Brad Miller was tipped to be captain for a long time in his younger years. His football didn't live up to that idea, but clearly a great guy and inspirational presence inside a club.

Another good call by Roos and PJ.

Cant believe the carping and sniping on this forum has started already. Surely you must give PJ and Roos some credit that they know what they are doing. You dont have to be a gun player to be a good coach you need to be smart, a good comunicator and a motivational leader. For what its worth Miller was and is a quality person who obviously, in Roos eyes has those qualities and I thought the team always looked better with him in it even if it didn't show in his stats. It wasn't just the loss of Jnr that left the club bereft of leaders. You can include, Miller, Green, Bartram and Bruce in that list as well.

Great to see Brad back at the club and I thnk he has the potential under Roos to become a very good coach.

PS looking forward to seeing Pia at the B&F

Agree... one thing people seem to overlook is the fact that Roos having been in the media for some time now, gets probably more insight into the entire footballing fraternity than any of us would ever get. So, not only is he a proven coach with unquestionable qualifications, he has been observing and analysing the inner workings of all clubs over a number of years... I think he has earned the benefit of the doubt on such decisions.

Edited September 23, 201311 yr by hardtack

OK - I know 2013 was living hell, but all this Brad Miller angst is unbelievable. He wasn't the best on our list but he was also far from our worst. Cut him some slack. PJ and Roos see something in him.

Denis Pagan - average to poor footballer but great coach

Tom Hafey - average footballer but great coach

Alistair Clarkson - ok footballer but great coach

And I would have him back as the whiteboard wiper if it meant seeing Pia around the traps again. There is prettiness, girl-next-door prettiness, voluptuous sex queen, beauty...and then there is Pia.

Is it too late to add Pia to our membership brochures for 2014? ......

On a more serious note, Brad's selection seems completely 'out of left field', but he clearly has Roosy's strong endorsement, so I'm delighted to have the former Demon back in the fold.

Pia has been gracing the screens on QANTAS for a while but it will be great to have her back in the fold.

Ty Roos is proving to be a great recruiter.

Roosy just wants Millers expertise if Barry Hall decides to make a comeback.

Good luck to him.

He's a 150+ game player and has history at the MFC as well as considerable rapport with a fair chunk of the list which is a hell of an improvement on the blokes Neeld bought in with him as far as development coaches go.

Sweet! I was always under the impression he was a pretty switched on guy and he seemed to have a pretty good footy brain when he played. Glad to have you back Brad!

IMO he should never have gone.

Not sure if srs....

Disappointing to see the sniping going on to be honest. Not every person we hire is going to be an automatic home run and I think we can trust Roos to make these decisions. He does have runs on the board.

Plus he is only on board as a development coach. He isn't the senior assistant, or even a back, middle or forward line coach. Clearly Miller has some coaching qualities that Roos and the FD can see and have given him an opportunity. It's great to have him back at the club and I hope he is very successful in the role.

No one can say that Brad didn't eke out every last single drop of footballing ability out of his career. Often it is these type of blokes who make the best coaches as opposed to the Stevie J types who can't understand why everyone can't dodge 4 tackles and then kick the game-saving miracle boomerang from 45 out on the boundary.

Also Brad came out with one of the all time best lines when he reportedly said to Barry Hall at the beginning of a Sydney match in Sydney "I'm not playing on you, you're playing on me" and then actually beat him on the day. That takes some nerve

Anyway just trying to find some positives aside from Pia. Good luck Brad

No one can say that Brad didn't eke out every last single drop of footballing ability out of his career. Often it is these type of blokes who make the best coaches as opposed to the Stevie J types who can't understand why everyone can't dodge 4 tackles and then kick the game-saving miracle boomerang from 45 out on the boundary.

Also Brad came out with one of the all time best lines when he reportedly said to Barry Hall at the beginning of a Sydney match in Sydney "I'm not playing on you, you're playing on me" and then actually beat him on the day. That takes some nerve

Anyway just trying to find some positives aside from Pia. Good luck Brad

There are plenty of positives - it's just that too many on here want every coach we hire to be some huge name, as if that makes them the perfect candidate. Roos has obviously spoken numerous times with Miller and liked what he saw - it's not as if he just threw a dart out of the window and the first person he hit was hired.

I too am bemused at some of the comments.

