Keith Millen

[Indian Bee]

I know he was a firm fans favourite. he was mine in 1992 but however i honestly thought he was overated and was found out in the 1st Division, mainly due to his lack of pace and the new back pass rule!!!...at the time we offered him the best ever contract but i would have rather kept Deano than Millen!!

Or maybe my view has got alot to do with him driving shirtless thru Brentford one day with his sunroof open showing his sunbed tanned chest!!!....just couldnt take him seriously after that!!!

 

[Loughtonbee]

Always overshadowed by my childhood hero Terry Evans in my humble opinion. Was gutted when he joined Wycombe, I hate em more than I hate Rangers.

 

[Sultan]

My dad always blamed him for us losing the Freight Rover Trophy to Wigan in '85 and slated him ever since. I thought he was overrated. Evans and Bates for me I'm afraid.

 

[Gee Bee]

My dad always blamed him for us losing the Freight Rover Trophy to Wigan in '85 and slated him ever since. I thought he was overrated. Evans and Bates for me I'm afraid.

He was 18 for christs sake!! Just got in the side and had to mark Mike Newell! - he should get sypathy for that game and anyway Wignall probably played the worst of the centre backs.
Keith was a great bloke, he and Terry Evans both came to my Sunday football club awards to present trophies, they stayed all night and really joined in with the party (the season had finished by the way). Both of them were great lads, the following season they came again and bought Jamie Bates too, this was the day after the play off defeat with Tranmere. They were pretty depressed and put on a brave face, but still hung around to mix with all and sundry.

 

[nick logan]

My dad always blamed him for us losing the Freight Rover Trophy to Wigan in '85 and slated him ever since. I thought he was overrated. Evans and Bates for me I'm afraid.

bates was not fit to lace millens boots.quality cb imho

 

[I Predict A Riot]

Or maybe my view has got alot to do with him driving shirtless thru Brentford one day with his sunroof open showing his sunbed tanned chest!!!....just couldnt take him seriously after that!!!

:mhihi :mhihi :mhihi

I really liked Millen. So much in fact, that when I was mascot back in '89 or so when we played either Tranmere or Bolton, can't remember which, I chose him as my favourite player. Still got the photo somewhere in my room. The kit don't fit no more tho.

Millen & Evans! What a pairing...

 

[Stanley]

A class act and a perfect foil for Evans, they were the lynchpin of our championship team.

 

[nick logan]

A class act and a perfect foil for Evans, they were the lynchpin of our championship team.

yes,well said, now who was player of the season that year again?

 

[Boston Bee]

To divert the conversation for a moment, it's a bit weird how we always have a game tryer in the side named Evans. As long as it's working I don't complain.

A class act and a perfect foil for Evans, they were the lynchpin of our championship team.

 

[Infatuated Bees Alter Ego]

Argh ! The 1985 Final at Wembley. Baptism of fire I felt that was for Keithy boy Millen and Frank Mclintock our manager at the time, should've swapped the 2 centre halves around, so they were marking the opposite Wigan player, cos Millen wasn't coping at all on that day and it cost us dear.
He came good in later years though, but I wouldn't say he was my greatest centre half seen in a Brentford shirt.
Can recall seeing Millen walking his parents dogs in Sanderstead just after he left us, decent enough bloke

 

[nick logan]

up there in a good line of quality cen halfs since 76 when i first went

kruse
jimmy mac
millen
evans
bates
powell
herman
ivar
sonko

 

[Indian Bee]

Nick...Good list but i personally would also add Barry Ashby and Mickey Droy ahead of Bates!!...Bates yeah another firm fans fav (will never forget him playing centre forward at Peterboro for the last 10 mins) but not waving at the Brenford fans at Wycombe just left a bad taste in my mouth!

 

[Speedo]

up there in a good line of quality cen halfs since 76 when i first went

kruse
jimmy mac
millen
evans
bates
powell
herman
ivar
sonko

No Mr Whitehead on your list sir???

 

[Gee Bee]

No Mr Whitehead on your list sir???

Or Wignall, Nigel Smith & the smallest centre back in living memory, Paul Shrubb.

 

[nick logan]

i meant to add that this was just a few names that sprang to mind not a definitive list.indian bee agree with you about ashby forgot him but not droy.as for whitehead speedo:

hes flies through the air with the greatest of ease his names alan whitehead he plays for the bees



always reminds me of spiderbee that song

 

[Happytobee]

I think Keith Millen had some good qualities. He used to frustrate opposing forwards by being cool, calm and collected (mostly) in situations where other defenders might have been panicked into mistakes. He was a good reader of the game and would play an intelligent ball out of defence on most occasions.

Agree with others that the partnership with Terry Evans was an excellent one. Evans' grit and determination was probably something that Millen was a little short of and Millen was good at keeping Evans out of trouble with the refs when things got a bit heated.

Don't think Keith ever had the same rapport with the fans as Evans and Baties did but I remember the "You'll never beat Keith Millen" chant which reflects on the fact that he was a solid, reliable defender.

On balance I think he was a decent player in a very effective team.

 

[Gonads2]

Danis Salman was a legend.
I was only young at the time, and I think he was a home grown full back, but does anyone remember Terry Rowe.
Does anyone know what Jamie Bates is doing for a living now?

 

[Banana]

Mr Salman was v good. However, he had a nasty habit of getting caught in possession.

 

[California Bee]

Further back

up there in a good line of quality cen halfs since 76 when i first went

kruse
jimmy mac
millen
evans
bates
powell
herman
ivar
sonko

Going back a few years, Brentford had the incomparable Ron Greenwood at centre half. When he left Ian Dargie did a commendable job in replacement. Of course both of them benefited by playing alongside of Jimmy Hill and then Bill Slater.

 

[Edmundo]

Does anyone know what Jamie Bates is doing for a living now?

Helping out his Mrs?

 

[Gee Bee]

Helping out his Mrs?

So he must now be known as Master Bates.

 

[Tinhat]

good to see mentions of Pat Kruse and Paul Shrubb....takes me back.

Danis Salman was cool as a freshly shaved polar bear... as for 'You'll never beat Keith Millen' ... hmmn he had one or two seasons when he was very solid but, as I recall, Evans, Bates and Millen used to rotate being good at the back.

Powell was good and it's a shame we had to let him go. Sonko looks pretty capable - has he got any mates from the Senegal side who are as good and would come to our sunny shores?

Point of interest - Nantes FC have several Senegalese players as I understand it.

 

[mhead bee]

bates was not fit to lace millens boots.quality cb imho

here here... millen had an incredible ability to watch a forwards run, time a perfect tackle that usually tipped the ball off the forwards toe and back to the goaly. He did this so often. He would wait and wait until the forward made a move and then with lightning reflexes just slid in and pushed the ball back to the keeper..brilliant. I remember saying to my dad that the new back pass rule could destroy him ..but it didn't. He played most of his career in the first division.

Jamie bates was a slow hoof ball merchant. Had the balls and did well for us in a decade of loyal bees service, but was not the greatest player really!!

 

[Downbeat Bee]

Very good player for us with Evans no doubt about that

 

[Gonads2]

I'll take that as a no on the Terry Rowe question.

 

[Griffin]

I always remember in the warm up before games, Millen and Evans used to stand about 40 yards apart - one would hoof it, the other would leap like a salmon and head it back 40 yards, like a bullet