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Re: Alex Miller...
[quote=dave u]Read an article on him on .tv in which Craig Brown was giving him loads of credit for us reaching the CL final. He also gave him a lot of credit for us winning the UEFA in 2001.QUOTE]
Dave is this the same article, and I cant remember where I got it from but this was on the interweb last week;
Miller's knowledge crucial to recent Anfield success
ALAN PATTULLO
FROM the Skol Cup to the European Cup final, via a bleak and unhonoured year at Aberdeen and a similarly uncelebrated stint at Coventry City. Alex Miller, who won Hibs their last major trophy 14 years ago and took St Mirren into Europe, has seen it all and then some, and has survived the cruel put-downs delivered by Scottish football fans who consider his legacy one of boredom, and mediocrity.
From where he sits, at the right-hand side of Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, it presumably doesn’t seem at all bland. In February it was a League Cup final, and later this month a Champions Cup one. Four years ago it was the UEFA Cup final Miller experienced, having been Gerard Houllier’s expert spy all the way through a glorious campaign which climaxed with a thrilling 5-4 victory over Alaves in Dortmund.
And it’s not as if Miller can even be accused of just being there for the ride. 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 Benitez’s arrival at the club last summer to be promoted to first-team coach. Instead of spending long weeks on the road - he watched Roma for seven weeks on the trot before a UEFA Cup tie - he is now on the training ground, and following in the tradition of uncomplicated football men at Liverpool which can be traced back to Bill Shankly, and the first tightening of the studs in the fabled Anfield boot room.
And on Tuesday night Miller became part of Anfield folklore, with the club through to contest a sixth European Cup final, and sensing their fifth trophy. Only Real Madrid and AC Milan have won the title more times than that, while Manchester United, the English club of the recent era, have lifted the trophy on only two occasions. There isn’t any further proof required to illustrate that Miller now operates in the very top bracket of club football, even if there is still some work to be done on Liverpool’s league form.
Craig Brown, for one, is not surprised at Miller’s progress, having selected him to become his assistant at Scotland, and where he stayed for six years.
"It’s an amazing achievement for Alex but not something that surprises me in the slightest," said Brown, now himself involved at Premiership level, as a technical advisor at Fulham. "He’s a very astute and able coach and merits his place in Istanbul [the European Cup final venue].
"I doubt there are many men in this game that Rafael Benitez could count on more than Alex to help him at Liverpool and it’s a real credit to Rafael that he realises that. It would have been easy for things to change when Rafael came in. Alex had been doing a great job in his role of chief European scout for Gerard Houllier before Rafael came on the scene.
"He was the one who travelled to all the top European matches, spotted the best players and noted down the tactics of their European opponents."
Indeed, Miller notified Houllier about the Czech international Igor Biscan, an unlikely hero of Liverpool’s Champions League run this season. He also oversaw Steven Gerrard’s progress from reserve-team football to the first team, and beyond.
"I don’t think you can under-estimate what effect that had on Liverpool winning the UEFA Cup four years ago," continued Brown. "Because of Alex’s knowledge, Liverpool knew exactly how to line up against teams. Now it’s the same in the Champions League. I’m sure he’s offering Rafael some fantastic advice and he only has to look through the team to see what impact he has had on the pitch.
"Alex coached the likes of Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard when he was reserve manager at Liverpool and he advised Houllier to put them in the side. Now look at those players. They are two of the best in Europe and are on the brink of Champions League success. It says a lot about Alex’s ability to spot players."
It says a lot also about Miller’s ability to survive in a world where substance is often trumped by style. The former Hibs manager might not have much of the latter - he is a committed teetotaller and is rarely sought out for media duties - but he has plenty of the former, something it sometimes takes a club of the stature of Liverpool to recognise.
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