When I played with Liam Miller
Guardian Unlimited's Mike Adamson recalls the time he graced the same turf as Manchester United's new boy.
Liam Miller, the man who set up the goal which has all but guaranteed Manchester United's progress to the Champions League group stages ... I once played in the same team as him, you know. In fact, he actually played in a game arranged for my benefit.
In October 1999, I was invited up to Glasgow for a trial with Celtic, a pretty awesome offer for an 18-year-old Catholic lad. I arrived on the Sunday night and found myself staying in accommodation reserved for the Irish boys who were in the Celtic youth ranks, including, of course, Miller.
The next morning I was up promptly for a combined youth and reserve team training session after a quick tour of Celtic Park - an awe-inspiring place. Training was fast and efficient, designed to produce high skill-levels. I felt I acquitted myself adequately - no more - but there was one player who stood out above the rest, even though he was only 5ft 5ins.
Miller was in a class of his own. There were a few stars in the making in that Celtic youth squad - Shaun Maloney and John Kennedy (my partner at centre-half) are among those who have broken into the first team. But it was the "Irish midfielder" - as Miller was known, chiefly because he was so distant that people didn't know much about him - who everyone loved. He said little, but he didn't have to. He could do anything with the ball, and he was deceptively strong for his small frame.
I was meant to play in a reserve-team game against Dundee United to see if I could make it at Celtic, but it was postponed because of the weather. (This was Scotland, remember.) Instead a match between the youth and reserve teams was hastily arranged, and there I was, alongside Miller.
My performance was hardly inspired: an early slip allowed the reserves to take the lead. Miller, however, was sensational. He was like a magnet to the ball, probably because everyone wanted to pass to him to see what he might do next. Experts have said he's the new Roy Keane, and I'm not one to disagree. The way he drove us to a creditable draw was reminiscent of the United skipper.
You might say our paths have gone different ways since then. My decline was steep. My brief spell at Celtic came to an abrupt end, a subsequent trial with Southend United resulted in nought, and three years in the Oxford University team were followed by a season of inactivity.
I now ply my trade for my school old boys' team. Frank Lampard and Millwall's Neil Harris are also old boys of my school - they don't play for the team, of course, not even in the really big games.
Miller's career meanwhile has gone from strength to strength. Before he signed a pre-contract agreement with United in January of this year, he was scoring vital goals for Celtic in the Champions League. Now he lines up alongside Paul Scholes, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Ryan Giggs in red, as I'm left to write about the time I was on the same pitch he graced.
Then again, I'm sure in my mind he still tells everyone he once played with the great Mike Adamson.
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This is about the 10th time I've heard someone talk about how good Miller actually is.
