Fulham's Captain Speaks

[White Noise]

Desire, Passion & Appetite

Wednesday 20th October 2010
 

He won an FA Cup, two League Cups and a UEFA Cup during his time at Liverpool and deserved more than the nine caps he garnered on the international stage with England.

He has played under some of the game's top managers, called some of football's great players team-mates, and in what some have described as a late career bloom at Craven Cottage, Danny Murphy has also helped guide the Whites to unprecedented success.

Our midfield playmaker is one of the most respected players in English football; eloquent, thoughtful and still with a clear thirst for the game - when our captain talks, others tend to listen...

Danny, this is your 14th season of Premier League football - you must be very satisfied with that achievement?

It's not something that I have thought long and hard about, but as you get older, you do start to appreciate things a little bit more.

I'm certainly proud of playing at the top level for so long, and although there have been some ups and downs along the way, of course, it's very pleasing. It must mean that I have been doing something right.

So what has been the secret?

Well, any move that I've made from one club to another has been based on wanting to play. I've never been happy to sit out. That has kept me fit, mentally fresh, and maintained my appetite for the game. But I think the desire, passion and love of football has kept me going more than anything else. I don't like the thought of not playing, which is an attitude that has always kept me in good stead.

How far has the English top-flight evolved in that time?


I think it has changed in a lot of ways; from the physicality and demand, to the pitches, equipment and facilities. Everything has got that bit faster as well, helped by the quality of balls, through to the quality of boots.

Some of the biggest changes can be seen on the nutritional and sports science side, which has enabled players to stay at the top for longer - no stone is left unturned in regards to preparation. But I do think it has evolved for the better and, of course, we're now talking about a multi-million pound industry.

The Premier League has become arguably the best in the world, but where do you think Fulham sit in such a rich and competitive franchise?

First and foremost this is a very realistic club, not one that has spent a silly amount of money in an attempt to secure instant success. We understand where we should be and try to keep within that structure. The Chairman deserves great credit because he's spent a lot of his own money to make sure that we have stayed at this level having got us here in the first place. This is the Club's 10th season of top-flight football and we all should be proud of that.

There is an awful lot of money in the game now, and I can't see it going the other way. If you're lucky enough to be part of that, then so be it. If not, then like the rest of us you have to try and compete and, for me, that is the beauty of football. Fulham have got the better of Manchester United in recent seasons and that's what it's all about.

This will also be your fourth season in the white of Fulham. You have seen an awful lot and played a considerable role in that time.


The last couple of years are beyond comprehension in many ways. The first year was difficult, and that culminated in an unforgettable escape from relegation. As we all know, from there we kicked on much faster than anyone anticipated and went on to finish seventh the following season – which was a huge achievement. We were rewarded with the UEFA Europa League last season and that brought so much joy.

Reaching the Final was a special achievement and was testament to the squad, the staff and everyone that is part of this Club. It's been a surreal three years to be honest, but a new era has begun.

How would you assess the season so far?

There have certainly been more positives than negatives. Drawing so many games hasn't been ideal but we have tried to win those games – we certainly haven't set out to take a point. We've been the team trying to win the game, which is evident from the fact that on three occasions we have scored a goal in the last three minutes. That shows the mentality that we have.

It will take a little bit of time, but the fans will hopefully have seen the difference and what we are trying to do. We're trying to play with a bit more tempo, which is new to us, but I think we can be successful with it.

What have been your early impressions of Mark Hughes and how highly do you rate him as a manager?


So far I think he has been fantastic. The training has been good and we've managed to get off to a decent start. He's created a nice environment to work in and clearly wants us to play good football. He and his staff have an excellent track record and they did a terrific job at Blackburn. In my opinion they were very unlucky at Manchester City, because I think they were on track.

Speaking highly of your manager is an obvious thing to do, but I genuinely mean it. He knows what he wants and we're working hard at putting that into action. Hopefully we'll soon see the rewards.

You have spoken very positively about Mousa Dembélé since he arrived over the summer.

He has impressed me, and it's a shame that he's missed a couple of games. He's only featured in six games or so, but what he has shown on top of his three goals is a huge amount of skill, power and pace.

In the limited time that I have trained and played with him he does look a tremendous talent. If I'm honest, he wasn't a player that I was fully aware of before he came in and I feel very fortunate that we have him at Craven Cottage. I don't want to build him up too much, but potentially he could be a wonderful player for us.

And on another positive note, we hear that Andrew Johnson is also close to a return?

He's very close now, and I'm really pleased for him because he's been out for such a long time. I've been very fortunate in my career because I've never had to experience that amount of time on the sidelines. I couldn't say to him I know what you are going through, all I could do was offer him support.

But he's maintained such a positive attitude throughout his injury and has worked tremendously hard to get back to where he is now. Physically he looks great and is as sharp as ever – it will be like a new signing for us.
.

Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/MurphyInterview.aspx#ixzz12tLPGWN3

[SmithyFFC]

So glad we have such a well spoken, intelligent football as our club captain, instead of the likes of Henry, Samba and Shawcross.