 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Miller | ||
| Date of birth | (1967-12-08)8 December 1967 (age 57) | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Position | Winger /Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| St Marys Boys Club | |||
| Celtic Boys Club | |||
| 1983–1985 | Aberdeen | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1984–1987 | Aberdeen | 62 | (13) |
| 1987–1993 | Celtic | 151 | (27) |
| 1993–1998 | Aberdeen | 145 | (19) |
| 1998–2000 | Dundee United | 24 | (2) |
| 2000–2001 | Parramatta Power | 24 | (9) |
| 2001 | Raith Rovers | 5 | (1) |
| 2002 | Clydebank | 3 | (0) |
| 2005–2007 | Clyde | 16 | (2) |
| Total | 430 | (73) | |
| International career | |||
| 1987–1988 | Scotland U21 | 5 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2006–2007 | Clyde | ||
| 2009 | Dundalk (assistant) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Joseph Miller (born 8 December 1967 inGlasgow) is a Scottish retiredfootballer and a former manager ofScottish Football League clubClyde.
He began his playing career as a teenagestriker atAberdeen, featuring in their1985–86 Scottish Cup success, before moving toCeltic in 1987 for £650,000, a Scottish record transfer fee. Mainly used as awinger from then on, Miller won the 'double' ofScottish League andScottish Cup with Celtic in 1988, and scored the winning goal for the club in the1989 Scottish Cup Final. In 1993 he returned to Aberdeen, collecting another winner's medal in the1995 Scottish League Cup Final to complete a domestic set.
In his later career he had shorter spells withDundee United, in Australia (spending a season withParramatta Power in theNSL),Raith Rovers,Clydebank andClyde, moving into coaching with the latter.
Miller was raised in the East End ofGlasgow, attendedSt Mungo's Academy[1] and grew up supportingCeltic;[2] his father (also Joseph) had been a professional footballer withHamilton Academical andSwindon Town.[3][4] He was a 12-year-old playing for St Marys Boys Club inthe Calton (the same team which producedTommy Burns) whenAlex Ferguson, the manager ofAberdeen, was alerted to his talents through Miller's uncle who had previously worked as a scout for Ferguson.[5][2] He signed provisionally for Aberdeen while continuing to play in Glasgow forCeltic Boys Club, a team with close ties to the professional club and coached by legendary playerJimmy Johnstone, but not formally connected to them.[3][1] The Celtic managerBilly McNeill 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[1] who had a good track record of developing young players, including many from Glasgow such asWillie Miller (no relation) who had grown up in the same area.[3][1]
After moving toPittodrie Stadium in summer 1983, Miller made his Aberdeen debut just after his 17th birthday, coming on as a substitute in a league fixture againstDundee United in December 1984.[6][7] That was his only appearance of the season, which ended with the clubretaining the league title. Miller remained with theyouth team and was in the side which won theScottish Youth Cup in 1985[8] alongsideStevie Gray,David Robertson andPaul Wright. The final was againstCeltic atPittodrie. 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.[9]
Around a year after he made his debut, Miller became a regular in the Aberdeen team, finishing with 19 league games and three goals during1985–86; he also featured in the quarter-final of theEuropean Cup againstIFK Gothenburg and came off the bench in the1986 Scottish Cup Final victory overHearts.[7][10] At that time he was usually playing as astriker.[3]
He played one more full season for theDons with his form attracting attention from around Europe – Miller has stated teams from Spain and Italy showed an interest in signing him,[3] along withLiverpool who were coached by his childhood heroKenny Dalglish,[1] andManchester United where Alex Ferguson was now the manager.[11][2] 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 theLeague Cup final, lost on penalties)[12] for a fee of £650,000, which at that time was a Scottish record as well as the highest fee paid for a teenager.[11][6] Miller left Aberdeen having played 81 times and scored 21 goals in all competitions, with his last appearance aUEFA Cup defeat toFeyenoord.
Miller immediately became an important player for Celtic after making his debut againstDundee, scoring the third goal of a 5–0 victory.[11] Playing as aright winger providing chances for forwards such asMark McGhee and fellow new signingsAndy Walker andFrank McAvennie,[13] the side won theleague and Scottish Cup double in1987–88, their centenary season;[11][6] Miller has described this as his "best memory".[2]
Celtic failed to keep their grip on the league title in 1989, dropping to 3rd place asOld Firm rivalsRangers began what would be aperiod of dominance, and were also eliminated from theEuropean Cup byWerder Bremen. Miller missed much of the season with a virus.[2] However theHoops were able to retain the Scottish Cup, with Miller scoring the winning goal inthe final against Rangers atHampden Park to end their hopes of atreble.[14] 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 strikersCoyne andDziekanowski arriving, 'Super Joe' as he had become known, returned to his previous wing role.[3]
The following campaign began badly as Miller, having come on as a substitute for his first appearance of the season during the1989–90 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.[15] He retained his place in the side, although the season finished without a trophy after Aberdeen again prevailed in the1990 Scottish Cup Final (albeit Miller was namedman of the match),[16] while in the league they could only finish 5th.