Miller reeks of leadership, which is why he was mooted as a potential captain and showed his class when he led the way with Trisha Broadbridge rebuilding the school damaged by the tsunami.

The guy even managed to play 157 games with very minimal talent, which augurs well for a coaching career.

OK - I know 2013 was living hell, but all this Brad Miller angst is unbelievable. He wasn't the best on our list but he was also far from our worst. Cut him some slack. PJ and Roos see something in him.

Denis Pagan - average to poor footballer but great coach

Tom Hafey - average footballer but great coach

Alistair Clarkson - ok footballer but great coach

And I would have him back as the whiteboard wiper if it meant seeing Pia around the traps again. There is prettiness, girl-next-door prettiness, voluptuous sex queen, beauty...and then there is Pia.

Spot on call

Tough back pocket players or lesser lights make the best coaches. Don't forget Sheedy in this list and look at who is coaching the Pies and who was coaching Brisbane to see that Brownlow medallists may not make the best coaches

Give him a break

Some of you lot are funny..

Was a very highly regarded for his outstanding leadership skills and was close to being our captain at one stage. When he talks everyone sits up and listerns. People follow him and its a credit to himself that he got to play 150 games in AFL. Through sheer dedication and determination you will see it rub on to players like Hogan and Howe and even Watts.

Paul Roos is also a big fan of Miller. He was chased really hard in 05 and 06 by the swans so clearly Roos sees something in him.

Welcome back Brad.

Always laugh about the Tiger's boys calling him +1. As in Pia Miller, +1......

Anyway. Great appointment. Got every last ounce out of his ability through hard work, perfect preparation and a willingness to never give in.

Spot on call

Tough back pocket players or lesser lights make the best coaches. Don't forget Sheedy in this list and look at who is coaching the Pies and who was coaching Brisbane to see that Brownlow medallists may not make the best coaches

Give him a break

Add Alan Jeans, Mick Malthouse, Tony Jewell and Alan Joyce. All good ordinary players who became premiership coaches.

And Brad Miller was one of the leadership group that dared to challenge Schwab.

And Brad Miller was one of the leadership group that dared to challenge Schwab.

What was the full story there?

Were you expecting Leigh Matthews or something? I was surprised too, but these development coach positions all seem to be filled by low profile/inexperienced coaches. What say we give the bloke a chance before we pan him, given that being the best player has never been a prerequisite for being a good coach.

Thank you, a bit of common sense.

Imagine if that was the reaction to MM and Sheeds when they took the senior jobs with no experience.

Have spoken to Brad several times and he seemed intelligent and dedicated to his football. If he brings that to his coaching he will be fine.

PS. Ross Lyon and Clarkson weren't champion footballers either, they were hard at it battlers.

Love it welcome back Brad and Pia. Love all the doubters who obviously know all about Brads ability to coach after seeing him play at Melbourne and talking to him at functions. It's seriously is a big issue as a development coach he is starting his coaching career under the tutelage of one of today best teaching coaches. (If you rate R Lyons & J Longmire) Where do MFC get off bringing him back to the football club he spent most of his footy days at? The audacity of the Dees next minute they will be asking for a priority pick.

I too am bemused at some of the comments.

Miller reeks of leadership, which is why he was mooted as a potential captain and showed his class when he led the way with Trisha Broadbridge rebuilding the school damaged by the tsunami.

The guy even managed to play 157 games with very minimal talent, which augurs well for a coaching career.

Agree.

What was the full story there?

Hopefully it will come out one day. But basically it was the Schwab way or the highway for any player that disagreed in the way he was running the club. History suggests that the malcontents were perhaps right

Edited September 23, 201311 yr by america de cali

This is just too funny. not in a good way.

I'm guessing the club has a better handle on Brad's suitability for a coaching role than Demonland posters????

Miller reeks of leadership

He reeks of something that's for sure.

He was at the club for NINE years, and he cracked the top10 of the BnF ONCE, when came 7th in 2008. How can you be considered a good leader if you vastly underperform year in, year out.

It is great to have Brad Miller back at the club. While not an outstanding talent - he made more than the best of what he had. He was highly respected among the players and many were disappointed at his departure. He also had guts and would "fly the flag". I remember a game against Essendrug some years ago at Etihad. I was behind the goals and some Essendon players began monstering a skinny kid called Jack Watts. Miller intervened and let it be known that he was on the job. He was one of the few Melbourne players who would carry out such a role in recent years.