I can see a few people jumping, but I think my point has been missed.
I've never said Murphy is useless, or that when he's on his game he isn't an extremely valuable asset. The problem is, he so unregulary reaches the potential he has, and in the process burdens the team.
Anyone who has been to watch more than a handful of matches this season can see there has been many, upon many of games where he has failed to make even a credible effort to take part.
He has scored 9 goals, but this really is only in the 5 out of nearly 30 games he's played not the average of 1 in 3. He's been a match winner in these games for sure, but so many times outside of this (roughly 20 games) he has been a waste of a shirt.
I don't buy the argument that mindless running from him (or Kent actually) drags defenders out of position because firstly if you're going to do that you need to exploit those positions, but if you're not able or won't pass the ball to a team mate (90% of the time) then it's completely useless. Also, if someone says a players best asset is to confuse defences, then you're scraping the barrel a little bit. Sky Blue Sam could go on the pitch and do the same.
The issue for me is lack of effort and poor attitude. If you get paid to effectively perform for 90 minutes a week, I find it a bit disrespectful that when this time comes you can't even be bothered to make a sufficient effort to take part in the game when people have paid good money to come and watch. Not everyone shares that opinion, fair enough, but that's how I see it.
He's assisted in some games, but apparently one of these was against Bury for Flecks goal. What does that really mean? Reice Charles-Cook had the same level of influence on that particular goal. Some of his other assists have been alright, but so many games he has gone for a pot shot when he should have passed or gone on a run when he could have fed something. Whilst I agree there has been games he has been vitally important, there has been a lot more when we would have done better with him not in the 11. We can't not have done.
So often this season he has been below par, the ratings on both here and the telegraph for the last 5 games have Murphy down as one of the poorest players for every single match in this spell, so if that isn't enough of an indication, it's hardly surprising JOB had wanted to go somewhere else for first team football when the person in his position is continually getting played despite woeful performances, more effort wise than anything else. Yet the squad is being rotated everywhere else.
My personal opinion is that to get the best out of a player like Murphy you have to keep him hungry, when you're on the team sheet regardless of performance I don't believe it sends the right messages to the player or the rest of the squad. A spell on the bench would be benificial for all and Mowbray should really do this. It may be the case we need Murphy on form should we get to the playoffs, and we absolutely don't need a lazy player who doesn't think he has anything to prove. We need him firing on all cylinders and ready to take the Championship by storm next season.