Mike Milligan (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Michael Milligan is a former English footballer of Irish
descent.
He left school in 1983 and signed for Oldham Athletic, establishing himself as a regular midfielder in the later part of the 1980s and helping them reach the FA Cup
semi-final and Football League Cup
final (which they lost to Nottingham Forest
) in the 1989-90
. After the end of the season, he signed for Everton in a £1million deal, but the move was not a success and after just one season at Goodison Park
, Joe Royle
bought him back to Oldham, who had just returned to the top flight after a 68-year exile.
Milligan resumed his key role in the Oldham side that survived three seasons in the top flight (Premier League from 1992), helping them reach another FA Cup semi final in 1994, before leaving to join Norwich City
after Oldham's relegation from the Premiership
. He remained at Carrow Road
until 2000, when he signed for Blackpool
. At Bloomfield Road
, he helped Steve McMahon
's side win the Division Three
playoffs and survive in Division Two before finally retiring in the summer of 2002, aged 35, after a career spanning 19 years. At Blackpool he scored once, in a 6-0 win over Scunthorpe United.
He played once for the Republic of Ireland
in 1992, once for the Republic of Ireland U21
and twice for the Republic of Ireland B
.
Blackpool
season and made his debut the season after
, before becoming a first team regular by the time of his 20th birthday in February 1987. He helped the Latics reach the Football League Cup
final in 1989-90
, where they lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest
, as well as reaching the FA Cup
semi finals where they held Manchester United
to a 3-3 draw before losing the replay 2-1.
However, the Latics were still in the Second Division in 1990 despite having looked like promotion contenders more than once since Milligan's debut five years earlier. When Everton
manager Colin Harvey
made a £1million bid for him, he accepted the offer and headed to Goodison Park
on 24 August 1990. Unfortunately, his time at Everton was not a success as the Toffees endured a terrible start to the season and Harvey was replaced by Howard Kendall
as manager in early November 1990. Everton's form improved and they climbed from 18th in early November to ninth in the final table, as well as reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals and eliminating neighbours Liverpool
on the way, but Milligan failed to perform well on the pitch and made 17 appearances, scoring once, during a frustrating league campaign.
Meanwhile, Joe Royle
had guided Oldham to the Second Division title and ended their 68-year absence from the First Division in 1990-91
, and he secured Milligan's return to Boundary Park on 17 July 1991 for a club record fee of £600,000.
Milligan carried on where he had left off on his return to Oldham, being a key part of their midfield as they survived three seasons in the top flight and reached an FA Cup semi-final in the 1993-94
season, only being denied a Wembley
final appearance when a Mark Hughes
equaliser for Manchester United held them to a 1-1 draw in the first game before they were finally crushed 4-1 in the Maine Road
replay.
Oldham went down from the Premier League at the end of the 1993-94 season and Milligan was determined to remain at the top level. His wish was granted on 27 June 1994 when he signed for Norwich City in an £800,000 deal.http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=42179
Milligan had a fine start to his career at Carrow Road
, as Norwich entered the Christmas
period just outside the top five and with ambitions of a UEFA Cup
place. But they suddenly went into freefall, won only one of their final 20 league games, and plummeted to 20th place and relegation. Manager John Deehan
resigned a month before relegation was confirmed, replaced on a caretaker basis by Gary Megson
until the job went to Martin O'Neill
after the season's end. O'Neill left in December 1995 to take over at Leicester City
, with Gary Megson
returning for a second brief spell at the helm as the Canaries finished 16th after some early promise.
Mike Walker was Norwich's manager from the start of the 1996-97 season
, and like the previous managers selected Milligan as a regular in central midfield. However, Walker had gone within two years and new manager Bruce Rioch
gave Milligan fewer first team chances, as he appeared just twice in the 1998-99 season
and 11 times in 1999-2000
. He finally left Norwich on 24 July 2000 after six years (by which time he was one of their last players from the Premier League era as they still languished in Division One) to sign for Blackpool on a free transfer after their relegation to Division Three.http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=42180
In Milligan's first season at Bloomfield Road
, he helped them secure qualification for the Division Three playoffs and they won the final to secure an immediate return to Division Two. After contributing to their survival in the 2001-02 season
, he retired from playing to call time on a career which had spanned nearly 20 years.
Milligan had been capped once by the Republic of Ireland at full level (by Jack Charlton
in 1992), having made a solitary appearance as an U-21 in 1986 and another as a "B" international in 1990.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
descent.
