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An exclusive interview with Howard Miller
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Posted on Monday, December 10 2007 @ 14:48:43 GMTby ProfessorPool
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Today see’s Jersey Supremo, author and one time Professional pool player, Howard Miller (right) take up his post as National Promotions manager for cue sport chain Rileys.
 We caught up with on Friday for an exclusive chat about his new role..
Congratulations on the new position H, can you tell us, what exactly does the job involve?
Basically it’s as wide and all encompassing brief as I suppose you can get. In the months and hopefully years ahead I, with the approval and mandate of our directors and the ongoing help of our regional and more particularly unit managers, will be directly responsible for generating as wide a range of internal events throughout our estate as is possible.
Local, regional and ultimately national events of a wide variety will come under my control and responsibility, I really cant wait!
You mention, with the help of club managers. Many of those, along with the general state of the tables within Riley's clubs, have come in for much and continued criticism recently, do you think that is fair, and if so what if anything is going to be done about it?
It would be rather glib of me were I to suggest everything is perfect within the clubs, when it is abundantly apparent that it isn't. Perhaps that's one of the reasons Riley's have given me this position.
In many instances it will be a case of going back to square one. It is about the education and constant training of our unit management teams in all aspects of cue sports promotions. That starts, first and foremost, with the importance of maintaining the equipment.
Its certainly a view now endorsed by all our directors who realise that things have to be changed.
The realisation of perfection is a debateable goal, but I look forward to what is a huge challenge in attempting to achieve that.
It is my aim that in as little as 12 months, we will see a decline in such criticisms.
What I also ask all our customers to try and understand, is the volume of work our managers and their staff are asked to do. It isn't simply a case of standing behind a bar serving beer. They are effectively responsible for running their own business and dealing with a huge range of issues involved with doing so. While some are absolutely superb, others simply need to be shown and given the tools in order to take them up to that level.
Hopefully with the various experiences I can draw on coupled with ongoing training and monitoring we as a company can achieve this.
It won’t be easy, no-one is suggesting it will, but it can and will be done.
You mention your experience, for those who don't know how did you get into pool and how wide are your experiences?
Like most people I suppose Nick, I began playing in the local pubs. There weren’t any real 'pool' clubs in those days.
I started going to pool tournaments all over the country, in the days of Maltese Joe, Andy Loppas, Roger Blank, Dave Dolman and Jelly Baby, a time when there were some true characters in the game and every event was a weekend of enjoyment.
Eventually after being beaten in more first rounds than I care to remember I got more than half decent started winning a few things and everything started snowballing from there. I eventually joined the PPPO which at the time was a great honour.
At this time a couple of people, Ron Law and Peter Quinn were writing for a magazine called Pot Black, and both subsequently brought out their own Pool related papers and magazines and I volunteered some articles, which seem to go down well, and in a short while I had taken over at Pot Black, having 4/5/6 pages in what was by far at that time the worlds largest cue sport magazine and I enjoyed almost ten years doing the job. Even though I made myself a lot of enemies simply because of my outspoken comments, but to me if something was wrong, it was my job to say so.
I then had articles printed in, The Mail, Sun, Mirror, News of the World and Billiards Digest in America.
I loved it!
It certainly saved me fortunes on going to events where I was going to play in any way!
I played in Spain and France. Lee Tucker and I were the first Brits to play in the Valley championships in Vegas, which really showed me what can be done when running an event!
I represented the EPA in the European championships in Austria, won several hotel events, including one in Gretna Green, where I 'mullered' my old friend Ross Mciness 4-0 in the final to get a place in the televised Borders Classic, where ultimately Dave Linton beat me in the final.
I won a good few bob to be fair, I remember winning £3000, a lot of money then, in the Greene King Classic, which outside the Foster Menswear event, was the single biggest first prize ever given at the time.
I have done some TV commentating, was Press officer for Barry Hearn at his first ever 9 ball event, and somewhere in between, purchased my own club, The H's Q Club in Hatfield, which housed many good and national events, and which is still the only name ever to appear on the BAPTO team trophy twice, which is nice.
In there somewhere was the Jersey Festival of pool, which I take great pride in and which now ranks with arguably the most famous festivals in pool, and is certainly the longest running independent event in our sports history.
You mentioned just now in your comments that upset people, did it ever bother you and will you now have to deal with some of these people and organisations you have previously criticised in your new position?
