Alan John Miller (29 March 1970 – 3 June 2021) was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He played in the Premier League for Arsenal, Middlesbrough and Coventry City, but made most appearances for West Bromwich Albion, with 108 First Division appearances over two spells. He also played in the Football League for Plymouth Argyle, Birmingham City, Grimsby Town, Bristol City and Blackburn Rovers, as well as in the Scottish Premier League for St Johnstone. He represented England at schoolboy, under-16 and under-21 levels.

Life and career

Alan John Miller was born on 29 March 1970 in Epping, Essex, and attended Epping Forest High School at nearby Loughton. He was selected for the Football Association's School of Excellence at Lilleshall as an Arsenal-associated schoolboy in 1984, and was capped by England at schoolboy and under-16 level. He signed for Arsenal as a trainee ahead of the 1986–87 season, and was a member of their FA Youth Cup-winning team of 1988. He made four appearances for the England under-21 team. He turned professional in 1988, but with John Lukic and then David Seaman on the staff, first-team opportunities were rare. He had loan spells with Plymouth Argyle, West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City, whom he helped gain promotion from the Third Division in 1991–92. He finally made his Arsenal debut on 21 November 1992 away to Leeds United, replacing the injured Seaman to become the first Arsenal goalkeeper to come on as a substitute, and made another seven appearances over the next two seasons. He won FA Cup and League Cup winners' medals in 1992–93 and a European Cup Winners' Cup medal in 1993–94, each time as an unused substitute. In August 1994, wanting first-team football, Miller signed for Middlesbrough; a Football League tribunal set the fee at an initial £325,000, plus £100,000 in the event of his 50th appearance. winning a First Division winners' medal in his first season. However, he lost his place to Gary Walsh through injury in September 1995 and played only three more Premiership matches that season. After beginning the 1996–97 season as first choice, Miller was one of several players made available for transfer in October to raise funds to strengthen the struggling Middlesbrough defence. After spells on loan at Huddersfield Town and Grimsby Town, and following the arrival of goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer at Middlesbrough, Miller joined West Bromwich Albion in February 1997, initially on loan. The move was made permanent for a £500,000 fee just before the transfer deadline. He was undisputed first choice for his first full season, and his performances earned him the club's Player of the Year award and inclusion in the First Division PFA Team of the Year. Despite complications from a hernia operation that meant he missed pre-season, Miller was a regular in the side until a succession of minor injuries combined with the performances of stand-in Phil Whitehead kept him out for the second half of the 1998–99 season, and was transfer-listed ahead of the 1999–2000 season. Nevertheless, he began the season as first choice, and played until the end of the year, but contract talks came to nothing, and in February 2000, he moved on. Miller joined First Division rivals Blackburn Rovers on a three-and-a-half-year contract; the initial £50,000 fee could rise to £70,000 depending on appearances. He made only two, against Sheffield United in the league and Portsmouth in the League Cup. He went on loan to Bristol City and Coventry City during 2000–01. His only appearance for Coventry was as a substitute against Chelsea after Chris Kirkland was sent off with the score goalless; Coventry lost 6–1. In October 2001, he was loaned to Scottish Premiership club St Johnstone, where he played regularly until being recalled as back-up to Brad Friedel because of injury to the regular second-choice goalkeeper Alan Kelly ahead of the 2002 Football League Cup Final, which Blackburn won. Miller retired from football in 2003 after failing to overcome a back injury. Miller later lived in Holkham, Norfolk, where he worked as business development manager at Holkham Hall. He died at Holkham on 3 June 2021, aged 51.

Career statistics

Honours

Arsenal Middlesbrough Blackburn Rovers Individual

Sources