New CEO

My first thoughts this morning? Why an earth have we made Danny Murphy CEO?

After a long search the club has turned to Dane Murphy as its new Chief Executive Officer. Murphy comes with a fine CV, and by the age of 39 has played pro, been a scout, a technical director and a football club CEO.

Supporters of previous employee’s Barnsley and Nottingham Forest speak highly of him, and he took both clubs up a level when he was setting their strategy, direction and performance as CEO.

Murphy played a key role in guiding Nottingham Forest to promotion to the Premier League, and before that oversaw Barnsley’s highest league finish in 21 years, 5th and The Championship play-off’s.

Born in Connecticut, he played in college for the University of Virginia, turned professional for DC United, spent a couple of seasons in Germany and then finished his career at New York Cosmos.

An American, so there is a connection there, and I trust in Gavin Carter to have spent a lot of time doing the ground work on this key appointment, although ideally he will go about his business and improve us on and off the field without any drama.

Murphy was linked with a job at Everton when the Friedkin Group acquired them, but he’s been consulting since the Forest job although interesting he was part of a group of investors that bought Dutch Club Vitesse Arnhem early this year.

I’ll be interested to know more about how this will work, and I look forward to hearing from Dane soon. Welcome.