Liam Miller
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Liam William Peter Miller (13 February 1981 – 9 February 2018) was an Irish professional
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 lea ...
. Miller began his career with
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 Foot ...
and was later
loan In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money. The document evidencing the deb ...
ed to
Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Ã…rhus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...
in 2001. He returned to
Celtic Park Celtic Park is a Soccer-specific stadium, football stadium and the home of Scottish Premiership team Celtic F.C., Celtic, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest List of football stadiums in Sco ...
and broke into the first-team squad during the 2003–04 season. Rejecting the offer of a new contract from Celtic, he joined
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
in 2004 on a free transfer under the
Bosman ruling ''Union Royale Belge des Sociétés de Football Association ASBL v Jean-Marc Bosman'' (1995) C-415/93 (known as the Bosman ruling) is a 1995 European Court of Justice decision concerning freedom of movement for workers, freedom of associati ...
. Loaned to
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
during the 2005–06 season, Miller made 22 first-team appearances for Manchester United. From 2006 until 2009, he played for
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
, followed by a short stay at
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
from January until May 2009, when he was released. Miller joined
Hibernian Hibernian may refer to: * Of Hibernia, Latin name for Ireland; hence ** Irish (disambiguation) Hibernian, Hibernians or The Hibernian may refer to: Sports clubs * Hibernian F.C., a Scottish football club, founded 1875 * Hibernian W.F.C., a Sc ...
in September of that year on a free transfer. He moved to Australia's
A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
in 2011 after his contract with Hibernian expired, and represented
Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in Perth, Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under Professional sports league organi ...
,
Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is a professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. competing in Australia's premier men's competition, A-League Men, which is the top tier Australia's football pyramid. When Queensland Lions F.C. were ...
and Melbourne City there. In 2015, he joined his hometown team
Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...
, and a year later
Wilmington Hammerheads Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2017. Histor ...
. Miller represented the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland, with a population of about 5.4 million. ...
team internationally, making his debut in 2004 against the
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
. He earned 21 caps over the next five years, scoring one international goal. Miller died of pancreatic cancer in 2018.


Early life

Miller was born in
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
, Ireland, to Billy Miller, a Scot who was a Celtic fan. He grew up in
Ovens, County Cork Ovens (), formerly also Athnowen, is a small village adjacent to the town of Ballincollig, County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The 2006 census recorded that the population of the village was 1,703 - an increase of 62.1% from the 2002 Cen ...
, and attended
Coachford College Coachford College is a post primary school located in Coachford, County Cork, Ireland. Situated in the Lee Valley, 22 km west of Cork city, the catchment area stretches from Kanturk to Bandon, and from Ballincollig to Macroom. Coachford ...
. As a boy, Miller also played
Gaelic games Gaelic games () are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the most popular of the s ...
for his hometown club Éire Óg and represented
Cork GAA The Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) () or Cork GAA is one of the 32 County board (Gaelic games), county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Cork and the Cork county teams. It ...
at youth level. In a web chat in 2007, Miller said that his family was his largest influence in football, and that
Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who played as a midfielder. After a brief early career in the Irish Leag ...
and
Sir Alex Ferguson Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson (born 31 December 1941) is a Scottish former professional football manager and player, best known for managing Manchester United from 1986 to 2013. He is widely regarded as the greatest manager of all time and ...
were also influential to his career.


