This is an excerpt from this week's Claret and Amber Alert, a free Motherwell newsletter written by Graeme McGarry that goes out every Thursday at 6pm. To sign up, click here.
David Clarkson has seen it all before, but that doesn’t mean the emergence of a special talent at Motherwell doesn’t excite him as much as it did the first time he witnessed it.
In fact, in his current role as academy director at Fir Park, it actually stirs him more to see Lennon Miller’s rise through the ranks to become a star of the Motherwell first team than it did when his teammate and friend, James McFadden, rolled off that production line around the same time he did.
For Clarkson, while McFadden and the likes of David Turnbull – another youth product who went on to earn the club a record transfer fee – were vastly different to Miller in terms of their style, in terms of the quality that the young midfielder possesses, he is right up there alongside them.
So, Clarkson is very much enjoying Miller’s performances in claret and amber while he can, safe in the knowledge that when the day arrives when he does move on to bigger things, the club will be suitably recompensed by banking, potentially, another record fee.
And the key to it all coming together as it has? He would love to be able to say it has been his own guidance, helping to steer Miller along his pathway from when he first clapped eyes on him in the Motherwell under-13s.
But while Clarkson and the backroom staff can claim their share of the credit for his development - as current manager Stuart Kettlewell can for giving him his first team opportunity at such a young age - it is mostly down to the hard work and the humility of Miller himself.
“It’s great to have someone like Lennon associated with Motherwell Football Club”, Clarkson said.
“You get it every so often, going back to Faddy when we were all coming through, that player who goes on and moves to England and gets caps for Scotland and all that.
“Lennon being where he is now, I do hope he does earn the club big money one day and gets that big move. It would be great for the club.
“For me, he's progressed really well. If he keeps doing that, who knows where he can end up?
“I think the important thing for him, and I think he knows this, is that he isn’t focused on that. He's at a club just now where he is playing and he is just focused on doing what he's doing, and making sure he's doing the best he can do here. Then, what comes will come for him.
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“He's been great. It's brilliant to have seen him progress so much. I'm getting a wee bit of joy out of it as well away from the football side of things, seeing him as a 13-year-old then progressing right through. Of course, it's great to see that as well now.
“I'm sure he will continue to grow, and we will see where this pathway will take him.
“He’s always been that player that's not worried about anything else going on about him or who's interested or not interested. At a young age at the academy, clubs want to come to see you and clubs are constantly chapping the door.
“He can see how things work. His mindset has been that he wants to be a first team player, and he felt the best opportunity was to stay at Motherwell, and he's got his rewards from it.
“Who knows where that will take him? From his point of view, speaking to his parents as well, that's always been the focus.
“He's happy, he enjoys it here, he knew he was going to get a chance here if he kept progressing, and he's done that. Now he can build on that for wherever it may lead.”
Clarkson was delighted to see Miller bag a sensational goal for the Scotland under-21s against Kazakhstan during the week, but says there is no danger of his burgeoning fame or the attention he is now getting going to his head, or changing him in any way from the kid he first met all those years ago.
“As a young player, he was so down to earth, he was so invested”, he said.
“He was always helping with hauling the gear, collecting the kit and always doing the things you look for away from the football as well, which I think is a massive testament to him.
“He still does it now, even at 18 playing first team. He's still chipping in with the gear, he's still involved with the young boys, he's still helping out.
“It’s just the way he is, and that's a big part of why he's doing so well so far. He's not changed. He's stayed the same, he's humble.
“He's got time for everybody, staff members, young kids. My wee boy comes in here sometimes, he's the first to come and say hello and speak away to him.
“Just the way he conducts himself, in and around the club and away from the club, I think it's a testament to him and the family how he's able to keep that level head and carry it away with everything else going on in his career so far.
“Hopefully he will have a long and successful career ahead. At the moment, he's just focusing on playing for Motherwell and whatever opportunities arise after that will come, and they will be fully deserved.”
