CENTURY MAN
Miller on verge of Rangers’ 100 club
HE’s already enjoyed an illustrious career packed with significant achievements, and Kenny Miller will be on the cusp of another as he heads to Rugby Park on Premiership duty this Friday night.
If the 36-year-old scores, he’ll become one of only 16 players to have hit 100 goals for Rangers since the second World War, joining a Who’s Who list of legends including Ally McCoist, Derek Johnstone, Mark Hateley, John Greig and Ralph Brand.
Of more importance to the veteran striker and his boss Mark Warburton, of course, will be securing victory over Kilmarnock, which would see the team go into their first Old Firm game of the season on september 10 at least a point ahead of Celtic having played one game more.
But fellow centurion Hateley is acutely aware of how much a 100th goal would mean to a man who is continuing to hold back the years by leading the line for Rangers in his third spell in Govan.
‘To score 100 goals at any club is very hard so it’s going to be a great milestone for Kenny,’ said the Englishman.
‘Not many reach that target these days because players don’t tend to stay at clubs for very long.
‘We’ve seen in the last two games that there are still goals in Kenny. There he was last saturday against Motherwell, still going strong in injury time at the age of 36 to score the winner.
‘His experience is vital, especially as Mark Warburton is constructing a younger side.
‘Whether Kenny starts, comes on or even if he doesn’t play, he can still have a big influence on the club in the dressing room.
‘There is more competition now with the arrivals of Joe Garner and Joe Dodoo, so Mark now has four strikers to choose from with Martyn Waghorn on the way back.
‘It’s been a while since the club’s had that healthy competition up front — and that keeps people focused and on their toes.
‘Kenny will rise to that challenge. He’ll want to play every game and, while he may play less than he did last year, he’ll still have a massive role to play.’
Interestingly, it was at Rugby Park that Miller scored his first Rangers goal when he replaced Rod Wallace on August 5, 2000, scoring the third goal in a 4-2 win over Bobby Williamson’s Killie after signing from Hibs for £2million before going on to make 238 appearances for the Ibrox side so far.
He left Ibrox 18 months later, unable to compete with the likes of Tore Andre Flo, Michael Mols and Ronald de Boer, but returned in 2008 to explosive effect — having crossed the city divide to play for Celtic in the interim — and again in 2014.
Hateley added: ‘It was always going to be difficult the first time because he was a young lad moving to Ibrox at a time when there were a lot of big names.
‘His second period at the club was really productive and he scored the bulk of his goals in these three seasons when Rangers won the title each year. ‘He came back a very experienced and more rounded player and, of course, he’s been the same in this current spell.
‘It will be a phenomenal achievement when he reaches this target and it wouldn’t surprise me if he hits it on Friday.’
Rangers have found it tough in their opening Premiership fixtures, coming back to draw 1-1 with Hamilton, holding on for a 2-1 victory over Dundee when they should have been out of sight at half-time and requiring Miller’s late winner to overcome Motherwell 2-1 last saturday.
Hateley insists they need to click into gear quickly and find a more consistent rhythm, as Celtic have become a more formidable force this season following the appointment of Brendan Rodgers.
He said: ‘Rangers drew their first game of the season and everyone started saying they couldn’t afford to drop any more points.
‘Celtic are very strong this year — far stronger than last year as they have a better manager in charge.
‘They are the team to catch.’
“It will be a phenomenal achievement”