Club career


Celtic

Miller joined
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 Foot ...
in 1997 as a youth player, and made his professional league debut against
Dundee United Dundee United Football Club is a Scotland, Scottish professional association football, football club based in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923. United are nickname ...
on 21 May 2000, as a 77th-minute substitute for fellow debutant
Ryan McCann Ryan Patrick McCann (born 21 September 1981) is a Scottish professional footballer. He last played with Edusport Academy in the Scottish Lowland Football League. Playing career Celtic, St Johnstone and Hartlepool McCann began his career wi ...
. His
UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
debut came against
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
-based club
Jeunesse Esch Jeunesse Esch (full name ''Association Sportive la Jeunesse d'Esch/Alzette'') is a professional football club based in Esch-sur-Alzette, in south-western Luxembourg. The side play in the National Division, the highest league in the country, and ...
on 24 August 2000 in the second leg of the
qualifying round Qualification may refer to: Processes * Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), a competitive contract procurement process established by the United States Congress * Process qualification, ensures that manufacturing and production processes can ...
. He came close to scoring in the 64th minute of the 7–0 win (11–0 aggregate). During his time at
Celtic Park Celtic Park is a Soccer-specific stadium, football stadium and the home of Scottish Premiership team Celtic F.C., Celtic, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest List of football stadiums in Sco ...
, he had been on a six-month loan spell with Danish football club
AGF Aarhus Aarhus Gymnastikforening (; commonly known as AGF ) is a professional sports club based in Aarhus, Jutland, Denmark. Founded in 1880, it is one of the oldest clubs in the country where gymnastics and fencing were featured as its main sports. How ...
during the 2001–02 season, making 18 appearances without scoring a goal. They considered signing him permanently for £300,000. Miller scored his first professional goal on 30 July 2003 in the first leg of the second qualifying round of the
UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...
, coming on as a late substitute to complete a 4–0 win at Lithuania's
Kaunas Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...
. Two months later in the group stage, he scored against
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
, and subsequently manager
Martin O'Neill Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, (born 1 March 1952) is a Northern Irish professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who played as a midfielder. After a brief early career in the Irish Leag ...
offered him a long-term contract, attempting to keep Miller at the club. His first
Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...
goals came in a 5–0 win over Hearts on 18 October, and on 5 November he scored a goal and was given a standing ovation when he was substituted in a 3–1 European win over
Anderlecht Anderlecht (; ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, B ...
at
Celtic Park Celtic Park is a Soccer-specific stadium, football stadium and the home of Scottish Premiership team Celtic F.C., Celtic, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest List of football stadiums in Sco ...
.
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
manager Sir Alex Ferguson attended the game to scout Anderlecht's
Vincent Kompany Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany (born 10 April 1986) is a Belgian professional Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former Association football, player who played as a centre-back. He is currently the head coach of ...
, but instead was convinced to approach Miller. Miller was on the pitch as a substitute when Celtic secured the
2003–04 Scottish Premier League The 2003–04 Scottish Premier League was won by Celtic. As league champions, Celtic qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage, with runners-up Rangers also qualifying to the third qualifying round. Third-placed Hearts qualified f ...
title. Despite his offer of a new contract, Miller signed a pre-contract agreement on 9 January 2004 with English
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 ...
club Manchester United. This move greatly disappointed O'Neill, who had intended to build a new Celtic team around Miller.


Manchester United

Miller joined Manchester United for free on 1 July 2004, at the expiration of his Celtic contract. He made his United debut on 11 August as a 67th-minute substitute for
Darren Fletcher Darren Barr Fletcher (born 1 February 1984) is a Scottish football coach and former professional player who is currently serving as a first-team coach at Manchester United, where he spent the majority of his playing career and won 13 trophies i ...
in a 2–1 win at
Dinamo Bucharest A dynamo is a magnetic device originally used as an electric generator. Dynamo or Dinamo may also refer to: Places * Dinamo (Moscow Metro), a station of the Moscow Metro, Moscow, Russia * Dinamo (Yekaterinburg Metro), a station of the Yekaterinb ...
in the first leg of the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Four days later he made his debut in England's top flight, starting in a 1–0 loss at eventual champions Chelsea on the opening day. He scored his first goal for the club on 26 October against
Crewe Alexandra Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
in the third round of the League Cup, finishing a pass by
David Bellion David Bellion (born 27 November 1982) is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker. His previous clubs include Cannes, Sunderland, Manchester United, West Ham United, Nice, Bordeaux and Red Star. Club career Cannes Bellio ...
in a 3–0 win at
Gresty Road Gresty Road or the Alexandra Stadium, currently known as the Mornflake Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a football stadium in Crewe, Cheshire, England. The home ground of Crewe Alexandra, it has an all-seated capacity of 10,153. History C ...
. After the start of his career for the Red Devils, he found first-team opportunities rare towards the end of the 2004–05 season. He was given a rare first-team start in January 2005 in an
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
tie against non-league
Exeter City Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Exeter, Devon, England. The team play in , the third level of the English football league system. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to ...
, but turned in a poor performance and was substituted in the second half. In his entire time at the club he made only 22 first-team appearances. Miller later commented that "Man Utd didn't work out but I have no regrets about giving it a go." On 4 November 2005, Miller joined
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
club
Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
on loan for three months, though this was later extended to the end of the 2005–06 season. He made his debut at
Elland Road Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the List of foot ...
the next day by starting in a goalless draw with
Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional association football club in Preston, Lancashire, England. They currently play in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English footbal ...
. Miller scored one goal during his time at Leeds, the winning goal in the 4–3 away win against
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, ...
on 19 November, this coming after Leeds had been 3–0 down with 19 minutes remaining. Miller featured in the
play-off final The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
on 21 May 2006, in which his team lost 3–0 to
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 he was substituted after 62 minutes for David Healy. During his time at
Elland Road Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the List of foot ...
, he had scored one goal in 28 games. In July 2006, ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' reported that Miller would be allowed to leave Manchester United, should the Red Devils receive a suitable offer. On 31 August 2006, he moved to newly relegated
Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
for free on a three-year deal, joining up with new Sunderland manager and former teammate
Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, former coach, and former professional player. He is best known for his career in the Premier League, in particular his captaincy of Manchester United. He is the joint most ...
. He left Manchester United after playing just nine league games in two seasons.


