Plans are ongoing for a new Old Trafford statue honouring one of Manchester United’s less-recognised key figures from history: ex-manager Jimmy Murphy.
The club has accepted a request from supporters groups for the memorial – agreeing that Murphy’s critical contribution to the rebuilding of United following the Munich Air Disaster makes him worthy of a permanent tribute.
Murphy took temporary charge of the Red Devils in 1958 following the crash – which saw eight players killed and two others suffer career-ending injuries.
Manager Matt Busby was also seriously hurt.
Murphy – who had not travelled as he was managing Wales in a World Cup qualifier – stepped in to take care of the Busby Babes as temporary coach following the tragedy. And he performed a miracle.
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Jimmy Murphy: a giant figure of United's history ❤
Plans are under way to honour his outstanding contribution to the club outside his spiritual home.#MUFC
Despite their shaken and depleted squad, United made it to the 1958 FA Cup final against all odds – with Murphy leading out the team at Wembley Stadium against Bolton Wanderers.
Busby returned the following season and Murphy continued to work alongside him as assistant manager, with the duo creating a side which would bring two league titles, an FA Cup and European Cup to Old Trafford.
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Upon his death in 1989, Busby called Murphy his “first and most important signing”.
“No-one outside the club will ever know how important he was to our success,” he stated.
The proposal for a statue of Murphy was presented to the club by a coalition of United Supporters’ groups led by the Manchester Munich Memorial Foundation.
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Once completed, Murphy’s memorial will join existing tributes to other club heroes such as Busby, Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law outside Old Trafford.
LIVE NOW: A special show with @the_mmmf & Jimmy Murphy's Grandson as last week the club confirmed that Jimmy Murphy will be getting a statue at Old Trafford. Find out more by hitting the play button! #mufchttps://t.co/17BekdfeXx
Paul Murphy said the statue would help to raise awareness of his grandfather’s essential role in rebuilding the club.
He told All For United podcast: “There’s nothing outside Old Trafford to let you know who [Jimmy] was, what he did.
“I’ve been introduced in the past and season-ticket holders have asked ‘Who’s Jimmy Murphy?’
“I don’t blame them people because there’s nothing around the stadium. Unless you read into it, you don’t know who Jimmy Murphy is. I said to the board: ‘I could stand outside Old Trafford and ask fans who led United out at the 1958 FA Cup – I bet half at least wouldn’t know.’
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“This will broaden people’s knowledge of the club.”
Featured image: Man Utd
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
The Manc -
7th June 2021 
