John Murtough, Birmingham City
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Birmingham City’s decision to bring in John Murtough as their new director of football has been hailed as a coup for the Championship side.
It has been a positive start to the season for Blues, with Chris Davies’ having made a few tweaks to the style of play, and it has brought consistent results, with Birmingham currently in the play-off places.
Chris Davies, West Bromwich Albion vs Birmingham City (1)
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As we know, that is the minimum expectation for the club, as the US owners at St. Andrew’s are extremely ambitious, with reaching the Premier League just the start of what they hope will be a successful journey for the club.
John Murtough backed to do well at Birmingham City
Whilst the main focus is what happens on the pitch, Birmingham have had a crucial off-field decision to make this summer, as they looked for Craig Gardner’s replacement, after the former player left his role as director of football.
Given the resources at Blues, a host of names were linked with the role, and after a lengthy process, it was announced that Murtough had been appointed.
EFL Championship Quiz
EFL Championship Quiz
He arrives with a good reputation in the game, having held roles at the Premier League, Coventry, Everton, Fulham and, most recently, Atalanta. As well as that, Murtough spent 11 years in different jobs at Man Utd, which included progressing to become their football director.
So, he has a wealth of experience, and, when asked by FLW whether he trusts Murtough to get Blues’ recruitment right, FLW's Birmingham fan pundit Jason Moore revealed he is pleased with the decision.
“You have to trust him. He’s got a pretty impressive CV, so yeah, you have to trust him.
“To be fair, the board haven’t got it too wrong if you ignore the Wayne Rooney stuff, and Murtough’s CV is impressive. His only blip is Man Utd, but who does well at Man Utd now? Nobody.
“If you ignore that, it’s an impressive appointment, especially for a club in the Championship. I know we’re ambitious, but to be able to reel someone with that pedigree in is massively impressive.
“You have to look past the Man Utd stuff, because they’re a mess, so, touch wood, he can come and do a good job for us, and buy better than what he did at Man Utd - I don’t think we’ll be in a position to waste £80m on a player like Antony! I back him and trust him.”
John Murtough will be preparing for a crucial January window with Birmingham City
Of course, Murtough’s responsibilities at the club will extend beyond solely transfers, but the reality is that is where he will be judged, and fans will already have an eye on January.
Blues have had a decent record in the market, but, like most clubs, mistakes have been made, and Murtough will hope for an improved hit rate moving forward.
Right now, the most important position to address in the New Year seems to be a striker, and you would expect that the owners will make money available when the window opens.
John Murtough
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But, there’s a lot of football to be played between now and then, and Davies will hope that the likes of Marvin Ducksch and Luis Vasquez can start to take the chances that may come their way.
John Murtough will hope to build long-term success at Birmingham City
The challenge for Murtough will extend beyond the January window, and the fact he joined Blues shows he thinks he can build a long-term project at the club.
Clearly, he has taken on a significant role, and he will have to work closely with Davies and other key figures at the club to ensure they can kick-on in the years to come.
Most would agree that his CV is very impressive for a Championship side, and Murtough will have contacts across the globe, which is going to be crucial in his new job.
So, on paper, it looks like a good decision for Birmingham, but time will tell, and Murtough will hope to play his part in Blues’ rise up English football and transition into a new stadium.