by Stuart Crowther

Date: 27th May 2002

No easy path to Player of the Year for Murray! Following in the shadow of Latapy and the great Sauzee... STILL RECOVERING FROM A HERNIA OPERATION, Ian Murray can afford a wry smile should he look over the current Hibs.net poll.  Over the last few months of the season, just about every player was offered up to fans as candidates, but just one name consistently came out on top, that of Murray.  A remarkable achievement for a player the likes of whom many fans were more than a little slow to appreciate, but the fact is that as the fans choice of player of the year, Murray will follow in the footsteps of the such as Russell Latapy and Franck Sauzee. Murray is the type of player who always seems just one disappointing performance away from becoming once again the recipient of the worse excesses demonstrated by sections of the Hibs support.  Over the years there have been many such players at Easter Road, Brian Hamilton and Joe Tortolano spring immediately to mind, who on their day could play a bit but for some reason or other could never be accepted by a body of support who just loved to hate, it seems!  Even as a young player breaking into the squad, Murray has received over-the-top criticism from supporters who really should have known better. Murray - consistency won most Hibees over (sns) The support however from respective managers has been solid, as they at least have recognised just how good Murray is, and indeed can be.  Alex McLeish always knew that he could send his young protégée into just about any position and he would receive a 100% performance by return, no complaints - just effort and a delight at being involved.  It was surely then only a matter of time before the Hibs support themselves were won over, and during a pretty horrible season in most respects Murray has shone through as the most consistent player to pull on a Hibs shirt.  That in itself represented quite a turn around as at the start of the campaign Murray found himself dropped by McLeish after a fairly indifferent start to the season. Missing the games against Motherwell and Dunfermline at the start of September appeared to be just the spur Murray required.  The Scottish Under-21 international defender was back in the side to face AEK Athens in Greece, and from that point on never glanced over his shoulder again.  While Hibs seemed to degenerate over the season, Murray remained as the one consistent player throughout.  Even the changes in the manager's office did little to phase the young player Hibs snatched from Dundee United, as he continued to do well under Sauzee before scoring a cracking double for Bobby Williamson in his first game in charge at Easter Road - and at the same time killing off any hope the Perth side had of catching Hibs in the relegation battle. It was a shame that just as Berti Vogts was on the lookout for new young blood in the international stage, Murray had to end his season early for that Hernia operation.  The decision was a good one, Hibs were safe and both player and manager knew that the time was right.  Williamson has already said that the return of long-term injured pair Tam McManus and Ulrik Laursen will be the equivalent of a couple of new signings.  The same could be said of Murray, who will return for the new season fresh and ready to underline just why he is now regarded by the majority of Hibs fans as worthy of their backing. Hibs fans who are heading for Easter Road a week today for the presentation to Franck Sauzee are being offered a chance to help out another worthy cause at the same time!  Raffle tickets are on sale from the Franck Sauzee Appreciation Society, with the top prize Sauzee's shirt form the 2001 Scottish Cup Final, and a host of other prizes on offer.  And for Hibs.net readers attending the presentation, special badges are being produced and sold at 50p each with all money raised going to the Sick Kids charity.  Further details on these can be found in the Message Board.