Specifics and intensity are recurring themes whenever you ask players or staff about Barry-Murphy’s coaching.
So far, so interesting, but how exactly will his Cardiff team play?
“It’s very dominant, it’s very attack-minded and I believe the more we attack, the more we control the amount of attacks the opposition has. It’s a core belief,” Barry-Murphy says.
“I don’t always focus on the individual profiles of the defenders or the goalkeeper, for example. It’s a way of playing that I believe will give us the best chance to win, dominate games and minimise opportunities opponents have on our goal.”
Barry-Murphy’s first – and so far only – taste of senior management came at Rochdale, where he earned praise for his possession-based approach with limited resources in League One.
Following his departure in 2021, the former Preston midfielder enjoyed a successful three-year stint in charge of City’s under-21s, who won successive Premier League 2 titles.
Trophies are to be expected at a club with City’s vast wealth but it was Barry-Murphy’s track record of working with young players and his clear vision for a particular playing style which caught Cardiff’s attention.
The Bluebirds have been dreary to watch in recent years, with fans turned off by turgid, directionless football under a succession of managers who have failed to instil a coherent playing identity.
Barry-Murphy hopes to address that glaring issue, as well as improving dire results.
“I’m conveying a message to the supporters that I want them to be excited about what they see,” he says.
“I guess [that] depends on how well we play, but if they see a team that’s intent on attacking as much as possible, it will be pretty straightforward.
“We can’t guarantee we’re going to win. We can guarantee what we look like in terms of how aggressive we are and how much personality we show in the performance.
“I suppose in a team, concept is the most important challenge that we face because it’s not been a long period of being together, but the players have shown a brilliant attitude and an open-mindedness to everything we’ve suggested. I’ve been really pleased.”
Barry-Murphy’s first test will be Cardiff’s League One opener at home to Peterborough United on Saturday.
Cardiff City Stadium has been a miserable place lately, with dismal results and performances accompanied by fan protests and a pervading sense of disenchantment.
Fortunately for Barry-Murphy, he was not there and can attack the new season unencumbered by Cardiff’s failures of the past.
“It’s probably hard for me to quantify what that feeling was at the end of last season,” he says.
“I genuinely use the supporters almost as an example for the players. There’s not been one reference to last season, everything’s been about this season, this pre-season, the games coming up and what they hope to achieve in terms of what they want to see.
“And that’s very much my mindset about looking forward and seeing the opportunity that’s there in front of us and understanding the processes and steps we have to take to get to that, to where we want to be at the end of the season.”
Barry-Murphy is asked to clarify exactly where that is. Promotion?
“That’s not changing,” he says. “I can’t fudge that one.”
Watch all your favorite Amazon Prime Video Sports broadcasts live and free. Get access to NFL, NBA, NASCAR, WNBA, and more – all included with your Prime membership!