Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
) is a Scottish retired
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
and a former manager of
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km south ...
club
Clyde Clyde may refer to:
People
* Clyde (given name)
* Clyde (surname)
Places
For townships see also Clyde Township
Australia
* Clyde, New South Wales
* Clyde, Victoria
* Clyde River, New South Wales
Canada
* Clyde, Alberta
* Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...
.
He began his playing career as a teenage striker at
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, featuring in their
1985–86 Scottish Cup
The 1985–86 Scottish Cup was the 101st staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Aberdeen who defeated Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) in the final.
First round
Replay
Second round
Replays
T ...
success, before moving to
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
in 1987 for £650,000, a Scottish record transfer fee. Mainly used as a winger from then on, Miller won the 'double' of
Scottish League
The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 km sout ...
and
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1989 Scottish Cup Final. In 1993 he returned to Aberdeen, collecting another winner's medal in the
1995 Scottish League Cup Final
The 1995 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 26 November 1995, at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 50th Scottish League Cup competition. The final was contested by Aberdeen and Dundee. Aberdeen won the match 2–0 thanks to ...
to complete a domestic set.
In his later career he had shorter spells with
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
, in Australia (spending a season with
Parramatta Power
Parramatta Power Soccer Club were a professional association football club who were based in the Western Sydney city of Parramatta. They played in the National Soccer League from season 1999-00 until the league folded in 2004. The Power were ...
Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leag ...
,
Clydebank
Clydebank ( gd, Bruach Chluaidh) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Mil ...
and
Clyde Clyde may refer to:
People
* Clyde (given name)
* Clyde (surname)
Places
For townships see also Clyde Township
Australia
* Clyde, New South Wales
* Clyde, Victoria
* Clyde River, New South Wales
Canada
* Clyde, Alberta
* Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...
, moving into coaching with the latter.
Playing career
Aberdeen
Miller was raised in the East End of
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, attended
St Mungo's Academy
St Mungo's Academy is a Roman Catholic, co-educational, comprehensive, secondary school located in Gallowgate, Glasgow. The school was founded in 1858 by the Marist Brothers religious order.
The debate team at St Mungo's were the first Scotti ...
and grew up supporting
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
; his father (also Joseph) had been a professional footballer with
Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Accies, or The Accies, is a Scottish association football, football club from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire who currently compete in the Scottish Championshi ...
and
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...
. He was a 12-year-old playing for St Marys Boys Club in the Calton (the same team which produced Tommy Burns) when
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football managers of all time ...
, the manager of
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, was alerted to his talents through Miller's uncle who had previously worked as a scout for Ferguson. He signed provisionally for Aberdeen while continuing to play in Glasgow for
Celtic Boys Club
St Patrick's Sports Academy is a youth football and sports club based in Motherwell, near Glasgow in Scotland. It operates football teams in age groups from under-9 to under-19.
Formerly Celtic Boys Club, it helped more than 50 players towards p ...
, a team with close ties to the professional club and coached by legendary player
Jimmy Johnstone
James Connolly Johnstone (30 September 1944 – 13 March 2006) was a Scottish footballer who played as an outside right. Known as "Jinky" for his elusive dribbling style, Johnstone played for Celtic for 13 years, and was part of the 'Lisbon ...
, but not formally connected to them. The Celtic manager
Billy McNeill
William McNeill (2 March 1940 – 22 April 2019) was a Scottish football player and manager. He had a long association with Celtic, spanning more than sixty years as a player, manager and club ambassador. McNeill captained Celtic's 'Lisbon Lio ...
did make approaches to sign Miller, but on the advice of his father and due to the keenness of Ferguson he chose to stick with Aberdeen who had a good track record of developing young players, including many from Glasgow such as
Willie Miller
William Ferguson Miller MBE (born 2 May 1955) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager, who made a club record 560 league appearances for Aberdeen. Sir Alex Ferguson described Miller as "the best penalty box defender in th ...
