Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , former Liverpool and England star Danny Murphy has given his perspective on all things Scottish Football including whether Hearts can land an unlikely Scottish Premiership success, the rehiring of Martin O'Neill and if Danny Rohl is the right man for Rangers.
Murphy has also discussed the potential of Irish Football with particular praise for the League of Ireland and has some interesting thoughts on the future of Ireland attacking duo Evan Ferguson and Troy Parrott
The former midfielder has also spoken on Keith Andrews at Brentford and name checks a former teammate as the obvious replacement for Martin O’Neill at Celtic.
Scottish Football
Hearts Underdog Story
I think it would be great. Underdog stories are always wonderful. Remembering Leicester in the Premier League, it's amazing because what it also would do is it would kick Rangers and Celtic into gear a little bit more, encouraging them to address their situations and not be complacent around recruitment and spending.
I think it would give Scottish football a boost because then also, Hearts would have extra money. I know they've got Tony Bloom involved now, but they'll be able to be competitive in the summer, bringing in players and spending some cash.
All of a sudden, you might then have a three-horse race for more than one season, which is great for their league and makes it a better product. It becomes something you'd be more intrigued to watch, especially from my perspective. So yeah, it's an amazing story, and I think it would be beneficial to Scottish football.
O’Neill’s Return Made Sense
It's a bit bizarre, isn't it? But I think it makes sense. It seemed strange, to be honest, to interrupt Martin O’Neill when he went back the first time because of how well they were doing. It made sense to let it go, maybe until the end of the season, and take their time appointing a new manager because that failed miserably.
It shows you that if you don't have experience at a big club and you want to change things really quickly at any level of football, it can go badly wrong quite quickly, and it did.
It wasn't nice to see because he was really struggling, and you could see it in his face. But bringing Martin back was sensible. I think he is such an experienced guy, he's a brilliant motivator, very well-liked by the players, and because of that, they've still got a chance of winning the title. So, they acted quickly, they've recognised their mistake, and for Celtic now, it gives them time to really go out and do a better job looking for a prospective manager.
Robbie Return?
Robbie Keane to Celtic makes a lot of sense. Keane’s done really well in his management career so far. Gone abroad, had a couple of stints in different places, and had success. I know Robbie well; he's a determined guy, very, very determined, and he's a winner. He was demanding as a player and a captain. He expected from everyone what he gave.
Brilliant trainer, good attitude, great character, strong character, funny, humorous, warm. I think he'd engage with his supporters really well. I think the players would take to him. Yeah, makes perfect sense.
Could Robbie Keane Manage Celtic Someday?
Rohl’s Rangers
Danny Rohl has done really well because they were in a mess. The way the manager comes across, he's very single-minded about what he wants. You can see that he's very calm, and he's added a steeliness and resilience to Rangers. We saw that in the second half of the Old Firm game. He doesn't panic, and he made a good tactical change. He's just galvanised the club, and the fans are all excited again. They have a chance of winning the title, which they never thought for a second they would have a couple of months into the season.
So he deserves a lot of credit because it's a huge football club with a really expectant fanbase. But it's what I alluded to earlier, when you have a manager who has a bit of experience, who is able to be calm and conduct himself well, speak well, and understand what he wants from the players, it's a recipe for success.
He's somebody, I think, who will bring stability to the club, and even if they weren't to win it, you would think that next season they're going to be much more equipped to compete because of him.
Irish Football
Attracting Eyes To The LOI
It's a strange one, isn't it? But I think it's probably a financial thing as well. There's not great finance in the Irish league. I know how passionate the Irish football fans are and always have been; we've seen it for years. I know that playing with the likes of Damien Duff, Stephen Kelly, and Andy Reid, these are passionate guys. They love their football as much as we do.
The Irish fans are no different, and it's not a place that I remember too many players I played with getting the chance or opportunity to coach. So yeah, I think it is a finance issue. I think it would be nice for Damien Duff, for example, after working in the league and doing so well, to get an opportunity elsewhere.
Because I think just because it's not in the public eye as much and hasn't got the same microscope or good eyes on it, that maybe someone like Damien's success goes under the radar a little bit. It's still a great achievement what he did, and hopefully, he'll get his opportunity over here.
But it's definitely a league that's competitive and actually a place that coaches, as well as players, could learn. You know, younger players may be going out on loan there to get game time. That would help improve it. But I don't really know how the finances are going to improve for them to be able to do that.
Transfer Talk
Ferguson’s Next Move?
I heard Evan Ferguson talking about his difficult couple of years and how he lost a bit of confidence. Injuries can do that, of course. He showed a lot of quality when he first burst on the scene. He's a big lad, scores goals, has decent technique and is strong. I think all of us expected him to kick on. Unfortunately, in football, with injuries and a loss of confidence, players can quickly fall out of the spotlight, and that's what's happened to him.
