Newcastle signing Daryl Murphy’s late, late show runs and runs

The former Black Cat who became a Tractor Boy is now a Magpie.

And while Daryl Murphy accepts that, as a one-time Sunderland player, he’ll have a bit of a job to do to fully win over the Geordie faithful, he says there was no hesitation on his part in signing for Rafa Benitez at Newcastle United — even though it was a wrench to leave Mick McCarthy and Ipswich Town.

“I heard of interest last month but I put it down to speculation because I didn’t hear anything concrete,” he says, “and then towards the end of last week it took momentum, there was a bid put in, and that was the first time I knew there was something there.