" Why it could be a very expensive gamble by Russell Slade

" Why it could be a very expensive gamble by Russell Slade "

Why Cardiff City's number one target Daryl Murphy would be a very expensive gamble by Russell Slade


Monday 8th June 2015


By Steve Tucker


Impeccable sources tell us that Irishman Murphy is at the head of the list, the number one Bluebirds transfer target as Slade looks to bring extra firepower to his squad.


Daryl Murphy was the Championship's top scorer

However, the potential signing of Murphy, as often seems to be the case at the capital club, raises as many questions as it does answers.

Murphy was the Championship’s top-scorer last term and you perhaps do not get a better endorsement for a front-man than that.

Goals win games. Murphy struck 27 of them last season as Ipswich roared into the play-offs under Mick McCarthy.

A skillful, powerful target-man, as comfortable on the deck as he is in the air, Murphy obviously has a good nose for goal and on the face of it seems to tick the necessary boxes.

So far so good. How can Cardiff possibly go wrong with a capture like that?

But there is a cause for concern, too. Murphy is 32-years-old. Hardly an ancient age to be fair, but he is no a bright youngster looking to prove himself in the game, either.

Daryl Murphy's record
312
Career League games

74
Career League goals

Ipswich are supposedly demanding £4m for their hit-man, but would that really represent value for money for the Bluebirds, who have spent far too much on front men down the years only to have their fingers burned.

Andreas Cornelius or Etien Velikonja, anybody?

Those two were youngsters, of course. A glance at the records indicates Murphy seems to be maturing like a fine wine. When it came to finding the net, last season at Portman Road was easily the best of his career to date.

His second best return was actually the season before, when he hit 13 goals in 45 Championship outings in Suffolk. Hardly blistering stuff, but not bad.

However, prior to that Murphy’s goal return makes for pretty unimpressive reading, in truth.

Huw Evans Agency, CardiffIpswich's Daryl Murphy scores against Cardiff
In 2005, after impressing at home-town club Waterford in the Irish League, Murphy got the dream move to the English Premiership with Sunderland, but he hardly set the world alight.

His only top-flight goal that season was a leveller on Wearside to salvage a 1-1 draw with Tottenham. A short loan spell in the Championship at Sheffield Wednesday that season brought no reward.

Back with the relegated Black Cats the following term, Murphy actually found the Championship more to his liking. In the 2006-07 season he scored10 times in 38 games in the second-flight.

But having played his part in helping Sunderland bounce back up to the Premier League, Murphy again failed to make the grade at the top with just three goals the next season in 18 outings.

In 2009-10 he hit six goals in 18 Championship games for Ipswich, including a brace in a 2-0 win against Cardiff.


After that Murphy moved north of the border to the Scottish Premier with Celtic where he managed just three goals in 21 appearances, although he get some Champions League experience under his belt.

The next two campaigns saw Murphy return to Ipswich, but hardly with awe-inspiring results. Just four goals in 34 Championship games in 2011-12 and seven goals in 39 games the following campaign.

By the way, Murphy’s international record with the Republic of Ireland does little to dispel the doubts. He has been capped 14 times, but has never found the net for his country.

But if his past record raises questions, there are other issues to be dwelt on regarding Cardiff’s chasing of Murphy.

Where does the £4m transfer fee Ipswich want sit within the cost-cutting and rationalisation of investment Bluebirds owner Vincent Tan seems so keen to implement?

The other issue, of course, is whether Slade even needs another striker?


The Bluebirds are hardly badly stocked in the forward department, in terms of numbers at least. Okay, Kenwyne Jones looks likely to go, as may Adam Le Fondre and the mysterious mistake that was Javi Guerra. Nicky Maynard has been released and Velikonja is looking for another club.

But that still leaves Alex Revell, Joe Mason, Eoin Doyle and Federico Macheda vying for a shirt. And, as things stand, Jones and Le Fondre are still Bluebirds.

That being the case, would Slade’s focus on team strengthening be better served elsewhere, particularly on a midfield that misfired spectacularly last term with Peter Whittingham and Aron Gunnarsson failing to control matches?

Slade struggled last term to find a strike force that worked, but they were never given the greatest of service either.

He went through numerous pairings, with Le Fondre, Jones, Revell, Doyle, Mason and Macheda each given a go. He tried Craig Noone in an advanced central midfield role for support, but quickly disbanded that, also flirted with the lone striker option.

But whatever permutation Slade used, it was never satisfactory.

You would imagine that, if Murphy is secured, the front-line would be built to his convenience.

But signing the Irishman is still a gamble by Slade and potentially a very expensive gamble at that.

He will certainly have to hope last season’s scoring exploits weren’t a one-off.

Thought provoking.

Just shows the difficulties faced by managers and boards these days. Buying him could mean a challenge for playoffs, or if he reverts to type, a whole load of nothing, not to mention injuries or other setbacks.

I think my heart says to look for young blood, even though my head looks at the stats for last season and says "buy, buy, buy!!"

Tricky to say the least

Not for me, not prolific enough over the years... As the saying goes. One swallow does not make a summer.

If we were talking of a million I would say go for it but never any more and 4 million is saying Ipswich don't want to sell.

I'd be disappointed if we paid over 1.5 mill for a 32 year old with one prolific season under his belt. We went create near enough chances for him to score that many

I'd be disappointed if we paid over 1.5 mill for a 32 year old with one prolific season under his belt. We went create near enough chances for him to score that many

My thoughts exactly. I actually think he could be a decent strike partner for Doyle but not more than £2m.

The only reasonable way this would work is if Ipswich were open to a swap deal involving Le Fondre or Jones or Macheda.

You can have a formula 1 racing car to get to work in. But if MR Bean was driving it it's would be pretty useless. What I'm getting at we can have the best striker in the land but with Slade in charge it would be a waste of the strikers talent.

[quote="Nuclearblue"]You can have a formula 1 racing car to get to work in. But if MR Bean was driving it it's would be pretty useless. What I'm getting at we can have the best striker in the land but with Slade in charge it would be a waste of the strikers talent.[/quote


Let's at least give him a chance and a little respect.

When it comes to gambling if I live to be 150 I'd bet I'd never see anything that compares to 8.5m spent on a big clumsey f**k.Easily the worst decision by any manager of the city.

Not for me, not prolific enough over the years... As the saying goes. One swallow does not make a summer.

Agree.

Not prolific enough and far to old to command such a fee.

A player signing for a fee like that would want a good wage and at least a 3 year deal. He'll be 34, 35 no where near the first team and on a big wage.