Keith Derek Millen (born 26 September 1966) is an English

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

and former player who played as a

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

. He was most recently manager of club

AFC Croydon Athletic Association Football Club Croydon Athletic is a football club based in Thornton Heath in the London Borough of Croydon, England. Founded by supporters of Croydon Athletic after it folded, the club are currently members of the and play at the ...

. Millen was appointed as

Steve Coppell Stephen James Coppell (born 9 July 1955) is an English professional football manager and former player. As a player, Coppell was a highly regarded right winger known for his speed, technical ability and work rate. He won domestic honours with ...

's successor, after Coppell chose to resign from Bristol City and retire from football. Millen spent most of his professional career at

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West (London sub region), West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the River Thames, Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has dive ...

, where he reached the Associate Members' Cup final in 1985, and won the

Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 Football League, 1920–21 and again from 1958–59 Football League, 1958 until 1991–92 Football League, 1992. When the FA Premier League ...

in 1992. After leaving Brentford in 1994, he finished his playing career with

Watford Watford () is a town and non-metropolitan district with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Hertfordshire, England, northwest of Central London, on the banks of the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne. Initially a smal ...

and

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England. The team compete in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded in 1894, the club competed in the Southern League and Western L ...

. Following retirement, Millen remained at City as a member of the coaching staff. He was caretaker manager at Ashton Gate following

Gary Johnson Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 29th List of governors of New Mexico, governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003 as a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republica ...

's departure towards the end of the 2009–10 season. He took charge of nine competitive matches, winning five, drawing three and losing once. He was caretaker manager at Crystal Palace for 4 matches in the 2013–14 season winning one drawing one and losing 2. He was again appointed caretaker manager at

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition buildin ...

on 14 August 2014. On 27 August 2014

Neil Warnock Neil Warnock (born 1 December 1948) is an English football manager and former player who is currently football advisor at Torquay United. He is also a television and radio pundit. In a managerial career spanning five decades, Warnock has managed ...

was appointed full-time

and at that time Millen's role at the club was not certain. However, on 12 September 2014 it was reported that Warnock was happy for Millen to continue in the role of assistant manager at Crystal Palace. Millen was re-appointed as caretaker manager on 27 December 2014 after Warnock was sacked following a poor run of results. On 2 January 2015,

Alan Pardew Alan Scott Pardew (born 18 July 1961) is an English football manager and former professional footballer, who most recently managed Greek Super League club Aris Thessaloniki. Pardew's highest achievements in the sport include reaching the FA Cup ...

was appointed to replace Warnock, and Millen reverted to assistant manager. On 9 January 2017, after

Sam Allardyce Samuel Allardyce (born 19 October 1954) is an English football manager and former professional player. Allardyce made 578 league and cup appearances in a 21-year career spent mostly in the Football League, as well as brief spells in the North ...

was appointed as manager, Millen left Crystal Palace.

Playing career

Brentford

After spells as an apprentice at

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

and

, Millen spent time as a junior at

, before turning professional in 1983. Between then and 1994, he made 305

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

appearances for the club, scoring 17 goals. He helped Brentford reach the final of the Associate Members' Cup in 1985, where they were defeated 3–1 by

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, they have p ...

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

. He helped the club to the

title in 1991–92, and earned a

testimonial match A testimonial match or testimonial game, often referred to simply as a testimonial, is a practice in some sports, particularly in association football in the United Kingdom and South America, where a club has a match to honour a player for servic ...

against

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Tottenham (, , , ) or Spurs, is a professional Association football, football club based in Tottenham, North London, England. The club itself has stated that it should always ...

in 1993 following ten years as a professional.

Watford

Millen joined Watford along with defensive partner Colin Foster in March 1994, helping them escape relegation that season. Although Watford were eventually relegated in 1996, Millen later played a part in the club achieving successive promotions under

Graham Taylor Graham Taylor (15 September 1944 – 12 January 2017) was an English football player, manager, pundit and chairman of Watford Football Club. He was the manager of the England national football team from 1990 to 1993, and also managed Lincoln ...

between 1997 and 1999. In total, Millen made 165 appearances for Watford, scoring 5 goals.

Bristol City

Millen joined

in November 1999. In the 2000 Football League Trophy final at Wembley, Millen captained Bristol City in a 2–1 defeat to

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The team competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, the cl ...

. He played his last competitive game in August 2002, a 2–0 home win over

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

before retiring in 2003, and later joining the club's coaching staff.

Coaching and managerial career

Bristol City

Following his retirement from football, Millen became under-17 manager at Bristol City. When Brian Tinnion was promoted to

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

in 2004, he appointed Millen as his assistant. Under Tinnion's management City won 22 of 61 matches, and Millen was appointed as caretaker when Tinnion left the club. However, he publicly ruled himself out of the running to become the permanent manager. He was made

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 is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caret ...

of City when

left the club in March 2010, and became manager on a full-time basis on a three-year contract when Johnson's replacement, Steve Coppell, departed on 12 August 2010. Millen left the manager's position on 3 October 2011.