(no relation) who had grown up in the same area.
After moving to
Pittodrie Stadium
Pittodrie Stadium, commonly referred to as Pittodrie, is an all-seater stadium in Aberdeen, Scotland. Used primarily for football, it has been the home ground of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) club Aberdeen F.C. since they were ...
in summer 1983, Miller made his Aberdeen debut just after his 17th birthday, coming on as a substitute in a league fixture against
Dundee United
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1 ...
in December 1984. That was his only appearance of the season, which ended with the club retaining the league title. Miller remained with the
youth team
In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future i ...
and was in the side which won the
Scottish Youth Cup The Scottish Youth Cup (also known as the SFA Youth Cup) is an annual Scottish football competition run by the Scottish Football Association for under-18 teams,
Celtic
Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to:
Language and ethnicity
*pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia
**Celts (modern)
*Celtic languages
**Proto-Celtic language
* Celtic music
*Celtic nations
Sports Fo ...
at
Pittodrie
Pittodrie Stadium, commonly referred to as Pittodrie, is an all-seater stadium in Aberdeen, Scotland. Used primarily for football, it has been the home ground of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) club Aberdeen F.C. since they wer ...
. After trailing 3–0, Miller netted a 35-yard lob to tie the match at 3–3. The comeback was complete in extra-time to secure the trophy with a 5–3 win.
Around a year after he made his debut, Miller became a regular in the Aberdeen team, finishing with 19 league games and three goals during 1985–86; he also featured in the quarter-final of the
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
against IFK Gothenburg and came off the bench in the 1986 Scottish Cup Final victory over Hearts. At that time he was usually playing as a striker.
He played one more full season for the ''Dons'' with his form attracting attention from around Europe – Miller has stated teams from Spain and Italy showed an interest in signing him, along with
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
who were coached by his childhood hero
Kenny Dalglish
Sir Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish (born 4 March 1951) is a Scottish former association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. During his career, he made 338 appearances for Celtic F.C., Celtic and 515 for Liverpoo ...
, and
Manchester United
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...
where Alex Ferguson was now the manager. However it was Celtic and Billy McNeill, who had just returned to the club, who would secure the 19-year-old's signature in November 1987 (a few weeks after he appeared in the League Cup final, lost on penalties) for a fee of £650,000, which at that time was a Scottish record as well as the highest fee paid for a teenager. Miller left Aberdeen having played 81 times and scored 21 goals in all competitions, with his last appearance a
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
defeat to
Feyenoord
Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...
.
Celtic
Miller immediately became an important player for Celtic after making his debut against
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
, scoring the third goal of a 5–0 victory. Playing as a
right winger
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
providing chances for forwards such as Mark McGhee and fellow new signings Andy Walker and
Frank McAvennie
Francis McAvennie (born 22 November 1959) is a Scottish former footballer, who played as a striker for St Mirren, West Ham United and Celtic, having had two spells with each of these clubs. With Celtic he won the Scottish Premier Division in ...
, the side won the league and Scottish Cup double in 1987–88, their centenary season; Miller has described this as his "best memory".
Celtic failed to keep their grip on the league title in 1989, dropping to 3rd place as
Old Firm
The Old Firm is the collective name for the Scottish football clubs Celtic and Rangers, which are both based in Glasgow. The two clubs are by far the most successful and popular in Scotland, and the rivalry between them has become deeply em ...
European Cup
The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...
by
Werder Bremen
Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen (), Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen, Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, they are be ...
. Miller missed much of the season with a virus. However the ''Hoops'' were able to retain the Scottish Cup, with Miller scoring the winning goal in
the final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
against Rangers at
Hampden Park
Hampden Park (Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden''), often referred to as Hampden, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The -capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the no ...
to end their hopes of a treble. That match was the third in a row in which he had been used as a striker and scored the only goal of the game, but with new strikers Coyne and Dziekanowski arriving, 'Super Joe' as he had become known, returned to his previous wing role.
