There’s a widespread belief that the Championship is the toughest division in the Football League. As such, enjoying a near-perfect individual campaign doesn’t happen too often. However, in 2012-13, Glenn Murray produced one of the finest seasons in the league’s history since it was renamed in 2004 for Crystal Palace. But how special was it? Well, let’s take a trip down memory lane and take a look.
Murray’s Contributions Need Context
Since his professional career began back in 2002, the Maryport-born striker has played for various clubs. Although he made a name for himself at Brighton and Hove Albion between 2008 and 2011, he joined the Eagles as a free agent ahead of the 2011-12 season. In his first campaign at Selhurst Park, the six-foot striker scored just six goals, meaning that few expected him to hit the 30-goal mark the following year.
In 2012-13, Murray enjoyed his most prolific campaign, finding the back of the net on 30 occasions. Not only that, but he also provided six assists. Thanks to the striker’s goals, Palace ended the season fifth, fighting for their place in the Premier League via the play-offs. After beating Brighton, Murray’s former club in the semi-final, a 105th-minute penalty from Kevin Phillips in the final against Watford secured Palace’s place back in the top-flight after an eight-year absence.
In many ways, it’s fitting that Murray’s returned to the Championship for the final period of his career. After joining Nottingham Forrest in the 2021 January transfer window, the 37-year-old once again links up with Chris Houghton. Should he hit the ground running, a top-six finish isn’t out of the question, with Forest currently 50/1 in Championship betting to achieve a play-off position, as of February 5th.
Have There Been Better Campaigns?
Before the Football League First Division became the Championship in 1992, Murray’s figures were only bettered by Guy Whittingham in 1992-93 and Lee Hughes in 1998-99. However, although they scored 42 goals and 31 goals, respectively, neither of their sides secured promotion despite their prolific form. As such, Murray’s achievements were more meaningful, as they took Palace back to the Premier League.
In recent years, a handful of Championship attackers have fallen just short of surpassing Murray’s total. In 2018-19, Teemu Pukki hit 29 goals in Norwich’s league-winning campaign, while Jordan Rhodes and Ross McCormack both scored 28 in 2012-13 and 2013-14, respectively.
Of course, attackers aren’t the only players who can have a successful season. Since 2004, the clean sheet record in a campaign is 24, which both John Ruddy and Paddy Kenny hold. Their contributions saw Wolves and Queens Park Rangers win the Championship in 2017/18 and 2010/11. Crucially, Kenny conceded seven fewer goals than Ruddy, although QPR had 11 fewer total points.
Arguably, Matheus Pereira had the best individual Championship campaign since 2004. In 2019/20, under Slaven Bilic, West Brom achieved automatic promotion, finishing second behind Leeds United. In the campaign, Pereira assisted 17 goals at an average of one every 199 minutes.
An Unforgettable Season with the Eagles
Whether Murray is or isn’t the most talented forward to ever play in the Championship is somewhat irrelevant to his 2012-13 season. At that time, he was one of the best goalscoring forwards in the division’s history, and his contributions were ultimately meaningful. Because of that, it’s hard to argue that his 30-goal campaign won’t live long in the memor