Grizzly Glenn

The age of 34 seems a strange time to be hitting your peak, but that appears to be exactly what Glenn Murray is currently doing. His tally - at present - stands at an impressive 3 goals in 4 Premier League games this season, a statistic accompanied by some excellent, bustling performances.

The Cumbria born striker has a couple of quite fundamental abilities: good aerial ability and a habit of being in the right place at the right time. You’re not likely to see him smashing the ball in from 25 yards out. You’ll more likely see his wiry frame grappling its way round a defender to head home. A lack of beauty is at least made up for in effectiveness.

Non league football was the starting point of Murray’s career. His was a more drawn out version of the Jamie Vardy fairy tale, including a brief stint playing for Wilmington Hammerheads in America during 2004. This was followed by his breaking into the Football League with Carlisle United. Goals were a struggle for Murray with the Cumbrians, but that was turned around after a move to Rochdale. After 25 goals in 54 games, Murray made the transition to League One with Brighton before Championship football came with Crystal Palace in 2011. At Selhurst Park, he broke the record for the most goals scored in a season with 30 goals in 2012/2013; goals that fired Palace to the Premier League. Murray’s first stint in the top flight saw respectable returns for a promoted striker, but Brighton’s inaugural campaign last season was when he truly made his mark. His ascension through the leagues has helped craft a toughness as well as a battling mindset, crucial attributes for playing in the Football League.

Certainly, he is not the first striker to take a similar route from non league. Both Rickie Lambert and Charlie Austin have made similar journeys, culminating in mixed Premier League fortunes. All three are most certainly tough battlers, not hugely dissimilar to the manner of a certain Spanish centre forward.

Spain’s World Cup was one of disappointment, but the brief moments of Diego Costa’s brilliance will have given fans some cheer. The former world champions’ slow and intricate build up play - while still impressive - was somewhat obliterated by the intense, pressing style that dominated the World Cup. Often, their most successful outlet was a reluctantly played direct ball to the aforementioned Costa, whose bullish presence saw him power through Portugal’s backline in Spain’s opening game. Oafish, long ball play tends to look outdated in the modern game, but an aggressive goalscorer in the ilk of Costa and Murray is an ever useful option to have in a team’s armoury.

Indeed in their 3-2 win over Manchester United, Brighton did not take up the role of long ball junkies. They kept United at arms length and when the time was right, pounced with an intense and fearsome press. What aided this was the aggressive, battling nature of Glenn Murray. He enjoyed an afternoon tormenting centre backs Bailly and Lindelof, taking his just reward with a sly, outside of the boot finish to put Albion in the lead.

Murray is not an overtly massive presence in the literal sense, but the tenacity in which he operates certainly inflates his lean frame. He is not an advert for ‘Allardycian’ football, more of a reminder that strikers of the less trendy style can still be an effective weapon.

(Photo: SkySports)