He left school in 1983 and signed for Oldham Athletic, establishing himself as a regular midfielder in the later part of the 1980s and helping them reach the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-final and Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
final (which they lost to Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
) in the 1989-90
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
. After the end of the season, he signed for Everton in a £1million deal, but the move was not a success and after just one season at Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
, Joe Royle
Joe Royle
Joseph "Joe" Royle is an English football manager. In his club career, he played for Everton , Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the England national team...
bought him back to Oldham, who had just returned to the top flight after a 68-year exile.
Milligan resumed his key role in the Oldham side that survived three seasons in the top flight (Premier League from 1992), helping them reach another FA Cup semi final in 1994, before leaving to join Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
after Oldham's relegation from the Premiership
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
. He remained at Carrow Road
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is a football stadium in Norwich, England, and is the home of Norwich City Football Club. The stadium is located toward the easterly end of the city, not far from Norwich railway station and the River Wensum....
until 2000, when he signed for Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
. At Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
, he helped Steve McMahon
Steve McMahon
Stephen Joseph McMahon is an English former football midfielder who most notably played for Liverpool in the late 1980s...
's side win the Division Three
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
playoffs and survive in Division Two before finally retiring in the summer of 2002, aged 35, after a career spanning 19 years. At Blackpool he scored once, in a 6-0 win over Scunthorpe United.
He played once for the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
in 1992, once for the Republic of Ireland U21
Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team
The Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of the Republic of Ireland and is controlled by the Football Association of Ireland and competes in the biennial European Under-21 Football Championship and has competed since 1978.-Competition...
and twice for the Republic of Ireland B
Republic of Ireland B national football team
Republic of Ireland B is the reserve team of the Republic of Ireland national football team. There are no competitions for B teams. However since 1957 the Football Association of Ireland has arranged occasional friendlies.-Early B internationals:...
.
Honours
BlackpoolBlackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
- Division ThreeFootball League Third DivisionThe Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
play-off final:- Winner (1): 2000–012000-01 in English footballThe 2000–01 season was the 121st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Manchester United secured their 3rd Premiership title in succession and their 7th title in just nine seasons...
- Winner (1): 2000–01
- Football League TrophyFootball League TrophyThe Football League Trophy, currently known as the Johnstone's Paint Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is an annual English association football knock-out competition open to the 48 clubs in Football League One and Football League Two, the bottom two divisions in the four fully professional top...
:- Winner (1): 2001–022001-02 in English footballThe 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the...
- Winner (1): 2001–02
Playing career
After beginning his playing career in Oldham Athletic's youth team on leaving school in 1983, he turned professional in the 1984-851984-85 in English football
The 1984–85 season was the 105th season of competitive football in England.-Bradford City disaster:56 spectators died and more than 200 were injured when a fire ripped through the Main Stand at Valley Parade during Bradford City's Third Division fixture with Lincoln City on 11 May...
season and made his debut the season after
1985-86 in English football
The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The championship crown went to Liverpool for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to...
, before becoming a first team regular by the time of his 20th birthday in February 1987. He helped the Latics reach the Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
final in 1989-90
1989-90 in English football
-European competitions:English clubs were still banned from competing in European competitions following the Heysel Stadium disaster.- First Division :...
, where they lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, as well as reaching the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi finals where they held Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
to a 3-3 draw before losing the replay 2-1.
However, the Latics were still in the Second Division in 1990 despite having looked like promotion contenders more than once since Milligan's debut five years earlier. When Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
manager Colin Harvey
Colin Harvey
Colin Harvey is a retired English footballer who is best known for his time as a player, coach and manager with Everton. He is married to Maureen and lives in Aughton, Lancashire.- Playing career :...
made a £1million bid for him, he accepted the offer and headed to Goodison Park
Goodison Park
Goodison Park is a football stadium located in Walton, Liverpool, England. The stadium has been home to Everton F.C. since its completion in 1892 and is one of the world's first purpose-built football grounds...
on 24 August 1990. Unfortunately, his time at Everton was not a success as the Toffees endured a terrible start to the season and Harvey was replaced by Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall
Howard Kendall is an English football manager and former player. He is most famous for his connection to Everton, a club that he both played for and managed. His uncle Harry Taylor played for Newcastle United and Fulham in the 1950s....
as manager in early November 1990. Everton's form improved and they climbed from 18th in early November to ninth in the final table, as well as reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals and eliminating neighbours Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
on the way, but Milligan failed to perform well on the pitch and made 17 appearances, scoring once, during a frustrating league campaign.