By this point, Celtic were experiencingone of the most difficult spells in their history,[3] and1990–91 brought further disappointment, with no trophies and aLeague Cup Final defeat to Rangers.[17] In1991–92, new managerLiam Brady continued to select Miller but results deteriorated further, with defeats toAirdrie in the League Cup,Neuchâtel Xamax in theUEFA Cup 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).[18]
By1992–93, another campaign which would bring not even as much as a final for Celtic,[2] Miller was often only being selected as a substitute with Brady's own signingStuart Slater being preferred. At the end of the season he returned to Aberdeen, having made a total of 199 appearances in his spell atCeltic Park, scoring 32 goals.[19]
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. In1993–94, with Miller a regular starter under manager and former teammate Willie Miller, another second-place finish was achieved. However thenext season was a different matter, with the club losing toStenhousemuir in the Scottish Cup[11] and only escaping relegation thanks to four wins in the last five matches and a play-off win againstDunfermline.[20][21]
In1995–96 they regrouped under new managerRoy Aitken, Miller's former captain at Celtic, and finished third while also winning the1995 Scottish League Cup Final with victory over Dundee.[22] 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 aHibernian team led by Billy McNeill, who was acting ascaretaker manager for that match alone.[23] His combined Aberdeen totals of 264 matches and 47 goals are both within the top 50 in the club's all-time list.[24]
In summer 1998, 30-year-old Miller moved to Dundee United.[2] He contributed 33 appearances – many from the bench – and two goals in hissingle season atTannadice Park in which the team finished in mid-table and reached theScottish Cup semi-final, being beaten by Celtic.[25]
After being released from his contract, he then spent a season in Australia'sNational Soccer League, joining newly formedParramatta Power for their inaugural season, before returning to Scotland for short spells withRaith Rovers (under another former teammate,Peter Hetherston, where he mentored a youngNacho Novo)[26] andClydebank, prior to retiring from the professional game in 2002 to train as acoach.[2] He went back to Australia for a period, winning the amateurKDSA 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.
Miller was selected five times for theScotland under-21 team,[27] by which time he was already an experienced player at club level. He never received a fullcap forScotland, with the tactics of the time under coachAndy Roxburgh rarely utilising wingers, plus a direct rival inPat Nevin and several competitors for a place as a striker.
Miller joinedClyde in June 2005, initially as assistant toGraham Roberts, during which time they surprisingly defeated Celtic in the2005–06 Scottish Cup.[28] He was appointed manager in August 2006 following the departure of Roberts following a feud between the pair;[29] Roberts later won a claim for unfair dismissal against the club.[28]
He guided Clyde to the2006 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, the club's first national final in nearly 40 years.[30] Miller ended speculation about his future at Clyde in May 2007 by refusing to sign a new contract as manager, thus leaving the club.[31][2]
In January 2009 Miller was signed up by Irish clubDundalk's managerSean Connor as an assistant manager.[2]
| Club[32][33][34] | Season | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Aberdeen | 1984-85 | Scottish Premier Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1985-86 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 5 | ||
| 1986-87 | 28 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 8 | ||
| 1987-88 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 8 | ||
| Total | 62 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 81 | 21 | ||
| Celtic | 1987-88 | Scottish Premier Division | 27 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 3 |
| 1988-89 | 21 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 9 | ||
| 1989-90 | 24 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 6 | ||
| 1990-91 | 30 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 9 | ||
| 1991-92 | 26 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 36 | 4 | ||
| 1992-93 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 1 | ||
| Total | 151 | 27 | 26 | 2 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 199 | 32 | ||
| Aberdeen | 1993-94 | Scottish Premier Division | 27 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 39 | 8 |
| 1994-95 | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 1 | ||
| 1995-96 | 31 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 10 | ||
| 1996-97 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 4 | ||
| 1997-98 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 3 | ||
| Total | 145 | 19 | 14 | 1 | 16 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 184 | 26 | ||
| Dundee United | 1998-99 | SPL | 24 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 |
| Total | 24 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 | ||
| Parramatta Power | 2000-01 | National Soccer League | 24 | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 24+ | 9+ |
| Total | 24 | 9 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 24+ | 9+ | ||
| Raith Rovers | 2001-02 | Scottish First Division | 5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5+ | 1+ |
| Total | 5 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5+ | 1+ | ||
| Clydebank | 2001-02 | Scottish Second Division | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3+ | 0+ |
| Total | 3 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3+ | 0+ | ||
| Clyde | 2005-06 | Scottish First Division | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2006-07 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Total | 16 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 16+ | 2+ | ||
| Career total | 430 | 73 | 53+ | 5+ | 39+ | 12+ | 23 | 3 | 545+ | 93+ | ||
Aberdeen
Celtic
Clyde
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