I think that playing regular football and scoring goals is the key to getting your confidence back, and that might mean dropping a level, even if it was to a Championship side, where he would be the main man and become appreciated again. Forwards are always judged on goals, and you need to play to score them. He's at Roma, I don't know if he'll get enough minutes and game time there for him to recapture that form.
Maybe he will. I hope so, because it's never nice to see a young player who you know has got the talent fall away a little bit and then not come back. He is capable, we've seen that already, very capable. So I wish him all the best. But if I was advising him, I'd be saying, find somewhere where you're going to play every week, be appreciated, and just get your enjoyment back for the game.
Wrexham Opportunity
Evan Ferguson to Wrexham? Possibly. I think the problem with Wrexham for a Championship side is that they've got so many players, including a lot of forwards. But yes, that type of challenge, a team that wants to get promoted, a team that plays good football, a team that plays to your strengths, could work.
Football is tough for anyone when you're not playing, and it does get you down physically and mentally. So he would have to be quite careful in terms of the destination he ends up at for next season, because he needs to be appreciated again, and he needs to get back to enjoying his football.
Wrexham, though, could work, but Wrexham might be in the Premier League. Imagine that!
Parrott’s Big Decision
I think Troy Parrott is obviously a talent. He's found his feet in the Dutch league, scoring goals and enjoying his football, which is key. A lot of it is timing, finding the right home for your strengths and qualities. A club like Fulham will be in the market for strikers, I think. Raul Jimenez is coming towards the end, although he's played great recently, and Rodrigo Muniz is a good player, though he's injured at the moment. They're going to need more attacking options, so yeah, that could work.
The problem is that the Premier League level now is so high, you're competing with players from all over the world. The desire to stay in the Premier League and get results means managers find it difficult to take risks, even at a club like Fulham. If you bring him in, although he's English and knows the league, he's still in his early 20s. He hasn't had success in the Premier League before. It's a gamble. Do you take that gamble, or do you go with something more reliable and trustworthy? It's a difficult one.
But if he was given that opportunity, I'm sure he'd jump at the chance to get back. Right now, he's doing exactly what Evan Ferguson should do: he's gone to play in a league that probably wouldn't have been on his radar when he was planning his career. Now he's being appreciated, loved by the fans, scoring lots of goals, enjoying his football, and gaining experience and confidence. So, it may be that he needs another season doing that before he tries to make the jump.
I remember Fulham signing Bryan Ruiz from the Dutch league, and he was a top player there before he came to us. He struggled in the Premier League. He showed real class moments, and he was a great lad, but he was a great example of the gap, the gulf, between the Dutch league and ours. Not many players come and hit the ground running directly from that league. So, maybe another season for him of doing what he's doing before that happens.
Should Troy Parrott Move in January?
Thriving Andrews
I think Keith Andrews has done remarkably well, and I don't think anybody anticipated Brentford being this good and doing as well as they have, especially considering the players they've lost and having an inexperienced manager. I remember playing against Keith; he's a strong character, very feisty on the pitch, and confident. That comes across; you can see his calmness and his confidence as a manager, particularly the way he talks in the press. He's got a very determined way about him and seems very confident in his belief on how they should play.
He won't make any apologies for it in certain games, being direct, using set plays, using the pace they've got in behind. And why not, by the way? Use your strengths. He's got the players playing for him. They seem to love playing for him, and every time you watch Brentford, they put it all in. They've been clever again in the market. Bringing in Jordan Henderson was good, and Dango Ouattara was a good signing; he's been really good for them.
The whole club has just run so well, and Keith has just seamlessly fallen into that role and made it look easy. I've never managed, so I don't know exactly how he must be feeling. There was big expectation and pressure on him at Premier League level. Most people thought he would just fail, and Brentford could be in relegation trouble. That was the talk of a lot of people. Actually, I wasn't particularly against that idea because I thought, losing your best players and bringing in a manager who's inexperienced it could go wrong. But it's actually done the opposite.
Their progress has just gone up, and they are flying at the moment and playing some really good stuff. They've got some terrific players. Kevin Shade is a player who's going to do big things in the future.I don't think he's even thought in his dreams about going on to manage his country. He's got so much going on, trying to manage the everyday role and responsibility of being a Premier League manager, and he'll be enjoying that so, so much at the moment and rightly taking the plaudits. So yeah, maybe down the line.
Maybe down the line, but most young coaches, I think, love the day-to-day stuff. International management does feel like it's for the older generation. I don't know why, it just does.
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