Joanna: loyalty is a two way street

Joanna Taylor, Danny Murphy's wife, reflects on loyalty in today's Times: 'At transfer window time, fans talk about loyalty, but it should be a two-way thing. I’ve sat in the stand in the past and heard people saying that Danny is playing great and should be in the England side. Then I’ve sat in the stand and heard them slate him. Sometimes things just don’t quite go as well as you would like — not for the lack of effort, they just don’t.'

'I also think fans do not realise that players are human beings with their own personal lives. Sometimes there are things going on that people have no idea about. A player might be carrying an injury for instance, or he might be having problems in his home life, but everyone still expects players to be almost bionic.'

For all the conspiracy theories about the non-bionic one's exclusion from Saturday's team, it seems that Curbs just wanted to play a settled side and he may well re-appear against Chelsea which is hardly the occasion for the worthy efforts of Holland and Hughes.