Meanwhile, Joe Royle
Joe Royle
Joseph "Joe" Royle is an English football manager. In his club career, he played for Everton , Manchester City, Bristol City, Norwich City, and the England national team...
had guided Oldham to the Second Division title and ended their 68-year absence from the First Division in 1990-91
1990-91 in English football
The 1990–91 season was the 111th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Arsenal won the league. Runners-up spot was achieved by Liverpool, who had led the table for much of the first half of the season but had been shell-shocked in February by the sudden resignation of manager...
, and he secured Milligan's return to Boundary Park on 17 July 1991 for a club record fee of £600,000.
Milligan carried on where he had left off on his return to Oldham, being a key part of their midfield as they survived three seasons in the top flight and reached an FA Cup semi-final in the 1993-94
1993-94 in English football
The 1993-1994 season was the 114th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:From the start of this season, the FA Premier League would be sponsored by Carling Breweries - an association which would last for eight years...
season, only being denied a Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
final appearance when a Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
equaliser for Manchester United held them to a 1-1 draw in the first game before they were finally crushed 4-1 in the Maine Road
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England that was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003...
replay.
Oldham went down from the Premier League at the end of the 1993-94 season and Milligan was determined to remain at the top level. His wish was granted on 27 June 1994 when he signed for Norwich City in an £800,000 deal.http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=42179
Milligan had a fine start to his career at Carrow Road
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is a football stadium in Norwich, England, and is the home of Norwich City Football Club. The stadium is located toward the easterly end of the city, not far from Norwich railway station and the River Wensum....
, as Norwich entered the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
period just outside the top five and with ambitions of a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place. But they suddenly went into freefall, won only one of their final 20 league games, and plummeted to 20th place and relegation. Manager John Deehan
John Deehan
John Matthew Deehan is an English former footballer who in recent years has had several spells in coaching and management. He is currently unemployed having previously held the position of Director of football at Grimsby Town....
resigned a month before relegation was confirmed, replaced on a caretaker basis by Gary Megson
Gary Megson
Gary John Megson is an English former football player and is currently manager of Sheffield Wednesday.He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Bolton Wanderers...
until the job went to Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
after the season's end. O'Neill left in December 1995 to take over at Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, with Gary Megson
Gary Megson
Gary John Megson is an English former football player and is currently manager of Sheffield Wednesday.He has previously managed Norwich City, Blackpool, Stockport County, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City and Bolton Wanderers...
returning for a second brief spell at the helm as the Canaries finished 16th after some early promise.
Mike Walker was Norwich's manager from the start of the 1996-97 season
1996-97 in English football
The 1996–1997 season was the 117th season of competitive football in England.Arrival into the league and exit out of the league returns in the fourth tier for the first time after its 3 season absence with only 1 relegation spot.- Premier League :...
, and like the previous managers selected Milligan as a regular in central midfield. However, Walker had gone within two years and new manager Bruce Rioch
Bruce Rioch
Bruce David Rioch is an English-born football manager and former player. He was manager of Aalborg BK in the Danish Superliga, until his sacking on 23 October 2008....
gave Milligan fewer first team chances, as he appeared just twice in the 1998-99 season
1998-99 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
and 11 times in 1999-2000
1999-2000 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United were crowned FA Premier League champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and with just 3 league defeats all season. This was despite their failure to retain the European Cup and withdrawal from the FA Cup in order to compete in the FIFA Club World...
. He finally left Norwich on 24 July 2000 after six years (by which time he was one of their last players from the Premier League era as they still languished in Division One) to sign for Blackpool on a free transfer after their relegation to Division Three.http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=42180
In Milligan's first season at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
, he helped them secure qualification for the Division Three playoffs and they won the final to secure an immediate return to Division Two. After contributing to their survival in the 2001-02 season
2001-02 in English football
The 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the...
, he retired from playing to call time on a career which had spanned nearly 20 years.
Milligan had been capped once by the Republic of Ireland at full level (by Jack Charlton
Jack Charlton
John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...
in 1992), having made a solitary appearance as an U-21 in 1986 and another as a "B" international in 1990.
Career statistics
| Club | |League | FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... | League Cup Football League Cup The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis... | Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic A.F.C. Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league... | 1985–90 | 162 | 17 | 12 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 194 | 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everton Everton F.C. Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football... |
1990–91 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| Oldham Athletic | 1991–94 | 117 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 137 | 7 |
| Norwich City Norwich City F.C. Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The... |
1994–00 | 124 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 142 | 5 |
| Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... |
2000–02 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 1 |
| Total | 448 | 30 | 38 | 1 | 45 | 2 | 521 | 33 | |