Post by QPR Report on May 28, 2009 11:39:11 GMT
Setanta
The Fallen Star of Liam Miller
by Gareth Maher , 28 May 2009
On Friday evening, Liam Miller will be given a rare chance to impress when the Republic of Ireland take on Nigeria in a friendly.
Having started his career with such a glowing reputation, the 28-year-old has tumbled way down the pecking order for both club and country. Actually, he doesn't have a club right after being released by QPR.
As he trots out to win his 20th cap for his country in a friendly match that is being used to test newer squad members, Miller can be forgiven if he finds himself wondering 'Where did it all go wrong?'
The Cork-born player followed a similar route to many Irish youngsters when he was starting out by signing with Scottish giants Celtic. After working his way up through their youth ranks, he broke through into the first-team and made an immediate impact.
Celtic were reluctant to over-use him as they viewed Miller as a player that they could eventually build their midfield around, but he quickly grew impatient with his limited game-time - mounting speculation of other clubs interested in him also added to this.
It wasn't long after Sir Alex Ferguson was spotted at Parkhead to see the precise passer put in an excellent shift in a Uefa Champions League match that he signed a pre-contract agreement with Manchester United.
Around the same time, Miller was the star player for the Ireland U-21's, often playing in midfield alongside Glenn Whelan, who has now surpassed him to arguably become the first-choice central midfielder for Irish boss Giovanni Trapattoni.
Things didn't work out at Old Trafford for the soft-spoken player and after a few frustrating seasons as well as a successful loan spell with Leeds United, he moved to Sunderland. The change did him a lot of good as he started to produce noteworthy performances again.
Miller's talent is obvious - he possesses a deft first touch and a superb range of passing - but there is something missing from his game that restricts him from becoming that top class player that Ferguson, Martin O'Neill, and Roy Keane all thought he would morph into.
He became a victim of Keane's rotational policy at Sunderland before falling out with him over 'timekeeping'. In fairness to Miller, he worked hard and fought his way back into team before Keane stepped down as manager. It was clear from the very start that he wasn't going to be used much under caretaker boss Ricky Sbragia, so he opted to join QPR in January.
Sadly this move didn't quite go to plan either and his bad luck continued, because he was now relegated to fourth choice central midfielder for Ireland with the aforementioned Whelan, Keith Andrews, and Darron Gibson all skipping ahead of him.
With more players already pushing for a squad place (Keith Fahey, Chris McCann, Owen Garvan all spring to mind), he could be in danger of slipping out of the international fold unless he produces an outstanding display on Friday.
He has stated that his agent has been contacted by a number of clubs, two of which are in the Premier League, and that he hopes to resolve that issue as quickly as possible.
In order for him to save his career, Miller needs to pick the right club, ensure that he plays regularly, and then he might just do what he has threatened to over the past few years and emerge as a dominant midfielder for club and country.
www.setanta.com/uk/Blogs/Gareth-Maher/2009/05/The-Fallen-Star-of-Liam-Miller/
The Fallen Star of Liam Miller
by Gareth Maher , 28 May 2009
On Friday evening, Liam Miller will be given a rare chance to impress when the Republic of Ireland take on Nigeria in a friendly.
Having started his career with such a glowing reputation, the 28-year-old has tumbled way down the pecking order for both club and country. Actually, he doesn't have a club right after being released by QPR.
As he trots out to win his 20th cap for his country in a friendly match that is being used to test newer squad members, Miller can be forgiven if he finds himself wondering 'Where did it all go wrong?'
The Cork-born player followed a similar route to many Irish youngsters when he was starting out by signing with Scottish giants Celtic. After working his way up through their youth ranks, he broke through into the first-team and made an immediate impact.
Celtic were reluctant to over-use him as they viewed Miller as a player that they could eventually build their midfield around, but he quickly grew impatient with his limited game-time - mounting speculation of other clubs interested in him also added to this.
It wasn't long after Sir Alex Ferguson was spotted at Parkhead to see the precise passer put in an excellent shift in a Uefa Champions League match that he signed a pre-contract agreement with Manchester United.
Around the same time, Miller was the star player for the Ireland U-21's, often playing in midfield alongside Glenn Whelan, who has now surpassed him to arguably become the first-choice central midfielder for Irish boss Giovanni Trapattoni.
Things didn't work out at Old Trafford for the soft-spoken player and after a few frustrating seasons as well as a successful loan spell with Leeds United, he moved to Sunderland. The change did him a lot of good as he started to produce noteworthy performances again.
Miller's talent is obvious - he possesses a deft first touch and a superb range of passing - but there is something missing from his game that restricts him from becoming that top class player that Ferguson, Martin O'Neill, and Roy Keane all thought he would morph into.
He became a victim of Keane's rotational policy at Sunderland before falling out with him over 'timekeeping'. In fairness to Miller, he worked hard and fought his way back into team before Keane stepped down as manager. It was clear from the very start that he wasn't going to be used much under caretaker boss Ricky Sbragia, so he opted to join QPR in January.
Sadly this move didn't quite go to plan either and his bad luck continued, because he was now relegated to fourth choice central midfielder for Ireland with the aforementioned Whelan, Keith Andrews, and Darron Gibson all skipping ahead of him.
With more players already pushing for a squad place (Keith Fahey, Chris McCann, Owen Garvan all spring to mind), he could be in danger of slipping out of the international fold unless he produces an outstanding display on Friday.
He has stated that his agent has been contacted by a number of clubs, two of which are in the Premier League, and that he hopes to resolve that issue as quickly as possible.
In order for him to save his career, Miller needs to pick the right club, ensure that he plays regularly, and then he might just do what he has threatened to over the past few years and emerge as a dominant midfielder for club and country.
www.setanta.com/uk/Blogs/Gareth-Maher/2009/05/The-Fallen-Star-of-Liam-Miller/