Sunderland

Miller made his debut for Sunderland in a 2–1 win over
Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club in Derby, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. One of the 12 founder members of the English Football ...
on 9 September 2006 at
Pride Park Stadium Pride Park Stadium is an all-seater football stadium in Derby, England, which is the home ground of English Football League club Derby County. With a capacity of 33,597, it is the 16th-largest football ground in England. Pride Park is a bus ...
, and scored his first goal in the following game against former team Leeds on 13 September in a 3–0 win, shooting across the goalkeeper from 14 yards. On 6 January 2007, he was sent off by referee Iain Williamson in the 37th minute of an
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
third round match against Preston, after receiving his second yellow card for a foul on
David Nugent David James Nugent (born 2 May 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker. He started his career in 2002 when he signed his first professional contract with Bury. He left the club in 2005, when he joined Pres ...
; Sunderland went on to lose the match 1–0. Sunderland ended the season as league champions, returning to the Premier League. Miller scored his first Premier League goal on 22 September 2007 against North-East rivals
Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
in the Tees-Wear derby; his 89th minute 20-yard left-footed shot sealed a 2–2 draw at the
Riverside Stadium The Riverside Stadium is a football stadium in Middlesbrough, England, which has been the home of Middlesbrough since its opening in 1995. It has an all-seated capacity of 34,742, although provisional planning permission is in place to expan ...
. He was sent off for the second time in his Sunderland career by Peter Walton; against Chelsea on 8 December for a push on
Claudio Pizarro Claudio Miguel Pizarro Bosio (; born 3 October 1978) is a Peruvian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football)#Striker, striker. He is currently serving as club ambassador for Bayern Muni ...
, as the Black Cats lost 2–0. In February 2008, Keane placed Miller on the transfer list after deeming him to be surplus to requirements. He was linked with a move to
Toronto FC Toronto Football Club is a Canadian professional Association football, soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matc ...
, a Canadian club with ties to former Sunderland players
Danny Dichio Daniele Salvatore Ernest Dichio (; born 19 October 1974) is an English retired professional association football, footballer and the manager of Detroit City FC. Dichio scored the first goal in Toronto FC history against the Chicago Fire S.C., ...
,
Carl Robinson Carl Philip Robinson (born 13 October 1976) is a Welsh former international footballer who played as a central midfielder. He is currently the assistant coach at Atlanta United FC. Early life Robinson was born and raised in Llandrindod Wells, ...
and Andy Welsh.


Queens Park Rangers

Miller received interest in January 2009 as Championship club
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
expressed their wishes to secure a loan deal. Sunderland manager
Ricky Sbragia Richard Sbragia (born 26 May 1956) is a Scottish football coach and former player. His playing career, mainly in the English lower leagues began at Birmingham City, Walsall, Blackpool, York City and a loan spell at Darlington. Sbragia had a b ...
said "There's been some interest in Liam from QPR, so something might happen there". On 15 January, Miller signed a permanent contract until the end of the season for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut 12 days later, starting in a 3–0 win at
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 ...
. On 19 May, QPR released Miller along with five other players.


