Graeme Murty
Personal information
Full name	Graeme Stuart Murty
Date of birth	13 November 1974 (1974-11-13) (age 35)
Place of birth	Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Right back, winger
Club information
Current club	Southampton
Number	16
Youth career
1991–1993	York City
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1993–1998 1998–2009 2009 2009–	York City Reading → Charlton Athletic (loan) Southampton	122 (7) 306 (2) 008 (0) 001 (0)
National team2
2004–2007	Scotland	004 (0)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:45, 5 August 2009 (UTC). 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 14:45, 5 August 2009 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Graeme Stuart Murty (born 13 November 1974) is a footballer who plays for Southampton as a right back. He has made more than 400 appearances in the Football League playing for York City, Reading and Charlton Athletic. His contract with Reading expired at the end of the 2008–09 season, and in August 2009 he joined League One club Southampton.

Though born in Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough, England, Murty qualifies for the Scotland national football team through his family, and has won four full caps.

[edit] Club career

Murty joined York City's youth training scheme in 1991, following trials with Aston Villa, Leeds United and Stockport County.^[1] He turned professional in March 1993 and was placed into the first-team in his first professional season.^[1] On 20 September 1995, he played in their 3–0 victory against Manchester United in the League Cup at Old Trafford. He scored in York's surprise League Cup victory against Everton, which kept his profile up.^[1]

He joined Reading in the summer of 1998 for a fee of £700,000,^[1] but his first few seasons were hampered by injury. However, once clear of injury, he quickly became an integral part of the team, and when Phil Parkinson left the club to become manager of Colchester United, Murty was appointed club captain. On 30 April 2006, Murty scored only his second goal, from a penalty, in 280 league and cup appearances when Reading played Queens Park Rangers on the final day of the 2005–06 season.^[2] It ensured that Reading reached 106 points, a record for the second tier of English football.^[2]

On 1 December 2006, Murty signed a two year extension to his contract with Reading, keeping him at the Madejski Stadium until the summer of 2009,^[3] which will mean that he will have completed ten years at the club. On 31 March 2008, it was announced that, despite a previous announcement to the contrary,^[4] Murty had been awarded a testimonial in recognition of his services to the club, with a proportion of the proceeds going to the Swings and Smiles charity, of which he is a patron.^[5] The testimonial match was held on 21 July 2009 at Reading's Madjeski Stadium and featured the current Reading team taking on members of the Reading Championship winning team of 2005/06. ^{[6] [7]}

In a vote to compile the Royals' best-ever eleven, Murty was voted the best right back with 56.4% of the vote.^[8] Murty also won the BBC South Sports Personality of the Year award, at a ceremony in Southampton on 3 December 2006 where John Madejski and Steve Coppell were also honoured.^[9]

He joined Charlton Athletic on a month's loan on 6 January 2009 to allow him to improve his match fitness.^[10] He made his debut in a 2–0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on 10 January.^[11] His loan at Charlton was extended for a second month on 2 February.^[12] He returned to Reading on 2 March after suffering from a calf injury.^[13]

On 15 May 2009, Graeme, along with Michael Duberry, Marcus Hahnemann and Leroy Lita were told they would not be offered a new contract by Reading. ^[14]

In this announcement the club said, "Graeme Murty and Marcus Hahnemann were integral members of the team throughout Steve Coppell's managerial reign, and they will both forever hold a significant place in the Club's history. Graeme was a fantastic captain and the memories of him lifting the Championship trophy at the end of our promotion season will never be forgotten by any Reading fan." Murty will also be remembered for his charity work while at the club. The club said "He will be known as an ambassador with all of his charity work and work in the local community".

On 3 July 2009, Murty joined League One outfit Southampton on a 2 week trial with a view to a permanent deal.^[15] He signed a one-year contract with Southampton after impressing on 5 August & was handed the number 16 shirt.^[16]

[edit] International career

Murty was born in England, however he qualifies to play for Scotland through his family. He has been capped four times by Scotland, with his first coming against Wales in 2004. He was in the Scotland team for the Kirin Cup in Japan in May 2006, and earned his second cap in their 5–1 win against Bulgaria on 11 May 2006. He won his third cap in Scotland's second (and final) game of the tournament against Japan, a 0–0 draw that secured the Kirin Cup for Scotland.^[17]

He was a surprise starter for Scotland's UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match away to Georgia on 17 October 2007, which Scotland lost 2–0.^[18]

On 30 January 2008, Murty was one of nine defenders called up by new Scotland boss George Burley for his first get-together, a training camp between 3 February and 5 February 2008 at Loch Lomond.^[19]

[edit] Personal life

He co-hosts the Andrew Peach Show on BBC Radio Berkshire every Monday morning from 8am. There is a podcast of this available on iTunes. The show was nominated for a 2009 Sony Radio Academy Award, although they did not win.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Graeme Murty

• Graeme Murty career stats at Soccerbase