James Patrick Murphy ( 8 August 1910 – 14 November 1989 ) was a Welsh football player who made over 200 appearances for West Bromwich Albion and won 15 caps for the Wales national team , which he later managed . Murphy is most famous for being an influential figure at Manchester United from 1946 until the 1970s , as assistant manager , first-team coach , reserve team manager and a full-time scout , although he disliked the limelight and preferred to work quietly behind the scenes . Following the Munich air disaster on 6 February 1958 , Murphy temporarily took over as Manchester United manager until the end of the 1957 – 58 season , steering the club through its greatest crisis . Murphy had not been on the Munich aeroplane , as he had missed the trip in order to take charge of Wales against Israel in Cardiff on the same night as Manchester United 's match against Red Star Belgrade in Yugoslavia . Wales ' win that night ensured they qualified for the 1958 FIFA World Cup in Sweden
Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
Jimmy Murphy (footballer)