The following campaign began badly as Miller, having come on as a substitute for his first appearance of the season during the 1989–90 Scottish League Cup semi-final – a loss to former club Aberdeen – was himself substituted, prompting a furious reaction as he returned to the bench. Miller was "devastated" and submitted a transfer request, but this was rejected by the club. He retained his place in the side, although the season finished without a trophy after Aberdeen again prevailed in the
1990 Scottish Cup Final
The 1990 Scottish Cup Final was the 105th final of the Scottish Cup, Scottish football's most prestigious knock-out association football competition. The match took place at Hampden Park on 12 May 1990 and was contested by Scottish Premier Divi ...
(albeit Miller was named ''
man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
''), while in the league they could only finish 5th.
By this point, Celtic were experiencing one of the most difficult spells in their history, and 1990–91 brought further disappointment, with no trophies and a League Cup Final defeat to Rangers. In 1991–92, new manager
Liam Brady
William Brady (born 13 February 1956) is an Irish former footballer. He found success both in England with Arsenal, where he won an FA Cup in 1979, and in Italy with Juventus, winning two Serie A titles. Brady was capped 72 times for the Irelan ...
continued to select Miller but results deteriorated further, with defeats to Airdrie in the League Cup,
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...
and Rangers in the Scottish Cup (despite David Robertson having been sent off in the opening minutes for a challenge on Miller, breaking two of his ribs).
By 1992–93, another campaign which would bring not even as much as a final for Celtic, Miller was often only being selected as a substitute with Brady's own signing Stuart Slater being preferred. At the end of the season he returned to Aberdeen, having made a total of 199 appearances in his spell at
Celtic Park
Celtic Park is the home stadium of Celtic Football Club, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest football stadium in Scotland, and the eighth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom. It is also ...
, scoring 32 goals.
Return to Aberdeen
Although Aberdeen were no longer the dominant force in Scotland as when he first joined in 1983, when Miller returned a decade later they were at least as strong a team as Celtic, having finished runners-up behind Rangers in three of the last four seasons. In 1993–94, with Miller a regular starter under manager and former teammate Willie Miller, another second-place finish was achieved. However the next season was a different matter, with the club losing to Stenhousemuir in the Scottish Cup and only escaping relegation thanks to four wins in the last five matches and a play-off win against
Dunfermline
Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...
Roy Aitken
Robert Sime "Roy" Aitken (born 24 November 1958) is a Scottish former football player and manager. He made over 480 league appearances for Celtic, and later played for Newcastle United, St Mirren and Aberdeen. Aitken also made 57 international ...
, Miller's former captain at Celtic, and finished third while also winning the
1995 Scottish League Cup Final
The 1995 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 26 November 1995, at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 50th Scottish League Cup competition. The final was contested by Aberdeen and Dundee. Aberdeen won the match 2–0 thanks to ...
with victory over Dundee. Miller returned what would be the best personal figures in his career, playing in 40 matches (all starts) and scoring 10 goals. He played with Aberdeen for two more unexceptional seasons, posting 70 further appearances. Coincidentally his final goal for the club came in a 3–0 win against a Hibernian team led by Billy McNeill, who was acting as
caretaker manager
In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular Manager (association football), manager is dismissed or leaves for a ...
for that match alone. His combined Aberdeen totals of 264 matches and 47 goals are both within the top 50 in the club's all-time list.
Later years
In summer 1998, 30-year-old Miller moved to Dundee United. He contributed 33 appearances – many from the bench – and two goals in his single season at
Tannadice Park
Tannadice Park ( gd, Pàirc Thanachais), usually referred to as Tannadice, is a football stadium in Dundee, Scotland. It is the home ground of Dundee United F.C., who have played at Tannadice since the club was founded as Dundee Hibernian in ...
in which the team finished in mid-table and reached the Scottish Cup semi-final, being beaten by Celtic.
After being released from his contract, he then spent a season in Australia's
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...
