Adam Murray gives his first interview on leaving promoted Kidderminster for relegated Barrow

Adam Murray gives his first sit down interview on leaving newly promoted Kidderminster for recently relegated Barrow.

Just days after taking Harriers back to the National League via the playoff final win against South Shields, he quickly said his goodbyes and headed north for Barrow who were relegated from League Two on the final day of the season.

Kidderminster confirmed the departure of Adam Murray with Barrow believed to have triggered a release clause in his contract. He becomes the Bluebirds’ new head coach on a contract valid until June 2028.

Adam Murray is the new manager of Barrow, joining the Bluebirds just days after leading Kidderminster to promotion to the National League. Watch what he said about the move.#bbcfootball #barrowafc #harriers #bafc pic.twitter.com/SVKodGkBSE

— BBC Sport Cumbria (@bbccumbriasport) May 13, 2026

Interviewer: “How does it feel to be here?”

Adam: “Great. It’s been a a whirlwind couple of days. Obviously a lot a lot going on over over the weekend and then things have moved really quickly. So, it’s been a tiring few days if I’m being honest, but I’m just I’m just really glad to to get it over the line, has probably been the toughest decision I’ve ever had to make if I’m being totally honest in terms of football, but a decision that I’m really happy about and excited to get started.”

Interviewer: “And if we look in the not so recent past, obviously you had success last weekend in the National North playoff final against South Shields and the season in general obviously accumulated in in promotion, but why do you feel like it’s the right time to to make the move and join Barrow?”

Adam: “Yeah, obviously we’ve had a super season this season, and then for me it was a when the offer came in weighing all things up I want another promotion if I’m being honest with you. I’ve been I’ve been very very blessed through my career as a player and a coach to get a number of promotions and I’m hungry for more success and I wanted to really be at a place that had ambition next season of going after another medal and that was the overriding factor if I’m being honest. I really really enjoyed my time at Kidderminster and we created something special. It was a great season and one that not just me but a big group of people played a big part in and that made the decision even harder to kind of come away from. But once I’d spoken to Paul and the owners here, it was a quick decision because the ambition to to obviously bounce back from a really tough tough season was clear to see and it’s something that I really want to get my hands on and push towards the top end of the table.”

Interviewer: “And throughout your playing and managerial career, you’ve worked, you know, across the Football League, non-league, into Europe as well. So, you know, you’ve worked at a lot of levels, learned under a lot of people, and taught a lot of people as well. So do you feel like you come into a squad now, which obviously off the back of a tough season, you can bring all these all these factors and life memories together and make a squad that’s going to be successful?”

Adam: “Yeah, great question. I think I’ve been very very very blessed. I’ve had a lot of experiences. I started really really young as a manager in the Football League at 31-32 and then I went away as an assistant because I felt I needed to learn my trade and and develop myself. And then and I’ve come back into to management over the last few years. And it’s about working my way back up again. I want to be a Football League manager again. And I feel like, Barrow gives me a great opportunity to do that. And like I say, I’ve been very very blessed over the last few seasons that, I’ve won a title, I’ve got another promotion, I’ve been involved in playoffs and I aim to do the same again this season and and bringing all them experiences um to where I am now in my career, I feel it puts me in a strong position. And I think coming to a club that um had a tough season last season, there’s no getting away from that. On paper that there’s some really good players in this squad. But ultimately, for whatever reason, it wasn’t good enough last season and that has to change and and there has to be casualties within that unfortunately. But my aim is to build a team that these these supporters can be proud of. I think when I look at this club from my past experience, there’s a there’s always a real identity that you associate with Barrow and I feel that’s been lost if I’m being brutally honest and I aim to bring that back and I think my way of playing, my style of play will really connect with the supporters and I’m excited for that.”

Interviewer: “And if you look over the past, let’s say three jobs, head coach, manager jobs that you’ve had, you know, lots of different experiences, two promotions, you came in at Eastbourne when they were struggling, kept them up, and then went on the season after over them last three jobs that you know, have you learned a lot about yourself and also about how you coached?”

Adam: “Yeah, 100%. I think obviously getting getting Fylde out the National League North was a was a really pleasing achievement and and I enjoyed being a champion. I experienced it as a player and it was great to experience it as a coach and then like you say going down to Eastbourne where they were in a lot of trouble. We we stayed up and then finished one point off the top of the table the next season. So a great achievement but gutting to miss out in the playoffs in the end and then obviously coming to Kidderminster we we had a a tough start. A lot of new signings but ultimately ended up with a a medal around our neck. So, lots of different experiences and lots of different challenges that gave me a lot of experiences and as anything in life, you bring them experiences to make you better. And I feel like I’m in a better place now. I feel like I’m in a strong place, and I’m hungry. I’m really hungry. It was the biggest part of my decision on leaving such a a wonderful thing that we built last season was I want another promotion. I want another medal and and I want it quick. and that’s why I’ve come here.”