Hibernian

Miller was left without a club after the summer transfer window closed on 31 August 2009, and he was training with clubs in Ireland to maintain his fitness. He called
Hibernian Hibernian may refer to: * Of Hibernia, Latin name for Ireland; hence ** Irish (disambiguation) Hibernian, Hibernians or The Hibernian may refer to: Sports clubs * Hibernian F.C., a Scottish football club, founded 1875 * Hibernian W.F.C., a Sc ...
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 ...
John Hughes John Hughes may refer to: Arts and Entertainment Literature *John Hughes (poet) (1677–1720), English poet *John Hughes (1790–1857), English author *John Ceiriog Hughes (1832–1887), Welsh poet *John Hughes (writer) (born 1961), Australian au ...
to offer his services. Hughes, who was surprised that Miller was available to him on a free transfer, offered a two-year contract that Miller signed on 11 September. Miller quickly established himself in the Hibs first team, with
Graham Spiers Graham Spiers is a Scottish sports journalist who writes for the Scottish edition of ''The Times'' newspaper. He has won Scotland's Sports Journalist of the Year award four times. Spiers grew up in Edinburgh, Fife and Glasgow, and attended the U ...
describing him as the "king of Hibs" after a 1–1 draw against
Rangers A ranger is typically someone in a law enforcement or military/paramilitary role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called "ranging" or "scouting". The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with prot ...
at Ibrox. His early performances for Hibs were rewarded with the SPL player of the month award for October 2009. On 20 February, he was sent off in the first half of a 1–0 loss at Motherwell for fouling Jim O'Brien. Despite a downturn in form, Hibs finished fourth in the
2009–10 Scottish Premier League The 2009–10 Scottish Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Scottish Premier League. Rangers were the defending champions and they retained the championship with three games to spare by winning 1–0 against Hibernian at Easter ...
and qualified for European competition. Miller was named in the
PFA Scotland Team of the Year The Professional Footballers' Association Scotland Team of the Year (often called the PFA Scotland Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 44 footballers in the four national tiers of the Scottish foo ...
for 2009–10. Miller's form also went into a slump during 2010, and poor results at the start of the 2010–11 season led to the departure of Hughes in October. Miller was sent off near the end of a 2–1 loss at Kilmarnock on 18 December for a foul on
Conor Sammon Conor Sammon (born 6 November 1986) is an Irish professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for Alloa Athletic F.C., Alloa Athletic. Sammon started his professional career in the League o ...
, but on appeal the punishment was reduced to a yellow card. New manager
Colin Calderwood Colin Calderwood (born 20 January 1965) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player. As a player, he was a centre-back who played in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa and in the Football League for Mansfi ...
signed three new midfielders in January 2011 and Miller was left out of the starting lineup for two games soon afterwards. Calderwood expressed hope that improved results would bring better form out of Miller, who he described as a top-level player. On 3 April, his penalty opened the scoring in a 2–2 draw against Hearts in the
Edinburgh derby The Edinburgh derby is an informal title given to any association football, football match played between Football in Scotland, Scottish clubs Heart of Midlothian F.C., Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) and Hibernian F.C., Hibernian (Hibs), the two o ...
at
Easter Road Easter Road is a football stadium located in the Leith area of Edinburgh, Scotland, which is the home ground of Scottish Premiership club Hibernian (Hibs). The stadium currently has an all-seated capacity of , which makes it the fifth-largest ...
. Miller expressed a desire to stay at Hibs in March 2011, but the two parties did not agree a new contract and he left at the end of the season.


