Paul Millar
Encyclopedia
Paul William Millar is a Northern Irish football player turned manager, currently manager of Larne
.
As a player, he played in Midfield
and attack. He started at Glentoran
, moving on to Portadown
, before signing with Port Vale
in 1988. Three years later he transferred to Cardiff City
. In 1995 he left the Football League
to return to Ireland, signing with Linfield
and later returned to Wales to play for Bangor
. He also won youth caps for his country, and also earned a Northern Ireland B
cap.
As a manager, he was appointed manager of Bangor, before moving on to Ballymena United
. In 2005 he was made manager of Newry City
, moving on to Glentoran
the next season, and then returning to the management position at Bangor in 2007. In 2008, he was appointed manager at Larne
.
, after scoring 15 goals in 28 appearances, he moved to Portadown
. The young forward was selected as the Irish Young Footballer of the Year in 1986. He joined Port Vale
in the English
Third Division
for £20,000 in December 1988. After playing just one reserve team
game he seriously damaged his knee ligaments in training and after recovering finally made his debut in a 1–1 home draw with Middlesbrough
on 30 October 1989, coming on as a substitute. With Vale now competing in the Second Division
he struggled to gain a place in the first team and was loaned to Fourth Division
Hereford United
in October 1990, returning to Vale the next month after two goals in five games. Overall he made 44 appearances for the Vale, though most of these were as a substitute. He was sold to Cardiff City
for £60,000 in August 1991.
He made over 100 appearances in four years with the Welsh
club, but returned to Northern Ireland in 1995, signing with Linfield
. He later became a player-manager, increasingly focussing on the management side of the game.
, Ballymena
and Brantwood
, where he gained his European A Coaching Licence. He took up a full-time managerial position at IFA Premiership
side Newry City
in November 2005, getting the club into the top six in his first season.
Following the resignation of Roy Coyle
, he was appointed as the manager of Glentoran
in February 2006. Manager of the month in March 2006, he picked up the award for a second successive month after Glens secured 2nd place in the league. The 2006–07 season started with Millar's side clear at the top, but a slump in the second half of the season saw them runners-up in the league for the second successive season. He was sacked in May 2007 after just 16 months in the job, he claimed he could "leave with his head held high" after securing a UEFA Cup spot. A week later he returned to Bangor
, but quit that post in May 2008 after claiming an eight-match suspension handed to him by the Irish Football Association
hindered his ability to manage the club.
He is currently manager of IFA Championship side Larne
after signing for them in December 2008.
with Glentoran
Larne F.C.
Larne F.C. is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1889, hails from Larne and plays its home matches at Inver Park. Club colours are red and white...
.
As a player, he played in Midfield
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and attack. He started at Glentoran
Glentoran F.C.
Glentoran F.C. is a semi-professional, football club in Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 and plays its home games at the Oval in east Belfast. Club colours are green, red, and black.Glentoran's biggest rivals are Linfield...
, moving on to Portadown
Portadown F.C.
Portadown F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club which plays in the IFA Premiership.The club was founded in the late 1880s and joined the Irish League in 1924. It is based in Portadown in County Armagh and plays its home games at Shamrock Park...
, before signing with Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
in 1988. Three years later he transferred to Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
. In 1995 he left the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
to return to Ireland, signing with Linfield
Linfield F.C.
Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....
and later returned to Wales to play for Bangor
Bangor F.C.
Bangor Football Club is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1918, hails from Bangor and plays its home matches at Clandeboye Park. Club colours are gold and royal blue...
. He also won youth caps for his country, and also earned a Northern Ireland B
Northern Ireland B national football team
Northern Ireland B is a secondary football team run occasionally as support for the Northern Ireland national football team. Primarily seen as a stepping-stone between the Under-21 and Full international teams, the matches are also used to give a run-out for fringe players and to honour Irish...
cap.
As a manager, he was appointed manager of Bangor, before moving on to Ballymena United
Ballymena United F.C.
Ballymena United, is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club hails from the town of Ballymena, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Ballymena Showgrounds. Club colours are sky blue and white. Away Colours are Red and BlackThe club was...
. In 2005 he was made manager of Newry City
Newry City F.C.
Newry City is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1923, is based in Newry, County Down and plays its home matches at The Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white...
, moving on to Glentoran
Glentoran F.C.
Glentoran F.C. is a semi-professional, football club in Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 and plays its home games at the Oval in east Belfast. Club colours are green, red, and black.Glentoran's biggest rivals are Linfield...
the next season, and then returning to the management position at Bangor in 2007. In 2008, he was appointed manager at Larne
Larne F.C.
