You have to love 'Maxy Miller' - in today's programme he was interviewed and was quite upfront about what he thought about us when he was first approached to join us: "I thought they were crap and certanities to go down...". There were some good comments about the 'Battle of the Bridge': "The last 20 minutes was World War Three...we had to stay in the dressing room afterwards as our coach was getting battered with stones and there was a riot going one, but we had some bubbly, so we didn't mind...". An uncompromising player but you need someone like him in the trenches that is for sure...
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Like you say, in the trenches that day, he was the guy you wanted next to you. One of my favourite CAFC memories ever is him catching up with the the Chelsea forward (Colin West?) who is through on goal deep into injury time, bringing him down, and karate-chopping him for good measure, and that effing useless ref pretending nothing to see here, because he just wanted to get out of there. And then after the final whistle Miller exchanged a few blows with some Chelsea players as he went down the tunnel.
Only thing is I would argue with you that it wasn't a karate chop it was a full blown right hook!
As you say, incredible the ref never gave a penalty.
It shut me up on the day but I still think he was a damned awful player, without the subtlety and wit of Shirtliff when HE maimed someone.
I know he went on to work in the City but his LinkedIn CV makes for quite interesting reading:
I was born in London’s East End where I attended Morpeth Secondary School Bethnal Green before leaving there in 1975 where I joined Tottenham Hotspur as a young professional footballer.
Prior to breaking into the first team at Spurs in the 1977-78 season I was loaned out to Skeid FC in Oslo Norway who had just been promoted to there 1st Division.
We finished that season third qualifying for Europe and I was voted best foreign player.
At Tottenham I played in just under 300 games for the Club mainly as a defender. During this time, we won 2 FA Cups in 1981 & 1982 and a EUFA Cup in 1984. I also played in 2 Charity Shields and 1 League Cup final, and I was awarded a testimonial in 1986 where we played Glasgow Rangers.
I was transferred to Charlton Athletic in 1987 and played in and won the first ever top division play-offs. I was then transferred to Watford in 1988 where I played in another play-off finals.
I then had short spells with AFC Bournemouth, Brentford and Swansea City before retiring with a knee injury in 1992.
Shortly after this I took and successfully passed FPC 1, 2 & 3 before joining Royal Insurance and becoming one of their top 5 UK salesmen. After leaving the Royal I started working as a consultant for 2 separate Lloyd’s Insurance brokers, Benfield Re and Cooper Gay.
Subsequently I joined Kleinwort Benson Private Bank working in there Private Bank and Investment Management divisions.
After leaving there when they got taken over by a German institution I joined Bank International Luxembourg and became a Director of their ‘Sport’s Bank’, where we securitised loans to football clubs for the rebuilding of stadiums and the factoring payments of the remaining money owed in player transfer fee’s over the duration of a players contract.
Plus we had an Agency where amongst others I advised was a young Stephen Gerrard at Liverpool. I negotiated his first two professional contracts there.
When BIL got bought out and they ceased the football lending and agency I joined UBS Private Bank as a Director helping to run their Sport & Entertainment sector, dealing with the Lawyers, Accountants and Agents who represented the various sports and entertainment stars.
Nowadays, I help raise money for an investment fund and am FCA regulated to advise on corporate finance.
I live in East London have 2 Daughters a Son and 5 Grand Children.
I was inducted in to the Tottenham Hotspur Hall of Fame in 2015 where I still attend most home games with friends.
Like @Lordflashheart I also met Paul when he was hosting corporate hospitality at Spurs around ten years ago. I had a more positive experience. I found him quite proud to talk about both the Battle of the Bridge and the Leeds Playoffs. Indeed when I told him I saw his greatest ever performance but it wasn't for Spurs he knew what was coming.
I have LinkedIn with him and he wishes me happy birthday and has commented when I have switched jobs. He was genuinely interested when I sent him the Battle of the Bridge video which was posted on YouTube a few years ago.
In all I accept that he is a Spurs fan , but although he won the FA Cup twice and the UEFA Cup in the book about that era at Spurs ' the Boys from White Hart Lane' he describes our survival as ' my greatest ever feat'.
I said he was heroic in the short time he was with us but a bit wonky
they didn’t end up buying the place and split up soon after .
Proper dirty player and Lennie was right to bin him but he was superb in the Battle of the Bridge
My classic line-up is Johnny H (my all-time favourite Charlton player), Thommo, Captain Fantastic, Reid ... all in front of Bob the Bolder, with Tommy C as back-up.
He was working the lounge. Ironically my host ( a big Spurs fan) initially apologised that Paul wasn't a big enough name because the likes of Martin Chivers and Pat Jennings were initially billed as our hosts. He didn't think I would have even heard of Paul, so everything worked out well for everyone. I think he was flattered by my comments.
and was sent off for it ?
Something along the lines of: "Now, what's happened here? I think Miller spat at an opponent ..."
At the time we didn't have a bloody clue what he'd been red-carded for, I just assumed he'd had a sly punch at someone.
Lennie
Anybody able to post the interview on here, as I don’t buy a programme ?
Maybe a bit of all of them. But different times I suppose.
Personally I never warmed to him / thought it a great loss at the time.
After reading the programme I felt quite sad. Paul clearly wanted to feel that we were going to try to upgrade our aspirations and it seems his unhappiness was due to us not signing enough new players.
I was interested that his absence in the second season was due to his divorce at the time I had believed it was down to him falling out with a couple of colleagues about their attitude. He does hint at the lack of a winning mentality in the article.Both seasons our better form coincided with Paul being in the side. As much as I liked Steve Thompson he was in his 30's.and hadn't played in the top flight before
Also his career was in decline.Iirc Spurs had signed ex Charlton Youth player Richard Gough who David Pleat preferred. When Miller played against us a couple of months before joining it was as a make shift left back.
At the time I felt that Colin Pates and later Tommy Caton were reasonable replacements, but in my view Maxi had an edge which we missed particularly the following season when we got relegated.
As @Simonsen says Crooks and Miller were instrumental in us staying up for the first two seasons during the Selhurst Park years.
From personal memory of that epic Miller gave one of the most committed performances I had ever seen . Miller had his detractors but his ball winning skills were exceptional - with tackles which could be likened to those of Jorge Costa
.