Japan's Chiba target Liverpool coach Miller

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By Alastair Himmer

TOKYO (Reuters) - Liverpool first-team coach Alex Miller could soon become the new manager of Japanese club JEF United Chiba.

Officials of the J-League side announced on Thursday they had made an informal decision on appointing the 58-year-old Scotsman.

"We have drawn up a list and are hoping to make an announcement either tomorrow or the next day," JEF United’s Kentaro Shiga told Reuters.

"Miller is one of our candidates. We have a match this weekend so we want to name the new manager as soon as possible. We should have more details in the next day or two."

Japanese media reported that the struggling J-League side, who sacked Croatian Josip Kuze in midweek, have offered Miller a salary of 500,000 pounds a year.

Chiba are currently rooted firmly to the bottom of the J-League first division without a win in 11 matches this season.

The Tokyo Bayside club have lost several top players in recent seasons, Japan internationals Naotake Hanyu and Satoru Yamagishi joining the exodus before the start of the 2008 campaign.

Miller managed Scottish clubs Hibernian and Aberdeen before joining Liverpool’s backroom staff in 1999 as chief scout under then manager Gerard Houllier.

The Scot was promoted to first-team coach after Spaniard Rafael Benitez’s arrival as .....continued below

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His departure from Anfield would be a blow for Benitez, who has come under fire from Liverpool’s owners about his team’s failure to mount a serious title challenge.

Miller, who famously played in the 1972 Scottish Cup final for Rangers with a broken jaw, finished out his playing career in Asia with Hong Kong side South China AA.

(Editing by Peter Rutherford)