So, Danny Murphy was sold to Spurs on transfer deadline day. We have an unenviable record of selling our star players at the last minute, without securing a proper replacement. There was Scott Parker, and Andy Reid - and now the great Lee Novak.
Curbs got wind that Murphy was looking to move to Spurs so Curbs tried to get a better deal for the club involving Newcastle and then Murphy reacted. Murphy does not deny that he was angling to join Spurs.
depends how you read It did not come about because I was angling to join Spurs,
I had really high hopes that season we had Murphy and Smertin in midfield. Started well if I recall. I remember a league cup tie midweek against Blackburn where we were 2-0 up with about ten minutes to go, Murphy scored the second. We conceded three in ten minutes to lose 3-2, one a worldly strike from David Thompson from 30 yards that embarrassingly had me standing up applauding much to the distaste of my neighbours. It all went tits up after that. For some reason every time Murphy comes up I remember that game.
I was on holiday when someone told me we'd got Murphy - I didn't believe it until I saw it in print for myself! It didn't work out as well as we all expected though, sadly. My impression of him (based just on what I saw) was that he couldn't come to terms with being sacked off by Liverpool and thought he was too good for Charlton. Then he got that red card and (in my opinion understandably) Curbs had the arse about it. He couldn't wait to get to Spurs, especially as being at Charlton was affecting his wife's social life (allegedly).
Oh, and does anyone have any idea who the two Newcastle players were?
It's a load of bullshit. There's no way that dull fuck managed to get 4 or 5 friends in the dressing room.
That may be so.......but ultimately to put a line through the rhymes and reasons, cross the t's and dot the i's so to speak or even resolve the why's and wherefores to say nothing of the if's and but's, we need to know who the two Newcastle players were that Curb's had in mind.
I think it was Lee Bowyer and Amdy Faye. I vaguely remember a Daily Mirror story suggesting the two for one swap.
Jesus, we could have had Faye earlier then - wonder what effect Curbs would have had on him & would he have been better than the version Dowie unleashed on us
Curbs got wind that Murphy was looking to move to Spurs so Curbs tried to get a better deal for the club involving Newcastle and then Murphy reacted. Murphy does not deny that he was angling to join Spurs.
depends how you read It did not come about because I was angling to join Spurs,
That is his view - but he also says that he doesn't know why the decision was made to make him train with the kids.
This was the First-Team Squad that Newcastle had back that season... Be surprised if one had been Scotty Parker seeing that he'd only joined that Summer, maybe Albert Luque or Amdy Faye I hate to say (i.e. Did we sign him that summer because he'd been on the Curbs list and had been discussed with Richard Murphy so was a suggestion to Dowie?)
He was sent off (second yellow card) for throwing the ball at the referee. ( it was the ref's feet, I hasten to add!) He never played for Charlton again.
At the time, (although it occurred previously to the infamous event!) I thought it looked a bit of a "Danny Mills". As in, a stupid, deliberate, sending off, to manufacture an internal problem.
I believe the sending off occurred after the famous watch incident. He was probably scared of Big Hermann by then...
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A strange tale, it does explain why his transfer to Tottemham happened so late perhaps
Oh, and does anyone have any idea who the two Newcastle players were?
Wouldn't surprise me if it was Peter Ramage or someone like that.
At the time Curbs did have a bit of a fetish for Ipswich connections so i reckon Titus Bramble.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/jan/13/newsstory.sport9
I think he signed Solano for West Ham - maybe him?
Both are still bitter about it 10 years later!
At the time, (although it occurred previously to the infamous event!) I thought it looked a bit of a "Danny Mills". As in, a stupid, deliberate, sending off, to manufacture an internal problem.
I believe the sending off occurred after the famous watch incident. He was probably scared of Big Hermann by then...