Chester -born footballer Danny Murphy says he not surprised by the revelations of the game's paedophile scandal.
A number of players have told how they were abused as a youngster by former Crewe Alexandra coach Barry Bennell.
Ex-Liverpool FC midfielder Paul Stewart also revealed he was abused by an unnamed coach as a youth player.
Bennell was sentenced to nine years in prison in 1998 after admitting sexual offences against six boys, and served two other sentences including one in the United States.
Crewe academy graduate Murphy, who was among many young players to work with Bennell, says there were always rumours surrounding the former coach.
“Probably the saddest thing is that I’m not shocked by what has come out,” said ex-Liverpool, Spurs and Fulham star Murphy, a former pupil of Kingsway High School in Newton .
“I think we always suspected there was lots that had not been said.
“People say, ‘Was it common knowledge?’ but that’s hard to say when you are 13, 14.
“There were little whispers, but when you are young you are just so preoccupied with your own career. You don’t take it seriously.
“There were rumours about Barry. You heard snippets but you did not analyse, you did not think anything about it. It was only years later that you started to piece it together.
“Sadly, football is a perfect breeding ground for this, with young lads going away on trips. I would like to think the majority of coaches are doing it for the love of the game.”
Of Bennell, Murphy, now 39, recalls: “He was a really good coach, good sessions. There’s no doubt he was charismatic, had the chat.
“To be honest, he wasn’t someone you would have suspicions about. And he had the skills, a decent footballer, which is always going to impress kids coming through.
“I did not really spend a lot of time with Bennell. He coached me a few times but he was not a dominant figure in my progression at Crewe.”
Murphy nevertheless spent a night at Bennell’s house but believes he was not abused because of his character.
“I was opinionated even at that age so he didn’t try anything with me,” he added.
“It is now clear that Bennell chose his victims, went for certain types of lads. I did stay at his house once but it was a normal experience.”
'Dario was a father figure'
Murphy, though, doesn’t believe former Crewe boss Dario Gradi, who has been been at the club for 30 years and is current director of football and the director of the club’s academy, knew about the abuse.
“In my experience, Dario went out of way to behave above board,” Murphy said, speaking to both The Times and the Evening Standard.
“He would knock on the door to get you up, wouldn’t come in. You would get stick from the older lads – ‘it’s Dario’s boys’ – but I can only speak from my own experiences and, hand on heart, I would be amazed if he knew something about it.
“He seemed to me very aware of his responsibilities to us. I never felt uncomfortable.
“He was like a father figure. I believe that if he had known what Barry Bennell had been doing, he would have put a stop to it.”
Murphy, who won nine caps for England, added: “There is no point in avoiding it. At first I might have been reluctant to comment but that has been part of the problem – people not talking about it.
“You cannot stand in the way of this. This needs to come out. Dario will be quietly very sad and upset that this happened to some of the kids he would have known and cared about.
“I hope whoever is out there suffering feels they are able to speak because it’s got to be better than holding it all in. I hope not a wider problem but these days nothing surprises me.”
Long-serving former Crewe Alex manager Gradi issued a statement today making it clear he knew nothing of Bennell's crimes at the time.
The statement read: "I would like to express sympathy to the victims of Barry Bennell not only at Crewe Alexandra, but at other clubs in the North West.
"The first I knew of Barry Bennell’s crimes was when he was arrested in the United States in 1994.
"I knew nothing of his crimes before this time when he was employed by us. No-one at the Football Club knew of Bennell’s crimes until his arrest in 1994 and his subsequent prosecution in the United Kingdom.
"The football club also co-operated fully with the authorities in 2003.
"The club are in the process of a review and I won’t be making any further comment until this is finalised."
Since former Crewe footballer Andy Woodward bravely spoke out about being abused by Bennell in an interview with the Guardian last week, Cheshire police said 11 people had approached them with information regarding alleged football-related abuse.
No arrests have been made.
