Alex Miller

Alex Miller (born 4 July 1949, in Glasgow) is a Scottish football coach and former football player. He won the Skol Cup in 1991 with Hibernian and took St Mirren into the UEFA Cup. On 8 May 2008 it was announced that Alex Miller was leaving the post of First Team Coach at Liverpool, after 9 years, to take up the manager's position at JEF United Chiba in Japan.cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N159865080508-1326.htm|title=Rafa confirms Miller departure|publisher=Liverpoolfc.tv|date=2008-05-08|accessdate=2008-05-08]

Playing career

As a player Miller started out his career with Clydebank Strollers before he made the move to Rangers. Miller played for Rangers from 1967 until 1982 before finishing his playing career in Hong Kong. He was something of a legend at Ibrox having played in the 1972 Scottish Cup Final despite having a broken jaw. He made 306 appearances during his spell at Rangers and scored 30 goals.

Coaching career

Miller was appointed as player-manager when he played briefly for South China AA in Hong Kong in 1983, but was unable to save the club from relegation. [cite book| author = 莫逸風, 黃海榮| title = 香港足球誌| publisher = 上書房 UP Publications| year = 2008| month = July| location = Hong Kong| pages = pp. 115-116| url = http://www.uppublications.biz/authors/football.htm| isbn = 978-98-17735-2-4] He was then briefly manager of Greenock Morton in 1983 before contentiously joining their rivals from Paisley, St Mirren, who were at that time in a higher division.

Miller managed St Mirren from 1983 until 1986. He moulded a side that would win the Scottish Cup shortly after he resigned in season 1986-87. Success for him was qualifying for Europe. One of Saints all time great nights came in a European campaign when in 1985 Slavia Prague were knocked out after a 3-0 Saints win at home.

He was then made manager of Hibernian from 1986 - 1996 through a difficult period in the clubs history. [http://www.hibernianfc.co.uk/Club_History.php] He led Hibs to win the 1991 Skol Scottish League Cup beating Rangers in the semi finals (1-0) and Dunfermline Athletic in the final (2-0) and qualified for European competition.

European football returned but Hibs were thwarted in their 1992 UEFA Cup campaign, by Belgian champions RSC Anderlecht, losing on the away goal rule (2-2, 1-1). In 1993, Hibs were again in the final of the League Cup but this time lost out to Rangers (1-2). Hibs finished the 1994-95 season in third place in the league. In 1996, after ten years at Easter Road, Alex Miller left Hibs, moving to Coventry City as assistant manager.

A year later, unable to resist the challenge of being his own man again, he moved to Aberdeen taking over the manager's post from Roy Aitken. However this stint was not a successful one and he was replaced in 1998 by Paul Hegarty.

Coach at Liverpool

Alex Miller joined English Premiership side Liverpool in 1999.

An integral part of Houllier’s backroom staff - the former Anfield manager made him chief European scout having first made his acquaintance during Euro 96 - he survived the uncertainty amid Benítez’s arrival at the club in the summer of 2004 to be promoted to first-team coach. Miller was Liverpool Director of Scouting under Gérard Houllier.

However, when Rafael Benítez was appointed manager of Liverpool, he overhauled the scouting system. Miller was given a new role at Liverpool, working as first team coach and worked closely with Benitez .

On 8 May 2008 Rafa Benitez confirmed that Miller would leave Liverpool FC to manage Japanese side JEF United Chiba after nearly a decade working for Liverpool FC

Managerial record

References

External links