Murray dying to be a Hibs legend

Today, with the players on a day off, the stadium is moonlighting as a conference centre and Audrey at the front desk is fielding requests from separate suites of women for the heating to be turned up. Pride of place on the long wall behind her goes to - wait for it - the security-system control-box. In fact, it’s the only thing on the wall. And the wall is the wrong shade of green.

Thank goodness, then, for Ian Murray, who wears his, er, heart on his sleeve where the Hibees are concerned - and the right hue of green in his hair. In these here today, kiss-another-badge tomorrow days for football, he’s a breath of fresh air. Unless your idea of fresh air is brewery fug.

Across the Capital at a wind-battered Tynecastle during the New Year derby, Murray spent a lot of time retrieving the ball from a stand jam-packed with Jambos. When he took a throw-in, they had a close-up view of the back of his head. It had been cropped to read: "1973".

Provocative, or just a bit of fun? Murray, 21, who wasn’t even born when Hibs tanked Hearts 7-0, admits he did it to wind up opposition fans and is unrepentant. And, what’s more, he took his punishment like a man.

"I got it done at Toni & Guy, who normally do my highlights," he explains, tugging at a strand of green. "I couldn’t have 6-2 because of 5-1, so then I remembered that other game my dad’s always banging on about. It was the 30th anniversary of 7-0 so I knew Jambos wouldn’t like it.

"I got spat at loads, which wasn’t very nice. But I just thought: ‘I’ve wound them up, fair enough.’" The atmosphere was electric, that’s the only way to describe it. You hear the noise and then you feel it, surging through your body. It’s like a charge, and it drives you forward. I love games like that and that was the best derby I’ve experienced. Great passion, just brilliant. Apart from what happened in the 95th minute."

We’re in Murray’s BMW and there’s some pop playing. We talk about music, and the stuff footballers like. The young Charlie Nicholas, who wore shoes without socks, used to berate his older Celtic team-mates for being Billy Joel fans.

"Actually, he’s not bad. I’ve got his greatest hits." Hmm ... it’s respectful to acknowledge the past, but not all history is good. Murray will surely learn this in time.

Now we’re in the Cabbage And Ribs, which rights the wrongs of the stadium and adorns its walls with pictures of Paddy Stanton and Co. Murray is not the new Stanton, but sometimes, when he rampages from one box to the other, he reminds you of the ’73 captain. He did this in the last derby but one, just like Stanton in the 7-0 game. Murray didn’t score but then neither did the great man, Jimmy O’Rourke nicking his goal.

How long before Murray joins this hall of fame? On current form, not long. Scotland’s Young Player of the Year at the midway point, his high-voltage performances have brought him goals and honours, stand-in captaincy of Hibs being followed by his first full international cap.

But how long will he remain at Easter Road? Pub talk and taxi-driver rumour link him with Rangers and his old boss Alex McLeish. His response is honest and interesting.

"It’s a tough one. I know how the fans would feel about me joining one of the Old Firm because I’m a fan, too. When I was growing up I was gutted when John Collins and Andy Goram left Hibs.

"But I want to see how far I can get in football. I want to win cups ... I want to win everything. It hurts me to have to say this, but Hibs are probably not going to be able to satisfy all my ambitions."

So, say McLeish came in for him, and Hibs couldn’t afford to turn the offer down, he would go, yes? "Not necessarily. It’s not impossible that I would say ‘No’. I’d have to ask myself, if I didn’t go, whether I was doing the best thing for Hibs. But I’d also have to ask myself, if I did go, whether I was doing the best thing for me.

"Maybe there aren’t too many cases on record of players turning down the Old Firm but, you know, they’ve been a bit greedy in the last few years. They’ve been so scared of missing out on young talent they’ve rushed out and bought it all up.

"But what did Rangers do for Kenny Miller and Paul Ritchie? These guys ended up going backwards. I’d hate to go from being in Hibs’ first-team to, if I’m lucky, some other club’s subs’ bench."

If and when Murray does leave Easter Road, it will be a wrench. His Hibs-daft father Peter took him to his first match at the age of three. This was the 1980s so he had to grow up quickly. "Hibs don’t beat Hearts," the Jambos on his mother Anne’s side were fond of reminding him. But he stuck with his team and became a ball-boy.

Favourite player as a kid? "Andy Goram. I played in goal then." Back outfield, full of skinny-legged running, he was spotted by Dundee United where he was nicknamed "Nid". How come? "Nid, Niddrie, it was a Trainspotting thing." Has he read Irvine Welsh’s Hibs-referencing modern classic? "Of course. Brilliant book. Mind you, it took me a while to understand the patter. I’m from Newington."

He’s got good things to say about all his managers. McLeish, he reckons, "sounded like Alex Ferguson when you closed your eyes". He was responsible for the best advice the player has received thus far - "don’t let the crowd make the pass for you".

And, as a tutor on the pitch, he couldn’t have had any better than Franck Sauzee. "Fantastic feet for such a big guy. He saw balls no-one else could see but he was also the master of the five-yarder. He used to talk me right through games."

Murray believes Sauzee, as manager, was sacked too soon, but he says Bobby Williamson has been "brilliant" for him, not least because he’s picked him in his preferred central midfield position.

Now he’s playing the best football of his career and looking forward to returning to action today and washing that hairy derby out his system.

"It’s the Scottish Cup. I was in the losing team in the final two years ago and I’d love to go one better." Steady on. Remember this is Hibs you’re talking about.