Who is popular today?

The Irish manager on playing ‘stylish football’, welcoming Newcastle and why he understands how Darren Ferguson feels
Brian Barry-Murphy’s Rochdale host Newcastle in the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon, a little over three months after taking Manchester United to penalties in a Carabao Cup tie. A manager also earning compliments for the attractive football his team play and the number of academy graduates he promotes could easily get used to the high life but Barry-Murphy has a natural antidote to prevent his feet ever leaving the ground.
“I just nip home,” he says, home being Cork. “My friends in Ireland are never slow to tell me I’m going to get my comeuppance. Every time I’m over there I get a strong sense of ‘who do you think you are?’ We have a reputation for playing stylish football, so everyone tells me I’ve been watching yer man at Manchester City too much. Continue reading...