Australia

Australian
A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
club
Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional Association football, soccer club based in Perth, Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under Professional sports league organi ...
signed Miller on a two-year contract on 3 June 2011. He made his debut on 9 October, playing the full 90 minutes as the season began with a 1–0 win over
Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional men's soccer club located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club was one of the eight founding members of the A-League Men and have competed in it concurrently since its formation, u ...
at the
Perth Oval Perth Rectangular Stadium (also known as HBF Park under naming rights) is a sports stadium in Perth, the capital of the Australian state of Western Australia. Located close to Perth's central business district, the stadium currently has a m ...
. On 20 November, he received a straight red card in the first half of a 2–2 draw at
Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victory ...
for denying
Archie Thompson Archie Gerald Thompson (born 23 October 1978) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He is also currently serving as a club ambassador for Melbourne Victory FC. Born in New Zealand, Thompson played youth foot ...
a clear goalscoring opportunity. He scored his first goal in Australia on 29 January 2012, concluding a 3–0 win at Adelaide. On 22 April, he played the entirety of the
2012 A-League Grand Final The 2012 A-League Grand Final was the seventh A-League Grand Final, which took place on 22 April 2012 at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane for the second year running. Brisbane Roar played in their second Grand Final in two years, and were aiming to ...
, which his team lost 2–1 at
Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is a professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. competing in Australia's premier men's competition, A-League Men, which is the top tier Australia's football pyramid. When Queensland Lions F.C. were ...
. A report from
Radio Australia ABC Radio Australia, also known as Radio Australia, is the international broadcasting and online service operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Australia's public broadcaster. Most programming is in English, with some in Tok ...
noted how Miller and midfield partner Jacob Burns were "outstanding in leading the Glory's well-structured and hardworking defensive set-up which stifled the Roar's fluid style", until he conceded a penalty with a foul on
Besart Berisha Besart Selim Berisha (born 29 July 1985) is a Kosovan professional football coach and former player who is the current assistant manager of Kosovo Superleague club Prishtina. Club career Youth and Hamburger SV Berisha began his youth career at ...
at the end of the match, from which the Brisbane player scored the winning goal. On 17 April 2013, it was announced Miller would not be signing a new deal with Perth, despite an offer being on the table. He joined Brisbane on a free transfer on a two-year deal on 22 May. Miller started for the A-League All Stars in the inaugural A-League All Stars Game against
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
on 20 July, losing 5–1 to his former team at the
Stadium Australia Stadium Australia, currently known as Accor Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the suburb of Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The stadium, which is sometimes referred to as Sydney Ol ...
in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
. On 4 May, he played in the
2014 A-League Grand Final The 2014 A-League Grand Final was the ninth A-League Grand Final, and was played on 4 May 2014, at Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane. The match was contested by the two winning semi-finalists, Brisbane Roar and Western Sydney Wanderers, who finished fir ...
at
Lang Park Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rectangular sporting st ...
, a 2–1 extra-time win over
Western Sydney Wanderers Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, Wanderers, or simply as WSW) is an Australian professional association football club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in t ...
. On 30 October 2014, Miller was released by Brisbane Roar after asking to have his contract terminated following being dropped from the squad for two games with no explanation, which he found unprofessional and disrespectful. Eleven days after leaving the Roar, Miller signed for another A-League club, Melbourne City, on a short-term contract as a National Replacement Player in place of
Aaron Mooy Aaron Frank Mooy (; ; born 15 September 1990) is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. He is considered to be one of the great Australian midfielders and one of Huddersfield Town's greatest players in rec ...
, joining fellow former Irish international
Damien Duff Damien Anthony Duff (born 2 March 1979) is an Irish professional manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player. He is the manager of League of Ireland club Shelbourne F.C., Shelbourne. He began his pro ...
. After playing a good game for on his short-term contract, Miller signed another contract with Melbourne City as an Injury Replacement Player in place of
Jonatan Germano Jonatan Miguel Germano (born 31 May 1988 in San Nicolás) is an Argentine-Australian footballer who currently plays for National Premier Leagues Victoria 3 club Preston Lions FC. Early life Germano's odyssey into football began when he joined ...
until the end of December.


Later career

Miller joined
League of Ireland The League of Ireland is a national association football Sports league, league consisting of professional clubs in the Republic of Ireland and Derry, Derry City in Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Football Association of Ireland. It was ...
outfit
Cork City Cork ( ; from , meaning 'marsh') is the second-largest city in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, the county town of County Cork, the largest city in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the List of settlements on the island of Ireland ...
on 15 January 2015, choosing his hometown club over several offers in Asia. Miller made his debut on 7 March as the season began with a 1–1 draw at
Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers Football Club is an Irish professional association football, football club playing in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland. The club is based in Sligo in the west of Ireland. The club was founded in 1928 and have been in ...
. Miller was a regular in his only season at Turners Cross, in which his team finished as runners-up in the league and the
FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Sports Direct FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as D ...
to
Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ) is the county town of County Louth, Ireland. The town is situated on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the north-east coast of Ireland, and is halfway between Dublin and Belfast, close to and south of the bor ...
, and on 19 January 2016 he chose to leave. He signed with American third-tier
United Soccer League The United Soccer League (USL) is an organizer of various professional and amateur soccer leagues in the United States league system. It currently organizes its Championship, League One, and League Two for men, its Super League and W Leag ...
side
Wilmington Hammerheads Wilmington Hammerheads FC was a semi-professional American soccer team based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1996, the team last competed in the Premier Development League, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid in 2017. Histor ...
on 18 February 2016. He made 27 total appearances for the
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
–based club, scoring a last-minute equaliser in a 2–2 draw at
Orlando City B Orlando City B (or OCB for short) is an American soccer club that began play in 2016 and currently plays in MLS Next Pro. Owned by Orlando City SC and based at the Orlando City training facility in Kissimmee, the club plays its home games at ...
on 24 July. In 2017, Miller held an assistant coaching role at
Real Monarchs Real Monarchs is a professional soccer club playing in the MLS Next Pro, a third division league of American soccer. The team is an affiliate of the Major League Soccer (MLS) club Real Salt Lake. Real Monarchs are based in the Real Salt Lake ...
, a USL affiliate of
Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...
. He left in November due to his cancer treatment.


