I don’t think we could have realistically expected what he’s done in the last 18 months. I certainly wasn’t expecting any sort of meaningful contribution from him in the PL but he’s done a great job. And I’d still back him to finish a chance ahead of any of our other players.
However, I think it’s been obvious all season that the team seriously suffers from having such a pedestrian striker. Unfortunately his body just can’t deal with the role he’s being asked to play at this level anymore. Every defender he comes up against is bigger, stronger and quicker. I’m sure there are times when our players look forward and actually avoid playing the ball they really should because they know he has no chance of winning/keeping it. It’s not even all about his inability to challenge, impose himself or keep the ball. We’ve seen numerous times now that just having somebody upfront who can run (Andone, Locadia) can upset a defence. It’s not exactly asking a lot to expect our striker to run, but it shows how off the pace Murray is that a simple bit of movement is such an upgrade.
I’d still have him on the bench. He’s a great option in the last 15 minutes when we need a goal. But the fact he’s started 29 games this season is Exhibit A in the case against Hughton and his policy of persisting with his favourites against all evidence.
This.