'I was too selfish, undisciplined. Then I became a father': Portsmouth favourite and ex-Cardiff and Norwich man Josh Murphy on how his family transformed an unfulfilled career
The classy Pompey winger produced 21 goal contributions in his first Fratton Park season
Josh Murphy has credited his young family with transforming a frustrating football career criminally in danger of remaining unfulfilled.
Now the self-styled ‘late developer’ is flourishing at Fratton Park - and desperate to raise the bar even higher as he heads into his second Blues season.
As a hugely prodigious talent with Norwich, he was backed to soar following a £11m move to Premier League Cardiff in June 2018 at the age of 23.
Subsequently there were injuries, there were form issues, there was also the pressure of a huge price tag, culminating in Murphy failing to live up to such lofty expectations.
Then, three years ago, the winger met his partner Scarlett on a dating app, with their son subsequently born 18 months ago to complete their young family.
And it’s a sliding doors moment he is convinced changed the direction of a career threatening to wastefully peter out.
‘Having a family gave me a new purpose’
Murphy told The News: ‘Once my missus and my son came into my life, I completely changed. It gave me a new perspective.
‘Anyone who’s had a child would say the same thing, it just made me have a new focus. It calmed me down in a sense, gave me a new purpose.
‘Before that I was probably too selfish, I enjoyed myself too much when I should have been more disciplined. When you’re a single lad, you go and enjoy yourself too much. That’s in the past now.
‘My family have helped me feel settled, to be calm. I now strive to make them happy, giving them the best life possible.
‘I would say I’m a late developer. In Norwich’s youth-team system, me and my brother were always the smallest, the last players to get on our scholarships. That was just the development journey, it has probably been the same as professionals.
‘We have matured, settled, grown as people, and now it feels like our football is doing the talking, I guess. Everyone goes at different rates. Some people do it really young, some people do it at the end, that’s just the journey.
‘Football isn’t perfect the whole time, there are many ups and downs, bumps in the road. It’s just where you end up and I feel I’m in a good spot at the moment, I just want to keep that going.
‘My family have settled me down. A lot of people just see the player, but it’s the family unit. I go home after a bad game and my little boy is there to pick me up. He doesn’t do much talking, but just seeing him just raises me.
‘My partner is amazing, she has to deal with the ups and downs and uncertainties. She has to try to pick me up when there has been a bad game, trying to keep things in perspective for me. They are a massive help.
‘At the end of the season, I was getting applause and trophies, but it’s a collective win. If I didn’t have them, I probably wouldn’t perform the way I do. They have been part of the journey, it’s not just me, it’s the collective of our little family unit.’
21 goal contributions in his first Pompey season
Murphy’s outstanding form can be traced back to the second half of the 2023-24 season with Oxford United, where he netted eight goals in his last 17 appearances.
That included scoring twice in their League One play-off final triumph over Bolton at Wembley to fire the U’s into the Championship.
Murphy subsequently conjured up seven goals and 14 assists during his maiden campaign on the south coast, while winning 12 individual awards, including The News/Sports Mail’s Player of the Season and the Players’ Player of the Season.
And he’s bidding to maintain that remarkable career trajectory from the last 18 months.
Murphy: I want to be greedy
He added: ‘I want to be greedy, I just want more. I want to replicate those feelings I had last season, I want those performances as my benchmark, I won’t be satisfied until I hit those numbers. I had a slow start last season and I want to carry on how I finished it.
‘It’s like anything, once you set a goal and hit the goal you want more - and I definitely want more. I want to propel the team up the league where I think we should be aiming and striving for.
‘I had a good conversation with the manager about the way the club is going and where everyone wants to go, it suits me. I’m happy and settled here, the manager is ambitious - and I am ambitious.’