It never bothered me, regardless of who they were be they an individual or an association. I genuinely felt I was the pool player’s only voice, a real protagonist if you like. If something was wrong, I felt obligated to report it as so, and as you are only too aware Nick, to many the Truth often hurts!
I will no doubt have to deal with some of these people, certainly these organisations, or more correctly they will have to deal with me, certainly if they wish Riley's to support, endorse or sponsor them!
In fact one of the first calls I have to make this week will be to George Harwood to discuss some proposals he has presented to Riley's.
That could be an interesting meeting, I'm told you two aren't exactly the best of friends?
A lot of nonsense has been spoken about my criticisms of the EPA (me to Howard, N), and to be fair in those instances, I feel I did so with justification, and you’re right, I would never call George a close friend, and I am sure he feels the same. But it's hardly surprising when the only time we have spoken in ten years was a few years ago when he confirmed all his professionals could compete in the Jersey Pro-am.
He asked for my word that there would be no IPA/PPPO seeding I gave it, he accepted, job done, that’s how it should be.
Look I'm not stupid, I know and acknowledge how much good George has done for pool over the years, one could argue were it not for George much of what Pool currently has and enjoys would still be on the drawing board, so I and others have to respect that, and I do.
Like many associations though, I do believe the EPA have many people who want to get involved for the wrong reasons, and who personally I feel could do a much better job.
George however is not one of them and while we have had many, many disagreements, can I work with him and vice versa? Of course, we may have to.
If it's good for pool, and good for the EPA and from my perspective good for Riley's I am sure there is much we could do.
As most will know I hate politics and am on record on numerous occasions saying so, its the reason I gave up Pot Black all those years ago, I personally think politics is 100% to blame for the state pool is currently in, and as such will not differentiate or give any preference to any association or organisation.
If someone, anyone wants to speak to me about sponsorship or anything that could benefit Riley's I will listen, and will travel anywhere to do so.
Riley's are the biggest, and best cue club owners in the world and my job is to arrange as much as I can for the betterment of our members and our company.
Given an ideal world then, what would you like to see happen, both now and in the future?
In order of priority Nick:
1. the immediate improvement and maintenance of all tables within our units
2. ongoing training of staff in order to allow them themselves to organise a wide of internal events,
3. designing, organising and then launching a series of events all over the UK in which all our members, and even non-members can participate in.
4. Ultimately, the aim is to get as many players playing from and within our clubs as is possible.
5. I want to make it known that on behalf of Riley's I want to offer a yet to be determined sponsorship of all leagues in Britain!
Obviously a lot will depend on the proximity of our clubs to any given league but even then, things can be arranged, tables can be put in, whatever it takes!
If the business is there to justify it, Riley's will not dismiss any reasonable request for help.
Any sponsorship deal though has to be of bi-lateral benefits, if it doesn't, it's not a good deal.
For too long many too many people and so called pool promoters, have continually ripped the arse out of pool and the interests of the players and just as importantly and maybe even more so, the interests of the sponsors have unfortunately been ignored and its why we have lost so may of them.
Hopefully with the help of the Riley brand behind me and with the co-operation of all associations I can help address and repair the reputation our sport has, it’s certainly an intention anyway!
So to reiterate, if any one has an idea that they wish to run past me, have some help with and not just in sponsorship but in a variety of ways. Please get in contact and I'll have a look see what can be done.
I also, with huge passion, feel that my new position gives me the opportunity to run things for the ordinary players..
Does anyone remember them?
For far too long, the only people in pool that seem to be looked after are the best players. Perhaps Superleague level and above.
Me? I say what about the tens of thousands of pool enthusiasts that turn up and play every Tuesday and Wednesday night, the Mr averages of this world, what about them?
Who ever runs things for them?
No-one!
But I feel we at Riley's can. The top players will always get tournaments but logically only the top players can ever win them.
This has to addressed, the money and the enjoyment of the enthusiasts is equally as important, and hopefully will not be neglected so badly in the future.
Does winning £1000 to, say, Mick Hill mean more than wining £100 to Mr Average down his local club?
The answer is probably no, and its a huge untapped market, and an exciting one to get involved with.
Riley's will run events for top players, including tours perhaps, involvement with the IPA, PPPO, the snooker associations, the American pool guys, but perhaps not to the exclusion of all others.
We have nigh on 170 clubs, the secret is catering for everyone, for all our customers, existing and those yet to join.
Time will tell how much of an impact Howard will have on the world of pool. Whether he achieves all of his aims or not, it certainly seems clear to us that this is bright news for the small table game, following on from depressing times of recent years.
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