Larne F.C. is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1889, hails from Larne and plays its home matches at Inver Park. Club colours are red and white...
.
Playing career
Millar started his career with GlentoranGlentoran F.C.
Glentoran F.C. is a semi-professional, football club in Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 and plays its home games at the Oval in east Belfast. Club colours are green, red, and black.Glentoran's biggest rivals are Linfield...
, after scoring 15 goals in 28 appearances, he moved to Portadown
Portadown F.C.
Portadown F.C. is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club which plays in the IFA Premiership.The club was founded in the late 1880s and joined the Irish League in 1924. It is based in Portadown in County Armagh and plays its home games at Shamrock Park...
. The young forward was selected as the Irish Young Footballer of the Year in 1986. He joined Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
in the English
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
Third Division
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...
for £20,000 in December 1988. After playing just one reserve team
Reserve team
Large professional sports clubs often have far more players under contract than could possibly play in a match. As a result, many of these clubs create second teams composed of players who need playing time, but have little hope of playing on the first team. The players on this second team are...
game he seriously damaged his knee ligaments in training and after recovering finally made his debut in a 1–1 home draw with Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
on 30 October 1989, coming on as a substitute. With Vale now competing in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
he struggled to gain a place in the first team and was loaned to Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
in October 1990, returning to Vale the next month after two goals in five games. Overall he made 44 appearances for the Vale, though most of these were as a substitute. He was sold to Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
for £60,000 in August 1991.
He made over 100 appearances in four years with the Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
club, but returned to Northern Ireland in 1995, signing with Linfield
Linfield F.C.
Linfield F.C. , is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club, whose home ground is Windsor Park in Belfast, which is also the home of the Northern Ireland international team....
. He later became a player-manager, increasingly focussing on the management side of the game.
Management career
Millar had player-manager roles at BangorBangor F.C.
Bangor Football Club is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1918, hails from Bangor and plays its home matches at Clandeboye Park. Club colours are gold and royal blue...
, Ballymena
Ballymena United F.C.
Ballymena United, is a semi-professional, Northern Irish football club playing in the IFA Premiership. The club hails from the town of Ballymena, County Antrim and plays its home matches at Ballymena Showgrounds. Club colours are sky blue and white. Away Colours are Red and BlackThe club was...
and Brantwood
Brantwood F.C.
Brantwood is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in the Ballymena & Provincial Intermediate League. The club, founded in 1901, hails from Belfast and plays its home matches at Skegoneill Avenue. Club colours are royal blue...
, where he gained his European A Coaching Licence. He took up a full-time managerial position at IFA Premiership
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
side Newry City
Newry City F.C.
Newry City is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1923, is based in Newry, County Down and plays its home matches at The Showgrounds. Club colours are blue and white...
in November 2005, getting the club into the top six in his first season.
Following the resignation of Roy Coyle
Roy Coyle
Roy Coyle is a former Northern Ireland international footballer and the most successful manager in the history of the Irish Football League.-Playing career:...
, he was appointed as the manager of Glentoran
Glentoran F.C.
Glentoran F.C. is a semi-professional, football club in Northern Ireland. The club was founded in 1882 and plays its home games at the Oval in east Belfast. Club colours are green, red, and black.Glentoran's biggest rivals are Linfield...
in February 2006. Manager of the month in March 2006, he picked up the award for a second successive month after Glens secured 2nd place in the league. The 2006–07 season started with Millar's side clear at the top, but a slump in the second half of the season saw them runners-up in the league for the second successive season. He was sacked in May 2007 after just 16 months in the job, he claimed he could "leave with his head held high" after securing a UEFA Cup spot. A week later he returned to Bangor
Bangor F.C.
Bangor Football Club is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1918, hails from Bangor and plays its home matches at Clandeboye Park. Club colours are gold and royal blue...
, but quit that post in May 2008 after claiming an eight-match suspension handed to him by the Irish Football Association
Irish Football Association
The Irish Football Association is the organising body for association football in Northern Ireland, and was historically the governing body for Ireland...
hindered his ability to manage the club.
He is currently manager of IFA Championship side Larne
Larne F.C.
Larne F.C. is an intermediate, Northern Irish football club playing in IFA Championship 1. The club, founded in 1889, hails from Larne and plays its home matches at Inver Park. Club colours are red and white...
after signing for them in December 2008.
as a Manager
Individual- Harp Northern Ireland Football Writers' Player of the Month: 2006 (March & April)
with Glentoran
- IFA PremiershipIFA PremiershipThe IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
runner-up: 2005–06 & 2006–07
External links
- Profile at Larne's official site