[lfc-news] Murphy: Weird wanting Reds to lose - Echo

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Liverpool Echo, 22 Oct 2004
Weird wanting Reds to lose - Murphy
By Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo

THE leaving of Liverpool grieved Danny Murphy and he admits it will feel
"weird" walking out at Anfield in anything but a red shirt tomorrow.

The Charlton midfielder says he is still adjusting to life away from
Merseyside but insists it was a decision he had to take.

Murphy can expect a fantastic reception as the Kop gets a chance to give a
fitting farewell to a player who contributed some of the most celebrated
moments in the club's recent history.

To score one winner at Old Trafford may be considered fortunate, two
legendary, but three ensured mythical status for the cup treble winner.

As a Liverpool fan, Murphy has an uneasy feeling about the possibility of
contributing to a negative home result.

"My feelings will be mixed," he admits. "If I score I'll be happy for
myself and my club but at the same time it will give me no extra pleasure
to beat Liverpool.

"I'm not someone who wants Liverpool to be mid-table. I want to see the
club challenging for the title.

"I'll always be a Liverpool fan. I was before I joined the club and will be
for the rest of my life.

"I've got to do a professional job for Charlton and do everything I can to
win the game, but I'm not going there feeling bitterness towards Liverpool.
I was treated fairly and honestly by Rafael Benitez.

"I'll always be coming to terms with the fact I've left Liverpool. I spent
the best days of my career so far at the club.

"All my friends are there. I can't wait to see so many of my buddies, and
I'm not just talking about play-ers. I have friends everywhere at the club.

"It will be very emotional for me to go back but weird to be doing my best
to make sure Liverpool lose.

"It took longer to get over the fact I'd left than I'd anticipated. It was
a big wrench. In an ideal world I'd have spent the rest of my career at
Liverpool.

"No-one was more shocked than me that Friday afternoon when Benitez told me
I could go. I didn't expect it, but I was grateful he told me when he did.
By Saturday I was already planning to sign for Charlton. It happened so quick."

It's not gone unnoticed that had Murphy stayed at Anfield, he would have
figured in most fixtures so far this season due to the injuries suffered
following his departure.

But the 27-year-old says the role of understudy would not have satisfied
him having been considered a mainstay of the side for so long.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say part of me thought I'd probably have been
involved in most of the games because of the injury problems involving
(Antonio) Nunez and Stevie (Gerrard)," he says..

"But even if I had been in the side, I know it would only be as a stop-gap
until everyone was fit again. That's not something I wanted.

"I know Alan Curbishley is 100 per cent behind me which is why I was
attracted to join Charlton. Here I'm considered an important member of the
team. I've responsibilities which I wouldn't have had at Liverpool.

"At Liverpool, the pressure on me was always part of the collective, if you
like, and everyone would look at players like Stevie to lead the team and
drive us on.

"Now I feel the onus is on me to make things happen. That's a challenge I
was drawn to."

You would imagine it would come as a relief to Murphy that the prospect of
a crunching 50-50 with close pal Gerrard has been avoided due to the
skipper's injury. Not so.

"Everyone asks me how would we have approached that situation but I'd loved
to have played against Stevie," says Murphy..

"It's funny because we were talking over the summer about how strange it
would be. That was when I was worried about Stevie leaving Liverpool.

"It would have been interesting to test myself against the best player at
the club. It's not to be this time, which is good news for us, but I hope
I'll get the chance against him at The Valley."

If for 90 minutes Murphy can expect to be treated the same as any other
opponent, before and after he will be far from it as Anfield grants a
traditional warm welcome to a loyal servant.

"The three goals against Manchester United will always be with me, but my
personal favourite was my goal against Everton in the Merseyside derby a
few years ago," he says.

"I remember at the time they were above us in the league and it was a
massive game for us. I scored at a crucial time and that goal means as much
to me as any I scored.

"Then there is the treble season, which I feel I contributed to.

"I had a lot of good times as a Liverpool player and I'd like to think the
fans recognise I always gave my best."


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