Could Murphy play the lone striker role?

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s4-blade

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In games he has frequently swapped with Baxter and looked really good there and scored. I still think we need to have at least 2 quality strikers to get automatic next season but if we could turn Murphy into one it would allow us to use the money gained from avoiding paying out for a new striker to invest in other positions and make us even stronger.

A long shot i know as he's one of the best wingers in the league and we might ruin a good player by doing this but it could work. What do we think.
 

s4-blade said:
In games he has frequently swapped with Baxter and looked really good there and scored. I still think we need to have at least 2 quality strikers to get automatic next season but if we could turn Murphy into one it would allow us to use the money gained from avoiding paying out for a new striker to invest in other positions and make us even stronger.

A long shot i know as he's one of the best wingers in the league and we might ruin a good player by doing this but it could work. What do we think.
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NO.
WASTE OF A WING TALENT.
MOVE ON.
 
No Murphy actually has picked up his game on the wing and we would be foolish to move him away from that position.
I'm not convinced about the lone striker role anyway but we have been restricted this season with us having better attacking midfielders then strikers at the club, Baxter, Murphy, Flynn and Scougall.
 
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s4-blade said:
In games he has frequently swapped with Baxter and looked really good there and scored. I still think we need to have at least 2 quality strikers to get automatic next season but if we could turn Murphy into one it would allow us to use the money gained from avoiding paying out for a new striker to invest in other positions and make us even stronger.

A long shot i know as he's one of the best wingers in the league and we might ruin a good player by doing this but it could work. What do we think.
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In a word ..... no !
Fernando Torres cannot play the lone striker role an he's worth a bit more than Murph.
Leave him on the wing where he is reborn as a player under NC and we need 2 proper strikers with pace and strength, one of whom can hold the ball up and bring others into play.
UTB & FTP
 
Sounds like a decent idea to me. Murphy runs down the wing very nicely but doesn't normally end up in front of goal. If he was playing down the middle and ran past centre halves like he does right backs he'd be bearing down on the goalkeeper in a trice.

Thierry Henry didn't do too badly as a winger converted to centre forward, and Theo Walcott is no slouch in that position either. I think S4 Blade might have had a right good idea there, personally.
 
+ Murphy could play up front, so could any of our attacking midfielders but we would be better off with a new striker in our ranks.
I think we need to go back to a more traditional formation next season with a striker leading the line, preferably with a Baxter/ Scougall alongside him.
 
s4-blade said:
In games he has frequently swapped with Baxter and looked really good there and scored. I still think we need to have at least 2 quality strikers to get automatic next season but if we could turn Murphy into one it would allow us to use the money gained from avoiding paying out for a new striker to invest in other positions and make us even stronger.

A long shot i know as he's one of the best wingers in the league and we might ruin a good player by doing this but it could work. What do we think.
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NO
 
At this moment in time, Murphy could occupy any attacking position and be a menace. I think his preferred option is a striker but surely even he must have converted himself to a winger after some sensational performances in league & cup.

I like the fact that we can move people around during games, i.e Hill LB/CB, Murphy LM/RM/ST. It gives us more tactical plans for Master Clough to execute...
 
felix said:
Sounds like a decent idea to me. Murphy runs down the wing very nicely but doesn't normally end up in front of goal. If he was playing down the middle and ran past centre halves like he does right backs he'd be bearing down on the goalkeeper in a trice.

Thierry Henry didn't do too badly as a winger converted to centre forward, and Theo Walcott is no slouch in that position either. I think S4 Blade might have had a right good idea there, personally.
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I think we need to get our heads out of the clouds. I think Henry and Walcott were / are able to carry this off because of their quality. Murphy is a much improved player but come on. We need to be realistic and practical and we need to go for the best striker we can afford. Real goal scorers are rare birds indeed (and everyone wants them) but if we are going to push on next season we need REAL additions not workarounds. Leave Murphy where he is and lets hope as NC is hoping, we get another 10%-15% out of him next season.
 
It's a no from me. Awesome as a winger, OK as an occasional front man.I think Clough will sign a big, strong, fast front man to stretch the opposition. If this happens then Murphy plays on the wing, not sure what happens to Baxter in a 4:5:1 with the right front man.
 
Sharpestblade said:
It's a no from me. Awesome as a winger, OK as an occasional front man.I think Clough will sign a big, strong, fast front man to stretch the opposition. If this happens then Murphy plays on the wing, not sure what happens to Baxter in a 4:5:1 with the right front man.
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Then don't play 4-5-1!

Players win games, not formations. Nigel makes this clear in his latest interview after the Port Vale win, impressive as always.
 
Say we didn't sign anyone, then yes. Maybe something like Murphy with Baxter behind him utilising his pace with his passing then Murphy replaced on the wing by perhaps Khan getting more of a chance.
 

Noooooo !
Just look at what our Nige has made out of him so far !
Given a good pre season,as a winger he's got to come on even more..
Everyone on this forum have been crying out for whichever manager to get a couple of good wingers ,now out of nowhere,we've got them.and we want to covert them ?
No thanks,lets just get in a couple or three decent strikers,thats all we're short of really for next season ffs we scored three times at wembley against prem opp without proper strikers,what will we do in lg 1 next season with some proper ones ?
We buzz forever round lg1 penalty boxes all season with no real outlets from strikers makin runs,get 'em in !
 
MBoreman said:
Say we didn't sign anyone, then yes. Maybe something like Murphy with Baxter behind him utilising his pace with his passing then Murphy replaced on the wing by perhaps Khan getting more of a chance.
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Put it this way ,if we dont sign anyone,which is not going to happen anyway, we wouldn't even get in the playoffs
As for the OP ,i don't think he necessarily needs to play the lone striker,i'd be more inclined to play him up top with someone else flicking the ball on or something like that in the last 10 to 15 mins or so,then we would really see him go
 
Jamie Murphy is basically a striker playing on the wing. He came through the youth ranks as a striker and played for Motherwell as a striker. It was only nearer the end of his time there that he found himself playing out wide. It's no wonder it took him so long to get going at United - it's NOT his natural position.

I would love for him to have a run up front, I'm sure he'd bang in a hat full; however, he's been bloody good out wide under Clough so that's probably where he should stay for now.
 
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