. His timing of where to be. His finishing. His decision-making. The way he wins free kicks and draws fouls.
But a top-flight career? I just didn’t see it. Thankfully, Glenn is one of those rare players who improve with age. Between the ages of 27 and 32, particularly, he adjusted his game, concentrating on his strength and finishing.
When Brighton went up, I’m sure many people thought he was too old to perform at the highest level. But if the Seagulls hadn’t had him for those two years, they’d have been relegated. That is a simple fact.
Chris Hughton - who managed Brighton until
2019 - appreciates what Glenn can do more than anyone, and I’m sure the striker will thrive at the City Ground in a way that he never could at Watford, where circumstances conspired against him.
Glenn was signed as a replacement for club captain Troy Deeney, who was initially injured and also heavily linked with a move away. I don’t think anybody at Watford expected him to hang around.
But Troy didn’t move, and he was always going to be a regular starter once fit. You’ve also had a change of playing style, a change of manager. At his age, Glenn couldn’t afford to wait for a change of fortune and - being honest again - he’s not much use if he isn’t starting games.
Peaks
Some players are brilliant impact subs, but struggle to make an impact when they start. Glenn is the opposite. Even when he was younger, he was always slow to get going. He kind of works his way into games and peaks at the end.
That’s what he’ll get at Forest, mainly because Glenn suits Hughton’s preferred style of play a lot better than Lyle Taylor or Lewis Grabban.
You can play off him, get Luke Freeman and Anthony Knockaert on the ball. It’s a better balance going forward, but with options from the bench. Chris’ first priority is making Forest solid and Glenn’s ability to defend from the front is top class.
At the end of the day, he’s one of the best Championship strikers of the last ten years. Getting on, yes, but his game never revolved around pace.
It’s more to do with the tactics and the players around him. If those are right, Glenn can still be a very, very effective striker at this level.