Source: FOOTYMAD
Drink Before You Play
Jamie Murphy is willing to put up with disgusting drinks for the benefits they bring Motherwell striker Jamie Murphy is willing to try anything to improve his game. Like a lot of players, he is looking to build up physical strength to add to his footballing skills. The pacy Scotland Under-21 striker has shown that things are starting to work for him, brushing defenders off the ball and firing in two powerful long-range efforts in last week's 2-0 victory over Hearts. Murphy is looking to continue Motherwell's promising start to the season against St Mirren today with the help of a strength and conditioning programme devised by physio John Porteous. Murphy said: "The physio has been a great help giving me exercises. Over the last six months or so I've had a programme and a bigger programme this season. There's me and (Steven) Saunders and a couple of other young boys. I eat normally but I get these protein shakes now. They are not the nicest but I hold my nose and drink it. I take it after the gym, apparently it helps. Most afternoons me and Saunders have a wee programme that we do a bit extra, which can only be good in the long run. It's hard but hopefully it helps my football." Well's victory at Tynecastle was their fourth away win this season but they have yet to pick up three points at home in the SPL; Aberdeen being the most recent side to drive away with a point, with the help of a five-man defence, but Murphy is confident the squad have the nous to break teams down. He said: "It's a compliment to us that teams want to play like that. There is nothing wrong with playing like that. But the manager has got us capable of playing against a lot of formations, we work on it. It doesn't matter about the opposition, it's about how we play." Manager Craig Brown is also his confident his team can play their way through a packed defence if bottom club St Mirren elect to set up that way. Brown said: "I think we are equipped to do that, we have several good strikers at the club in the likes of (John) Sutton, Murphy and big (Nick) Blackman. That's three top strikers and we have players in the midfield like Lasley who can really pass the ball. To win the game we will have to show the correct mentality. We will be patient, and I've said that we don't have to go gung-ho. The result will come if we just play our football." Editor Ger Harley (ger@scottishfitba net)Admin Team (admin@scottishfitba net)This is Scottish-Fitba.Net