International career

Miller was part of the Irish squad that won the UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship in 1998. He made nine appearances for the Republic of Ireland at under-16 level. He then progressed to the Ireland under-21 team. He was fielded in a game against
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
in 2003 despite having been suspended after receiving two yellow cards in
UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...
games against
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
and Albania. The
Football Association of Ireland The Football Association of Ireland (FAI; ) is the governing body for association football in the Republic of Ireland. Organisation The FAI has an executive committee of five members under the president, who receive expenses, as well as a p ...
admitted the mistake and apologised to
UEFA The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
. Miller's debut for the senior team came on 31 March 2004 against
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
in a 2–1 win at
Lansdowne Road Lansdowne Road Stadium (, ) was a stadium in Dublin owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that was primarily used for rugby union and association football matches. The stadium was demolished in 2007 to make way for the Aviva Stadium on ...
; he came on as a substitute for
Matt Holland Matthew Rhys Holland (born 11 April 1974) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is a director and club ambassador at Ipswich Town. Holland began his career at West Ham United, having previously been with Arsenal's ...
. His first goal for Ireland came in a 3–0 win over
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
on 1 March 2006 where he made a run and a 25-yard shot rifled into the top of the net. Despite Miller being without a club during the summer of 2009,
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 ...
Giovanni Trapattoni Giovanni Trapattoni (; born 17 March 1939), popularly nicknamed "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian former Association football, football manager and former player, considered the most successful club coach of Football in Italy, Italian football ...
continued to select him for the Ireland squad. Miller later commented that "I am very grateful to the manager. He didn't need to pick me in the squad but he showed faith in me and I'm delighted with that".


Personal life

Miller and his wife Clare had three children together – two sons and a daughter.


Death

In November 2017, it was made public that Miller was receiving treatment for
pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...
. He had
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...
at the
Huntsman Cancer Institute Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) is an NCI-designated cancer research facility and hospital located on the campus of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center ...
in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
before returning to Ireland. He died on 9 February 2018, only four days shy of his 37th birthday. A benefit football match was played on 25 September 2018, with the intention of raising funds for Miller's family and charities. The
Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...
permitted the game to be played at
Páirc Uí Chaoimh Páirc Uí Chaoimh ( ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Cork, Ireland. Often referred to simply as "The Park", it is the home of Cork GAA and is located in Ballintemple, near the site of the original Cork Athletic Grounds. In February 2024, follo ...
in Cork, which would not normally have been allowed under GAA rules. The match, between a Manchester United XI and a team composed of former Celtic and Republic of Ireland players, ended with the United XI winning on penalties following a 2–2 draw.


Career statistics


Club


International

:''Score and result list Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after Miller goal.''


Honours

Celtic *
Scottish Premier League The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was the Scottish football league system, top-level league competition for professional Association football, football clubs in Scotland. The league was founded in 1998, when it broke away from the Scottish Foo ...
: 2003–04 Sunderland *
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
: 2006–07 Brisbane Roar *
A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...
Championship: 2013–14 *A-League Premiership: 2013–14 Republic of Ireland U16 *
UEFA European Under-16 Championship The UEFA European Under-17 Championship, or simply the Euro Under-17, is an annual Association football, football competition contested by the men's under-17 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Spain national under-17 football team, ...
:
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
Individual * PFA Scotland Premier League Team of the Year: 2009–10 * A-League All Star:
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...


References


External links

*
Ireland stats
at 11v11 {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Liam 1981 births 2018 deaths Association footballers from Cork (city) A-League Men players A-League Men All-Stars Brisbane Roar FC players Perth Glory FC players Men's association football midfielders Republic of Ireland men's association footballers Republic of Ireland men's youth international footballers Republic of Ireland men's under-21 international footballers Republic of Ireland men's international footballers Celtic F.C. players Aarhus Gymnastikforening players Manchester United F.C. players Leeds United F.C. players Sunderland A.F.C. players Queens Park Rangers F.C. players Hibernian F.C. players Melbourne City FC players Cork City F.C. players Wilmington Hammerheads FC players Scottish Premier League players Danish Superliga players Premier League players English Football League players League of Ireland players USL Championship players Republic of Ireland expatriate men's association footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's soccer players in Australia Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States Irish expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Irish expatriate sportspeople in England Irish expatriate sportspeople in Australia Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Deaths from pancreatic cancer in the Republic of Ireland Irish people of Scottish descent 21st-century Irish sportsmen