Interviewer: And then obviously back into the here and now, you inheriting a squad which obviously sort of a disappointment last season, but when you look at it as a collective, what what do you make of the current couple of players?

Adam: Well, I think look, there’s no hiding about the fact that whatever happened last season was not good enough and I think everybody has to be accountable for that. I think speaking to the board and to Paul, I think they’ve been before this was even kind of on my horizon. I read from afar the statement the club put out and I thought it was amazing just the the brutal honesty of it that things hadn’t been good enough, and there’s already been changes to rectify that and I thought that honesty was you don’t see that often in football. People look for excuses and that resonated with me because it gives you a feel of the people behind the scenes and when it actually did fall on my doorstep then speaking to the club that connection was there straight away because I think honesty it’s a must and for me then looking at the situation on the pitch, I feel like if I’m being brutal it lost its identity and I think that there wasn’t obviously a lot of change for whatever reason in the season, but the club and the team lost its identity and I think that’s what’s needed. I think it needs to be bought back. I think it needs the club needs a philosophy, it needs a foundation brought back into the football club and something that the supporters can be proud of and we need to to regain the trust of the supporters. We need to regain the the connection with the supporters and I’m looking forward to that challenge. I think I’ve been here a lot of times as a player and it’s a place you dread coming, and again being brutally honest, I imagine people enjoyed coming here last season. So I’m looking forward to to making this place a fortress again. Over my last couple of seasons at Eastbourne, we went over a year unbeaten at home. Last season we only lost I think it was two games at home, so it’s important that you make your home place a fortress and that’ll be a key part of what we do. So there’s a lot of work to be done,, like I say, ultimately a relegation means people weren’t good enough. So, there has to be casualties to that because it’s  not right. But like I say, on paper and knowing some of the players that I know already kind of through the football world, there’s some really good players here and sometimes people just need a little bit of belief putting back into them, a bit of confidence putting back into them because there’s some real talent here. And I’ll need the buy in from them into my way of playing. But if we can get that connection and we can get that get that going as a collective group, not just as a group of players, as a group as supporters and players and staff, we can create something real special here.

Check out the rest of the interview in the video at the top of the article.

Here’s how fans reacted after Adam Murray gives his first interview on leaving promoted Kidderminster for relegated Barrow…

@CurtisJ91977793: Really good interview clearly has ambitions to do well and has up to now, look forward to see what changes he makes, i like that he has a good home record at Kidderminster thats going to be key if were going to achieve anything

@OurBluebirdsFly: A good interview. Speaks a lot of sense, we wish Adam well. Pleased we have someone in really early so the rebuild can begin. “There will be casualties” #WeAreBarrow

@SteveTheScout1: The reason Adam Murray left Kidderminster for Barrow he said “I wanted to be at a club that had the ambition to get promotion next season”. 😬

@PebbleMillNige: Don’t understand why you have left a club that’s gained promotion to the national league, with a ground so much superior than Holker Street (which is a dump) with a playing surface also superior. It must be for the obvious reason!!!!!

@M_R_Knowles: Seems to me like the experience with Fylde when he got promoted there has swayed him. I’m sure he’s going to take a bunch of the backroom staff with him. And he’s already thinking about signings so he’s ahead of us already in terms of our players as well. Worrying!

@TylerRusse98152: Wont last long give him 3-4 months and he will be gone.

@Leigh_J_Holland: What a shithouse fella

@kieran_wilson24: Kidderminster away first game of the season nailed on

@StarWarsNerd73: Welcome home Adam!! An exciting appointment to stabilise and hopefully bounce back to the EFL soon!!! Wish you all the best, you have our support!!!

@ItsBen1988: Will leave by summer of 2027, doesn’t stay anywhere more than a season

@StuartandRosie: I wish him well I really do and I hope he proves me wrong 🤞but for me there were better options out there. “Success” is two NLN promotions. Only been at Kidderminster a year. Mixed spells before that. Kiddy fans have mixed feelings on him. IMO not an inspiring appointment.

@murpho78: Thanks for the promotion Murray. Some good times and some not so good times this season. Pre season recruitment was dire to say the least and not many of those finished the sesson with us. 48 players used in a season is some going. Still wish him all the best going forward.

@bradbarry27: What a guy @admuz! Great addition to the bluebirds! I hope he can achieve promotion again for the club. Up the @BarrowAFC ⚽️💙

@CurtisJ91977793: A good appointment on paper has success in getting teams promoted which is a big tick for me, well done to thoughs involved for getting it done reasonably quickly now onto the biggest summer for this club for a long time