Murphy will be 22 next month and has been on the books at Motherwell for ten years. His natural talent has been fostered and developed during that period and the outcome is that we now have a player on our books that seems to be worth a decent fee from other clubs.
Focus on Murphy
He is now a fixture in the first team and he holds our European goal scoring record. We have him under contract until May 2013 – two full seasons.
In this crazy post-Bosman era the value of players is partially determined by the remaining length of contract and any decision about a transfer has to weigh up several factors. On the one hand, a sale would deprive us of an upcoming talent and would give our management team a problem in identifying a suitable replacement. On the other, it is a fact that Motherwell has to raise money on the transfer market to keep the books balanced.
While the decisions about players’ movements are well known and understood by managers and club boards, there is one extra factor that comes into play at this particular time in our club’s history. John Boyle’s donation of shares gives the Motherwell community the very rare chance of taking ownership of the club. We have the opportunity to reclaim the club from sole ownership, a chance to ensure that it is run for the benefit of the fans and the town and a chance to show others that it is possible to return football to its roots.
Jamie celebrates
In order for that to happen we have to raise enough working capital to help smooth out the irregular income that flows into the club. There are doubts that the membership scheme can generate sufficient funds but the windfall that a high transfer fee could deliver might ensure that the transition to member based ownership could become a reality.
The choice of whether to take the money or hold on to a player is always difficult but in our present circumstance it might be that Murphy’s legacy could leave our club with a more democratic future.