|
Born: 18th March 1977, Chester
Years at Crewe: 1993-1997; 1999
Crewe appearances: 148
Crewe goals: 35
Other clubs: Liverpool 1997-present
International honours: 7 Full England Caps, 2 England under-21’s caps
Chester born Danny Murphy joined Crewe Alexandra as a schoolboy in 1992, and after completing two years of YTS; he made his first Alex appearance against Preston North End as second half substitute and scored in a 4-3 victory at Gresty Road, aged just sixteen.
Dario Gradi started Murphy a few games later in the 1-1 home draw with Scarborough, and from then on he became an integral part of the promotion winning Crewe Alexandra side of 1993-94 to the Second Division.
Danny had hoped to follow in the footsteps of players like David Platt, Geoff Thomas and Rob Jones – local lads who had used Crewe Alexandra as a platform for bigger and better things. In Platt’s case it was the Premiership, Serie A and the World Cup. Thomas played for a series of First Division sides and England, and Rob Jones went on to represent Liverpool and England.
Dario described the young Murphy as “a very confident young man, a bit lazy.” He told him that he “would have to work hard, you can’t just do what you want to do. I didn’t get an answer, just a little grin!, Dario joked”
Danny said of Gradi: “He was like a father figure to me, he helped me through lots of different problems through my younger days, because I wasn’t the easiest person to deal with in my younger days!”
Murphy was an inspirational in the 1996-97 Division Two play-off winning season, helping Crewe to reach the unprecedented heights of Division One. Murph scored 13 goals in over 50 appearances as a striker/midfielder. He was maybe the most important part of the famous team that included Kearton,
|
Whilst Crewe concentrated on their Division One adventure, Murphy was on Liverpool’s wanted list, eventually moving to his boyhood heroes in Merseyside for £1.8m. He was told not to expect to be a first team regular on his move by then reds manager Roy Evans. He made 17 appearances in the 1997-98 season, failing to make an impression.
The 1998-99 season saw Gérard Houllier join up with Evans at Anfield, and Murphy found himself unwanted by the new French boss as he brought in a vast array of new ideas and foreign signings. He made only four appearances, not scoring, but he did get his first taste of European football against Celta Vigo in the UEFA Cup.
Meanwhile back in Crewe, Dario Gradi’s Railwaymen were struggling in the First Division. The previous season we had upset all odds by finishing 11th in our very first season, but following the sales of Ashley Westwood and Gareth Whalley to Bradford City, we were faltering. Gradi saw his protégée Murphy on the Anfield scrap heap and made the shrewd move of bringing him back to Crewe. Murph made sixteen Alex appearances and immediately added spark and influence tothe tired looking Crewe side. We lost only two of the sixteen games when Murphy was present, collecting 24 points and without him we would probably have gone down.
Murphy returned to Anfield and was told by Houllier that if any other club were interested in him, he would be sold as they were lining up Tomas Rosicky. Nobody enquired about Murphy so the Frenchman decided to give him another chance. Murphy took it with both hands and persuaded the club to keep him. He scored twice against Hull City in his first game of the season in the League Cup, scoring six in a total of 27 games, including a 30 yard screamer against Leeds United.
|
His international career began against Sweden in 2001 at Old Trafford, and he scored his first England goal against Paraguay at Anfield. He was called up to Sven Goran-Eriksson’s 2002 World Cup squad as a replacement for teammate, but a cruel foot injury forced him to miss the experience.
Murphy said of his time in South Cheshire: “I enjoyed my time at Crewe. It was fun, a great time. I was always allowed to express myself, something that was important as a young player. Crewe always play with no fear.”
Danny hasn’t forgotten his roots, turning up at Gresty Road for the FA Cup 3rd round tie with AFC Bournemouth. One hundred or so fans mobbed him, after his autograph before that game. He is thought of as the best Crewe player of all time by many fans, and that’s why the majority of viewers have voted him into the Hall of Fame.
He has made himself into one of the best players in England, remains one of the most popular Crewe academy graduates amongst fans and is a more than worthy first inductee into the CreweAlex.com Hall of Fame.