Jimmy Murphy’s legacy at Manchester United is one that criminally isn’t mentioned in the same breath as Sir Matt Busby’s or Sir Alex Ferguson’s.
His tangible achievements at the club may pale in comparison to the two aforementioned greats, but if it wasn’t for Murphy, who knows, perhaps there wouldn’t have been a United for Fergie to coach.
The Welshman’s defiance, astuteness and remarkable leadership amid the club’s darkest hour in 1958 ensured United remained a prominent institution in the English game. A master developer of youth, Murphy was vastly responsible for establishing an approach that helped the Red Devils evolve into a domestic and European behemoth in the wake of tragedy.
His contribution is finally being recognised by the club in the form of a statue outside Old Trafford, and here’s a little bit more detail about why Murphy is such a significant figure in Man Utd’s history.
Welshman Murphy spent almost of the entirety of his playing career at West Brom after joining the club as a 17-year-old in 1928.
A wing-half (the old term for a midfielder) went on to play over 200 times for the Baggies and appeared in the 1935 FA Cup final against Sheffield Wednesday, which West Brom lost. He then made the switch to Swindon in 1939 before the outbreak of World War II brought his playing career to a premature end. He also earned 15 caps for Wales during a five-year international career.
“Telling them what Jimmy did… it’s the most important thing you can tell a young player who is representing Manchester United,” Sir Alex Ferguson told me when I wrote the biography of Jimmy Murphy – born this day in 1910.
The most important man in the club’s history. pic.twitter.com/GGIW5wNdlQ
— Wayne Barton (@WayneSBarton) August 8, 2021
Sir Matt Busby was enamoured with Murphy as soon as he encountered him for the first time. Busby saw the Welshman giving a speech about football to a group of troops during WWII and decided to give Murphy the role of ‘chief coach’ once he took up his job as United boss in 1945.
Murphy, who eventually became Busby’s assistant manager in 1955, played a major role in the development of young players at the club who would go on to be known as the ‘Busby Babes’ that returned plenty of domestic success throughout the 1950s.
What makes Murphy such a respected figure at United is how he helped steer the club out of its bleakest period after the 1958 Munich air disaster in which eight United players and three members of staff lost their lives. Busby survived, while Murphy’s role as manager of the Welsh national team meant he missed the flight as he was coaching his country in a World Cup qualifier against Israel.
Busby’s right-hand man took charge of the Red Devils while he recovered from his injuries in hospital, and it was Murphy who oversaw an unlikely run to the 1958 FA Cup final and led the side out against Bolton at Wembley. Sadly, it ended in a 2-0 defeat. The result, however, felt irrelevant. United had embarked on a miraculous cup journey in the face of the worst adversity.
Murphy garnered immense credit for guiding United through the darkest of times during that period. He would soon guide Wales to the quarter-finals of the 1958 World Cup, only knocked out by Pele’s Brazil. But for the absence of key player John Charles that day, Wales might even have won.
Murphy continued to serve under Busby once the great manager returned to full health, continuing to nurture the players coming through United’s academy. Eight of the players that appeared in the Red Devils’ 1968 European Cup final triumph had been schooled by Murphy.
Honouring a bona fide United legend.
A statue of Jimmy Murphy will be unveiled outside the Stretford End on Wednesday 3 May, 65 years to the day after he led the club to the FA Cup final at Wembley ❤️#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) April 19, 2023
Manchester United announced in May 2021 that the club was planning a statue to celebrate Murphy’s significant contributions.
The statue will be unveiled outside the Stretford End at Old Trafford on Wednesday 3 May 2023 – 65 years to the day after he led out the team at the FA Cup final at Wembley.
