Murphy was replaced midway through the second half, and was from then on, out of former manager Alan Curbishley’s plans.
The south Londoner’s next away game was at Stamford Bridge where despite reverting to a five man midfield could find no place for a fit Murphy in the line-up or on the bench. After the 1-1 draw with the Premiership champions, in which Charlton levelled the score after an hour, Curbishley said it would have been "difficult psychologically" for his team to risk committing more men forward. Yet he also remarked that his players showed a lack of composure in the final third. A week later Murphy had orchestrated a move away from The Valley and you can hardly ask many questions about the player’s motives.
After the move much was said by Charlton about Murphy’s show-business wife Joanna Taylor, words said after feeling hurt by Murphy simply pointing out the obvious, that he had joined a bigger club on winter transfer deadline day.
Following his full debut and first appearance in a Spurs shirt at White Hart Lane over a week ago, Murphy said: "I was desperate to get out there and get some minutes under my belt. I hadn't played a game for six or seven weeks. Just to get out there and pull a Tottenham shirt on was a thrill for me."
Source: Official site