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Jobs4Football meets Tommy Miller

Jobs4Football spoke to former Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday midfielder, Tommy Miller, to discuss his recent spell as head coach at Spennymoor Town and his ambition to get back into a full time coaching position as soon as possible.

Miller made over 600 appearances for nine different clubs, whilst making appearances in all the top four divisions in England where he scored 109 goals. He joined Halifax Town as his final club in October 2015, and after only two games he was appointed assistant manager as the club parted ways with Darren Kelly and assistant Jim Harvey was named the manager.

The club went onto to win the FA Trophy at Wembley which an incredible achievement not only for the club and the fans but also for Miller in his first taste of coaching.

In the summer of 2016 Miller moved on to join Spennymoor Town as an assistant coach, which was a club really looking to push on at that time and advance through the leagues.

When discussing joining the club, Miller said: “Although it was part time I really enjoyed it. In the first season we managed to get promoted to the National League North.

“We spent the last four years trying to get out the league and come ever so close a few years back when we got beat off Chorley in the play off final on penalties.

“I was appointed manager in December 2020 but after three games the season got suspended through Covid and never got finished.

“This season pre-season went very well and we took that form into the start of the season however, after a couple of injuries and suspensions we hit a bad run and after discussions with the board it was decided I would move on after 4 months of the season which left me disappointed.

“There was a few things happening behind the scenes which I wasn’t happy about and towards the end I felt that I couldn’t do the job how I would like to do it.”

Miller departed from the sixth-tier side in December, but the 43-year-old looks back on his time with the Durham club with fond memories.

“I was at the club for five years and in that time I have seen the club go from strength to strength each year, so I look back on my time with great pride. I learnt a lot as assistant under Jason Ainsley, who is a legend at Spennymoor, and then he left and I took over from him and overall I really enjoyed my experience at the club,” Miller said.

Miller has also obtained managerial experience whilst he was playing for Swindon Town in 2013, where he was the joint-caretaker manager at the club in what was bizarre circumstances following Paolo Di Canio’s resignation.

“It was a strange time because Di Canio had fallen out with the new owners in regards to bringing in players, and this meant he ended up leaving. Me and Darren Ward took over the team for a couple of weeks and I really enjoyed my first taste as player-manager, in what was unusual circumstances to say the least, but me and Darren felt we still had a lot to offer on the pitch, so we decided to just focus on playing.”

Miller has been involved in football since his youth career days at Ipswich Town in 1992, and the English born is looking to get back involved with the sport on a full-time basis.

He said: “Spennymoor are a part-time club in a league with full-time clubs in it, so this made it difficult in some aspects to compete and fully get your ideas across because you would only see the players three times a week. That’s why I’m looking for something full-time where I can make my mark and get my points across more regularly.

“I’m hungry and determined to get back coaching. I know I’ve got a lot to offer based off my own ideas and also the experience I have from playing football and working under top class managers, so I believe I have a good understanding of the game. I’m in no way saying I’m the finished article, but I am willing and excited to learn and help a team progress and really make a mark.”

“People talk about philosophies and style all the time in football but at the end of the day it’s about winning football matches. It’s important to get your principles of play in and ideas across straight away to get the best out of your team, but at the same time the players need to be aware of there roles and responsibilities and willing to adapt to different situations in different games if need be.

“As a manager/coach you have to be forward thinking and always looking to improve and be ready for every outcome.”

“You never know what is round the corner in football, so it’s important that when an opportunity arises I’m ready to step in immediately and help the club progress.”

Miller is a UEFA A license coach and alongside his knowledge of the game and determination to succeed, the 2012 League One play-off winner looks set for a long and successful coaching career.

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