BROWN SURE MILLER CAN PLAY AT TOP LEVEL INTO HIS FORTIES

CRAIG BROWN last night predicted that Kenny Miller could play top-flight football beyond his 40th birthday — as Aberdeen and Hibs prepare to battle it out for the veteran’s signature. Set to turn 39 in December, Miller’s third spell at Rangers ended ignominiously after he and skipper Lee Wallace were suspended by the club following remarks the pair are said to have directed towards then-manager Graeme Murty after the 4-0 Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic in April. Initially suspended and subsequently fined by the club as his contract wound down, Miller (below) has pledged to defend himself against ‘defamation of character’ after his case was referred to the SPFL. However, the matter hasn’t dissuaded potential suitors — with a return to Easter Road or a Pittodrie switch among his options. And Brown, who was helping mark the 20th anniversary of Scotland’s World Cup opener against Brazil in France ’98, feels whichever club wins the race for his signature will land a player with the capacity to resist the passing of time. ‘Could he still play for another two years? I think so,’ said Brown. ‘It doesn’t surprise me that there is so much interest in him. That is perfectly understandable even given his age. ‘If I was a manager, I would be interested in signing Kenny Miller. He is a big favourite of mine. He would be good for a football club and I believe he could still do a job for a team. ‘I would also think clubs would look to bring Kenny in because of his professionalism and attitude. His desire to win would have a positive effect on the young players. ‘Kenny could also play in a No 10 role as well. I can’t say a bad word about him.’ Dropped from the Rangers side earlier in the season by Pedro Caixinha, Miller’s concern at being perceived to be a dressing-room leak prompted his agent to go public in an attempt to clear his client’s name. Clearly irked by the consequent fallout with Murty, Miller has pledged to ‘clear a few things up — not just about this situation but what’s happened over the course of the season’. But Brown, a former Aberdeen manager and current Pittodrie director, feels the clouds hanging over the 38-year-old’s head won’t deter prospective employers in the slightest. ‘Kenny is a top professional,’ he added. ‘I have liked him since he was on loan from Hibs to Stenhousemuir and Terry Christie was his manager. I have known Kenny that long. ‘I remember him as that young boy out on loan and he burst a gut for Terry and he loved Kenny’s attitude. I don’t believe his attitude has changed to this day. ‘The first thing you look for in a player is attitude. Terry told me that this lad from Hibs was great and that he was going to be a star. ‘I was involved in signing Kenny for Derby County because I was the football consultant there when Billy Davies was manager. ‘I saw him at first hand at Derby. What a terrific player he was. I gave him his first Scotland cap, away in Poland.’

CRAIG BROWN was speaking at a Tartan Army charity tournament at GOALS, the UK’s leading small-sided football provider.