Starmaker - the untold story: The Untold Story of Jimmy Murphy (Hardcover)

When Jimmy Murphy arrived at Old Trafford in 1946 he was greeted by the ruins of what had once been one of the wonders of pre-war Manchester. The stadium was a bombed-out wreck while the players trained on a patch of dangerous gravel and the club reeled from the embarrassment of playing their 'home' games at Maine Road. By the time Murphy packed his bags and left Old Trafford for the last time, Manchester United were world-famous: they had been conquered by and then conquered Europe, raised the profile of English league football to a degree unimaginable before the war and touched the hearts of millions in the process. Alongside Matt Busby, the Welshman with an Irish name had made an English club the most famous name in the world. Matt Busby called Jimmy Murphy "my first signing and, my most important". Where Matt was the diplomatic frontman and manager, Jimmy was the firebrand who instilled the passion in Manchester United. It is true to say that United would not be the club they are today without Jimmy Murphy; his passion and determination made Busby's vision a reality. Nevertheless his is a tale untold - the true story of his vital role in the birth of Manchester United is long overdue for examination and is vital to understanding the romance surrounding the club.

Alongside Matt Busby, Jimmy Murphy made Manchester United the most famous football name in the world.
Matt Busby called Jimmy Murphy ‘my first signing and my most important’. Where Matt was the diplomatic frontman and manager, Jimmy was the firebrand who instilled the passion in Manchester United, bringing his celtic passion to a club eager to escape the ruins of post-war Manchester.
Jimmy instilled in the club a willingness to practice longer than the rest, a desire for perfection. When Murphy’s youth team won a particular game 6-1 the players would only hear complaints about the goal conceeded. If Bobby Charlton or Duncan Edwards gave the ball away in a dangerous position, they’d be out on the training ground all next day learning what to do to avoid calamity next time.
Of course Murphy was a hard task master but it was only through hard work that he produced a stream of talented teenagers in the early 1950s at a time when most clubs wouldn’t look to sign a player until he was in his early twenties. Thus Edwards, Charlton, Viollet, Byrne, Colman and the rest replaced United’s great 1952
Championship winning team and embarked on a journey which ended in well-documented tragedy.
Fortunately Jimmy missed the Munich air-crash and only found out about the disaster when a tearful secretary broke the news that the boys he had picked and trained as teenagers had perished in such terrible circumstances. As if to add to his woe, Matt was not expected to live much longer and Jimmy was thrown in at the deep-end - re-arranging fixtures, attempting to sign players, checking on the youngsters and generally keeping the club’s head above water. It’s not an understatement to say that without him United could well have gone under during those desperate days.
That Jimmy guided the team to the FA Cup Final that fateful year was a remarkable achievement. That he followed that up by helping a recovered Matt Busby guide United to 2nd place in 1958/9 was even more amazing but perhaps most remarkable of all Jimmy guided Wales to the quarter-finals of the World Cup only losing out to a solitary Pele goal in Sweden.
It is true to say that United would not be the club they are today without Jimmy Murphy; his passion and determination made Busby’s vision a reality. Nevertheless his is a tale untold - the true story of his vital role in the birth of Manchester United is long overdue for examination and is vital to understanding the romance surrounding the club.