Keith Millen, three times an interim manager at Crystal Palace, has been named as the new boss at Croydon Athletic, the non-league club bought last year by rapper Stormzy and former Eagles hero Wilfried Zaha.
Coaching guru: Keith Millen is highly rated at developing football talents
Millen’s first game in charge is due to be at home against Three Bridges on Saturday.
Millen will combine his role at the Rams with his job as a coach educator with the Professional Footballers’ Association.
Millen, 58, takes over with Athletic 10th in the table after 15 games in the Isthmian League South East Division, having won promotion last season via the play-offs. Jermaine McGlashan, the manager who led last season’s storming campaign for Stomzy’s club, was sacked in September after an uncertain start to the early fixtures.
Millen made more than 500 appearances as a player, mostly as a centre back, with Brentford, Watford and Bristol City. At City, he had a spell as manager, after succeeding Steve Coppell.
He served as a caretaker manager for Crystal Palace almost on an annual basis at one stage, stepping in during critical moments in 2013 (after Ian Holloway left), 2014 (after Tony Pulis’s brief stay) and 2015 (following Neil Warnock’s even briefer time in charge).*
His latest club role was at Gillingham, where he was head of academy coaching and also had a period in caretaker charge of the first team last season.
Croydon Athletic issued a statement last night saying, “We are delighted to announce Keith Millen as the new manager of AFC Croydon Athletic! A seasoned football coach with vast experience, Keith brings a wealth of knowledge to our club and strengthens our ties to the south London community.” Millen, like Zaha and Stormzy, was raised in Croydon.
Nice shirt: Danny Young, the club chairman (left), with Millen and Michael Kamara, who becomes player-assistant manager after a 10-game unbeaten spell
The statement outlined that Millen’s “deep ties to Crystal Palace also extend to our squad, with several players emerging from the Palace academy, including Nya Kirby, a member of England’s under-17 World Cup-winning team in 2017”.
Millen’s appointment follows a 10-game unbeaten run under interim player-manager Michael Kamara, who will now step into the assistant manager role. “We are proud to represent this community and continue to grow as a club,” the club statement said.
Millen’s Palace connections includes with the third co-owner, Danny Young, who is said to have been instrumental in bringing Millen to the Mayfield Stadium.
“I’ve known Danny for many years and had the privilege of working with Wilf during my time at Crystal Palace. Being a Croydon native, this opportunity felt like a natural fit. Crystal Palace will always be my team, but Croydon is where my heart is.
“This role aligns perfectly with my current work with the PFA in the region. Coaching remains my passion, and this part-time position gives me the chance to continue developing players, some of whom I’ve worked with before.
“I’m excited to be part of this journey with AFC Croydon Athletic.”
*In total, in his three caretaker spells at Selhurst Park, Millen was in charge for a total of nine games; Palace won two of them and drew two.
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