Burnley legend Brian Miller dies

Last updated : 08 April 2007 By Tony Scholes

I learned of Brian's death just a short time before leaving for Birmingham this morning. I was fully aware that he was ill and just how serious it was, but it was still a shock to get the news from a friend.

I've known Brian and his family for many years and there's no doubt when they talk about Burnley legends his must be one of the first names anyone would put forward. His Burnley career started in 1952 and ended on his retirement in 1996 and during that time he'd been a player, coach, manager and finally in his last few years he was the club's chief scout.

He made his first team debut in the FA Cup saga against Chelsea in 1956 and went on to win a Championship medal, play in an FA Cup Final and feature in European competition for the Clarets. He was the only player to play in all of our twelve European games and he scored our last two goals in the tie against Eintracht Frankfurt in 1967. To add to that, alongside club team mate John Angus, he was capped by England against Austria in Vienna.

When his playing career came to an end following a knee injury sustained in a First Division game against Aston Villa at Villa Park, he joined the coaching staff, and in 1979 with the club already facing relegation to Division Three for the first time ever he was appointed manager as replacement for Harry Potts.

Two years after the relegation he masterminded our promotion but just a few months later he lost his job as we were heading straight back down again. He was out of the game for just over three years but returned for a second spell as manager with the club in total disarray.

His first season ended with the Orient game, but having survived that he led us to Wembley a year later in the Sherpa Van Trophy Final, like Potts he had both played for and managed a Burnley side at Wembley. In January of the following season he stood down and became chief scout as Frank Casper replaced him for a second time and held that position until his retirement in 1996.

That wasn't the end of his association with Burnley by any means. Both his son and his son-in-law had played for the club during his time as manager and in retirement he saw two grandsons wear the claret and blue.

Brian Miller continued to watch the Clarets, he was one of us, born locally he'd supported the club as a schoolboy long before he played for us, and that support never waned after his retirement.

He was as passionate about Burnley Football Club as any of us and I've had a few arguments with him over the years, one in particular in the late 70s I remember well just before he became manager. That was because both of us cared so much about the club.

I could choose to remember Brian Miller as a former player, or manager, but more than that I'll remember him as a good man who it was a pleasure to know. Burnley Football Club is richer for having had an association with Brian Miller, and today Burnley Football Club is very much poorer for Brian's passing.

Tributes have poured in on our message board today for a Burnley legend, the first of that 1960 Championship team to pass away, and Brian was also very much the topic of conversation at St. Andrew's today before and after our win against Birmingham City. The club will honour him on Monday when we play Cardiff City, at that time we can all publicly pay tribute to him.

My thoughts and prayers at this time are with his wife Mary, his daughter Gillian and son David and their families.