Crystal Palace

After a brief spell as head of coaching and development at

earlier in the year, Millen was appointed assistant manager at

in November 2012, following former

manager

Ian Holloway Ian Scott Holloway (born 12 March 1963) is an English professional football manager, former player, media personality and television pundit who is the manager of club Swindon Town. A midfielder, he notably played in the Premier League with ...

. On 23 October 2013, Millen was appointed as caretaker manager after Holloway left by mutual consent. On 26 November 2013, newly appointed Crystal Palace manager

Tony Pulis Anthony Richard Pulis (; born 16 January 1958) is a Welsh former professional football manager and former footballer who last managed Sheffield Wednesday. Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at age 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 2 ...

announced that Millen would be kept as backroom staff. After Tony Pulis' surprise departure from Crystal Palace on 14 August 2014 (only 2 days before the start of the new

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

season) Millen was again appointed caretaker manager. However, when

was appointed permanent

on 27 August 2014, Millen's future was not made clear. On 12 September 2014 it was reported that

was happy for Millen to continue as assistant manager at

. On 27 December 2014, Millen took over as caretaker manager of Crystal Palace for a third time following Warnock being sacked. When

was appointed to replace Warnock on 2 January 2015 Millen reverted to assistant manager. On 9 January 2017, subsequent to the appointment of

as manager of Crystal Palace, it was announced that Millen had left the club. He then worked with the Tottenham Hotspur development squad while seeking a new first team role.

Milton Keynes Dons

On 23 January 2018, after a brief spell working on the coaching staff at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

, Millen joined League One club

Milton Keynes Dons Milton Keynes Dons Football Club, usually abbreviated to MK Dons, is a professional association football club based in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football leag ...

as assistant manager. On 22 April 2018, following the mutual contract termination of first team manager Dan Micciche, Millen was appointed caretaker manager of the club.

Halmstads BK

Roy Hogdson helped

Halmstads BK Halmstads Bollklubb, also known simply as Halmstad () or (especially locally) HBK or Bollklubben, is a Swedish professional Association football, football club located in Halmstad in the county of Halland. The club, formed 7 February 1914 and app ...

recruit Millen as assistant manager to Igor Krulj and joined the side in January 2019. After Igor Krulj was sacked, Millen continued as assistant manager under

Magnus Haglund Magnus Haglund (born 15 April 1973) is a Swedish football coach and former player. He is currently unemployed after being sacked at Halmstads BK. He has previously managed IF Elfsborg and Lillestrøm SK, having signed a two-year contract startin ...

until leaving the club at the end of the 2019 season after the team failed to advance to the Swedish top division

Allsvenskan Allsvenskan (; ), also known as Fotbollsallsvenskan (, ) is a professional association football league in Sweden and the highest level of the Swedish football league system. Founded in 1924, it operates on a system of promotion and relegatio ...

Örgryte IS

After leaving Halmstads BK, Millen was appointed manager of

Superettan Superettan (; ) is an association football league and the second highest league in the Swedish football league system, league system of Swedish football, Swedish men's football. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and rel ...

side

Örgryte IS Örgryte Idrottssällskap, commonly referred to as Örgryte IS, Örgryte () or (especially locally) ÖIS or Öis, is a Swedish sports club based in Gothenburg. It consists of four departments, namely bowling, football, athletics and wrestling. ...

, which he led for the 2020 season until being sacked in October the same year.

Carlisle United

On 26 October 2021, Millen was appointed manager of League Two side

Carlisle United Carlisle United Football Club ( , ) is a professional association football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The team currently compete in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system. They have played their ...

on an 18-month contract following the sacking of Chris Beech three weeks previously. On 23 February 2022, with the club sitting in the relegation zone in 23rd position, Millen left the club by mutual consent.

Gillingham

On 7 April 2023, Millen was appointed head of academy coaching at League Two side Gillingham. On 5 October 2023, following the sacking of Neil Harris, Millen took charge of the first team on an interim basis.

AFC Croydon Athletic

On 18 November 2024, Millen was appointed manager of

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...

South East Division side

. He departed the club on 14 February 2025 after recording just three wins from his 14 games in charge.

Managerial statistics

Honours

As a player

Brentford *

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, officially known as the Vertu Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL League Two and U-21 teams from the Premier Le ...

runner-up: 1984–85 *

Football League Division Three The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the Third Division become the fourth tier of English football. In 2 ...

: 1991–92 Watford *

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...

: 1997–98 Individual * Brentford Supporters' Player of the Year: 1991–92 * Brentford Players' Player of the Year: 1991–92 * Brentford Hall of Fame

As a manager

Individual * Football League Championship Manager of the Month: November 2010

References

External links

*
Keith Millen Stats at neilbrown.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Millen, Keith 1966 births Living people English men's footballers Footballers from the London Borough of Croydon People from Croydon Men's association football defenders English football managers English expatriate football managers Southampton F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Watford F.C. players Bristol City F.C. players Bristol City F.C. managers English Football League players Blackpool F.C. non-playing staff Crystal Palace F.C. non-playing staff Crystal Palace F.C. managers Tottenham Hotspur F.C. non-playing staff Örgryte IS managers Carlisle United F.C. managers Gillingham F.C. managers AFC Croydon Athletic managers Premier League managers English Football League managers Isthmian League managers Expatriate football managers in Sweden