Reds legends unite to pay a tribute to Liam
THE home dressing room at Pairc Ui Chaoimh is not used to footballers. In fact, the garrison game is technically banned from being played in Gaelic games stadiums in Ireland.
But on September 25 United legends Roy Keane, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs will be among those sharing a few laughs in Cork as they lace up their boots once again.
There will be a few tears too. This is not your typical legends match. Indeed, these United heroes are coming together again for something poignant. To honour Liam. The football world was shocked on February 9 when the news came through. ‘Liam Miller has died of pancreatic cancer.’
The former United midfielder was just 36, but you soon realised just how many lives he touched as his name was sung at stadiums across the globe, stadiums touched by his heart.
For his widow, Clare, and their three children – Corey, Leo and Bella – it was a small crumb of comfort after their lives were turned upside down. It got former team-mates and family friends thinking: how could they honour Liam’s memory?
For Michael O’Flynn, who lives next door to the Miller family home in Ovens, a pre-arranged meeting with Sir Alex Ferguson at the Cheltenham Festival gave him the answer he was looking for.
“John O’Shea teed it up for me. Obviously John has still got a connection with Sir Alex,” the chair of the match’s organising committee told M.E.N. Sport.
“I arranged to meet him in the same place, at Cheltenham, and had a chat with him and again the following day. He gave me his mobile number. He’s been in constant contact since and he was doing his homework. One of the first things Sir Alex said to me was: ‘Let’s do a match!’
“United have been amazing, so facilitating.”
After Sir Alex underwent surgery on a brain haemorrhage in May, Keane stepped up as the game’s ‘anchor’ and reached out to his former team-mates. The United selection will come up against a Celtic/Ireland side featuring Damien Duff, Robbie Keane, Neil Lennon, John Hartson and Stylian Petrov.
All 45,000 tickets have been sold, the Lord mayor of Cork has even written to Ireland’s minister of education to ask that school children in the city get a half day for the event.
For O’Flynn, it is already shaping up to be a fitting tribute to a man who fought his illness with the same steely determination that made him such a well-liked footballer.
“He was talking about the future. It was extraordinary – no bitterness, just worried that his wife and family would be OK,” he added.
“When people hear these things, we wanted to do something to honour him, to help his family, the Marymount hospice and other chairities. It’s a win-win for everyone.
“The family have been completely humbled by what people wanted to do and are extremely appreciative of everything. They have been taken aback.”