Murphy last week accused certain managers of firing their players up too much before a match, identifying Stoke, Wolves and Blackburn by name. The 33-year-old branded some tackles "ridiculous" and "brainless" and insisted managers should take responsibility, drawing an angry response from the trio criticised. Sam Allardyce led the backlash on Thursday when he demanded a public apology and the Rovers boss has since received vociferous support from fellow targets Mick McCarthy and Tony Pulis. Hughes attempted to diffuse the situation by insisting Murphy's views had been taken out of context and refused to condemn his player. "You must recognise that Danny is on the coalface," said the Fulham manager. "In his view in certain games against certain opposition, opponents have over-stepped the mark. "You have to accept that because even as a manager you don't know the intent of somebody. "As a player I knew when someone was over-stepping the line or just making a fair and competitive tackle. "There's a lot been said about Danny being disrespectful, but having had conversations with him he has huge respect for the managers of the teams he mentioned. "Maybe it was because we have recent history with the teams he mentioned, so they were fresh in his mind. "If you looked at the whole interview, he was very complimentary to those teams and their managers. It was taken a little bit of context. "We're disappointed by the reaction to it. Maybe it's understandable given the comments but you must respect that Danny has an opinion. "He was being honest. He's an honest guy and has forthright views. "He's quite prepared to have his say. He's probably been surprised by the reaction." Hughes, however, hinted at his frustration at Murphy's decision to voice his opinion in such a forum as public as the Leaders in Football conference. "Danny wanted to make a point but whether he did that in the right manner is open to debate," he said. The honesty shown by Murphy, who is an articulate and thoughtful speaker on the game, has been praised, but it has also placed Hughes in an uncomfortable position. He may agree after seeing key forward Bobby Zamora sidelined for five months with a broken leg following a hard challenge against Wolves, while Mousa Dembele was lucky to escape with only a three-week lay-off after being hacked down at Stoke. But Blackburn were known for their physical tactics during Hughes' four-year spell at Ewood Park and the former Wales striker has some sympathy with Allardyce. "Sam will feel aggrieved because his club was mentioned. Sam has the stats to have a different argument. We understand that," he said. "At Blackburn I was occasionally disappointed with the press coverage and the reputation of the team I had. "I felt that was unjust so I can understand why he has reacted, but we all have to move on. I don't think it will have lasting damage. "The three managers Danny mentioned send their players out with real commitment to win games, as I do myself." Hughes suggested that Murphy could have chosen his wording more carefully. "Maybe in hindsight Danny would have felt better about this week if he hadn't actually named the clubs," said Hughes. "That's probably something he regrets, but he felt he needed to say something on the issue. "He was trying to make a valid point but maybe he did it in the wrong way. Only he can say if he feels he should apologise. "The comments jumped on were part of a larger debate and he would probably say that he qualified the comments by what he said later at the conference. But those comments weren't used by the media. "Danny's an experienced guy and will possibly learn from this episode. "We're trying to focus on a Premier League game but I'm sure Danny will have more to say on this in the future." The furore over Murphy has overshadowed Fulham's Premier League appointment with Tottenham on Saturday. Hughes revealed that Damien Duff and Dickson Etuhu are out with calf and ankle problems, but Dembele is available after overcoming his ankle injury.
