We reprint an interview with the late, great Bobby Miller carried out for Hogan Stand magazine back in October 1994 Managerial Hot Seat New Carlow boss Bobby Miller certainly has an impressive CV Having played in top flight football for many years and proved himself as a skilful manager and coach, Bobby Miller's footballing CV makes for very impressive reading. Miller enjoyed a lengthy inter county career and is widely regarded as one of the most talented players produced by the O'Moore County in recent times but now he faces one of his biggest challenges. Recently Miller was appointed as Carlow's senior team manager and he is under no illusions about the task which faces him. "It will be a very difficult job, I have no doubts about that. It will be much more difficult than say, taking over Dublin or Meath. But in football you have to look at the bright side, you have to think positive otherwise you are finished." From his own experiences Miller knows how important it is to have the right mental attitude in the quest for glory, and preparing the minds of the Carlow players for the challenges which lay ahead will be one of his first objectives. "It is no accident a lot of teams employ sports psychologists these days. "It is important a team adopts the right attitude. The players believe in themselves and in their ability. It can be easy for county's not used to success to just sit back and accept their fate and say to themselves they won't win anything but if they believe in themselves, they can change things around. A lot depends on mental attitude." Miller is well qualified to take over the Carlow job, having spent spells as coach of his native club Timahoe, the Laois senior team (for two years in the late eighties), Athy, who Miller led to their first senior county title in 40 years and Eire Og, who he helped to county championships in 1992 and '93 and two back to back Leinster club titles. The former Laois star also managed the Leinster footballers and in 1985 led the eastern province to Railway Cup success - their first in eleven years. It all suggests that Miller has the ability to make the most of the talent available to him and it augurs well for Carlow's immediate future. Having had such a wide range of experience, Bobby knows it is vitally important to have the back up of everybody in the county. "No manager can operate in isolation. There has to be unity between the County Board, the players and the clubs, all pulling together towards the same objective," he adds. The Laois native will combine his duties as Carlow manager with the task of coaching Eire Og and in a most unusual move, he intends to have Eire Og and the county senior panel train together twice weekly. Both teams have very important fixtures looming with Eire Og facing a difficult engagement against Sarsfields of Kildare in the Leinster Club Championship on October 25th and Carlow opening their Division Four National League campaign with a clash against Wicklow in Aughrim on October 16th. Bobby works as an accountant and is a partner in a company, Miller and Brennan Accountants and Tax Consultants, with offices in Athy and Carlow. The company specialises in restructuring companies - but they also deal in taxation and other accountancy matters. The Laois man's connections with Eire Og has given him an inside view of Carlow football and he feels there are many reasons for optimism. "The standard in the county is certainly reasonable. There are a lot of very good players in the county. The potential is there but whether they have the motivation and the right mental attitude is another thing. The challenge to me as manager is to try and instill these things in a team but it can be difficult." In recent years much has been made of the importance of GAA managers in bringing success to a county but Miller plays down the manager's role. "I think the media had hyped up the role played by managers. The manager of a GAA team does not have the same role as that of a soccer manager. There are the three selectors he has to consult with for a start. The manager is only one cog but in any amateur sport there are different elements working towards the same goal and in the GAA, County Boards, players, clubs, supporters and manager must all work together." Placing a big emphasis on physical fitness, Bobby will be looking for total commitment when it comes to training, and all panel members will be treated in exactly the same way, everyone required to earn their place on the team. It all makes for interesting times ahead for long suffering Carlow supporters, and if anybody can bring success to the county, Bobby Miller can. Tweet

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