, joining newly formed
Parramatta Power
Parramatta Power Soccer Club were a professional association football club who were based in the Western Sydney city of Parramatta. They played in the National Soccer League from season 1999-00 until the league folded in 2004. The Power were ...
for their inaugural season, before returning to Scotland for short spells with
Raith Rovers
Raith Rovers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the town of Kirkcaldy, Fife. The club was founded in 1883 and currently competes in the Scottish Championship as a member of the Scottish Professional Football Leag ...
(under another former teammate, Peter Hetherston, where he mentored a young
Nacho Novo
Ignacio Javier Gómez Novo (; born 26 March 1979) is a Spanish former association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. Novo is currently an assistant coach for USL League One side Lexington SC, as well as ...
) and
Clydebank
Clydebank ( gd, Bruach Chluaidh) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, it borders the village of Old Kilpatrick (with Bowling, West Dunbartonshire, Bowling and Milton, West Dunbartonshire, Mil ...
, prior to retiring from the professional game in 2002 to train as a
coach
Coach may refer to:
Guidance/instruction
* Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities
* Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process
** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers
Transportation
* Co ...
. He went back to Australia for a period, winning the amateur ''KDSA Cup'' with North Sydney in 2003.
Having been appointed assistant manager of Clyde in 2005, Miller re-registered as a player and made just over a dozen league appearances for the club in his late 30s.
International
Miller was selected five times for the Scotland under-21 team, by which time he was already an experienced player at club level. He never received a full
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
for
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, with the tactics of the time under coach
Andy Roxburgh
Andrew Roxburgh (born 5 August 1943) is a Scottish former football player and manager currently serving as an administrator. Roxburgh's entire professional playing career was spent in the Scottish Football League. After retiring as a player, h ...
rarely utilising wingers, plus a direct rival in
Pat Nevin
Patrick Kevin Francis Michael Nevin (born 6 September 1963) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a winger. In a 20-year career, he appeared for Clyde, Chelsea, Everton, Tranmere Rovers, Kilmarnock and Motherwell. He wo ...
and several competitors for a place as a striker.
Coaching and management
Miller joined
Clyde Clyde may refer to:
People
* Clyde (given name)
* Clyde (surname)
Places
For townships see also Clyde Township
Australia
* Clyde, New South Wales
* Clyde, Victoria
* Clyde River, New South Wales
Canada
* Clyde, Alberta
* Clyde, Ontario, a tow ...
in June 2005, initially as assistant to
Graham Roberts
Graham Paul Roberts (born 3 July 1959) is an English retired footballer and manager who played as a defender for numerous clubs including Tottenham Hotspur (where he won the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup), Rangers (where he won the Scottish League ...
, during which time they surprisingly defeated Celtic in the
2005–06 Scottish Cup
The 2005–06 Scottish Cup was the 121st season of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition, also known for sponsorship reasons as the Tennent's Scottish Cup. The Cup was won by SPL club Heart of Midlothian who defeated Second ...
. He was appointed manager in August 2006 following the departure of Roberts following a feud between the pair; Roberts later won a claim for unfair dismissal against the club.
He guided Clyde to the 2006 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, the club's first national final in nearly 40 years. Miller ended speculation about his future at Clyde in May 2007 by refusing to sign a new contract as manager, thus leaving the club.
In January 2009 Miller was signed up by Irish club Dundalk's manager
Sean Connor
Sean Connor (born 12 July 1967) is a Northern Irish Association football, football manager (association football), manager and former player who was most recently manager of NIFL Championship side Institute F.C., Institute.
He had a brief playin ...
as an assistant manager.
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Honours
;Aberdeen
*
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1985–86
*
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...
Scottish Premier Division
The Scottish Football League Premier Division was, from 1975 until 1998, the top division of the Scottish Football League and the entire Scottish football league system. It lay above the Scottish Football League First, Second and (from 1994) ...
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...