MILLER IS DUE A CLAP OF HONOUR
Gerrard hoping Rangers fans will give former hero warm welcome
THE ending may well have been distinctly sour, but Steven Gerrard hopes it is the many sweet times Kenny Miller enjoyed with Rangers that are remembered when the striker returns to Ibrox.
Dundee’s visit for today’s Premiership fixture will be a first occasion for Miller at the venue since the acrimonious conclusion to his third spell as a Light Blues player. After a history gilded by league titles, cup glories and Old Firm goals, the final parting was particularly bitter.
It was also played out in a glare of publicity. For those who need a recap, it began back in April when Miller and Lee Wallace were alleged to have been involved in a line-crossing dispute with Gerrard’s predecessor, Graeme Murty.
Both were suspended pending investigation before eventually receiving heavy fines. The pair took their case to an independent SPFL tribunal, which last week upheld their appeals against that disciplinary process.
By then, of course, Miller had been released from Rangers at the end of his contract. A seven-game spell as Livingston playermanager followed before Dundee won the contest to bring him back to solely pitch-bound duties.
Now the 38-year-old will find himself restored to a familiar environment, albeit in very different circumstances. How the Rangers fans react to his presence will be a source of fascination.
While opinion was very much split, you didn’t have to look far on social media to find some pointing an accusatory finger at Miller. The threat of his legacy being damaged was obvious.
Gerrard, though, would love to hear the Ibrox crowd extend its very warmest welcome. That, the Rangers manager insists, is precisely what Miller merits given his overall contribution to the club.
‘I hope he is appreciated tomorrow, I do,’ said Gerrard. ‘I’m pleased for Kenny and Lee that the scenario is sorted and dealt with, and also for the club. For me, walking into it and being asked about it wasn’t comfortable. I’m just pleased everyone has moved on from it and we can talk about football and football players.
‘Kenny has been a top player. He has been prolific for many years. Now he has signed for Dundee, he has played a bit on the right-hand side. But he is someone who likes to come in off a No9. He will be desperate to score tomorrow. He will be desperate to play well and win. For him, I hope he gets a wonderful reception. I think he deserves it.’
Wallace is still at Rangers, making his first appearance in an injury scarred 11 months when he came off the bench in the recent 3-3 draw against Motherwell. ‘I’ve been honest and respectful to Lee since day one and he has always been the same back,’ stressed Gerrard.
‘I’m sure for both players it’s something that they didn’t want hanging in the background, either. I’m sure they just want to play football. Lee does.
‘He’s had a minor setback over the last couple of days with a bit of a niggle in a different area but he trained fully today. He was focused, on it. We need to try to get him up to match speed as quickly as possible because when you’ve been out for a year, it takes an awful long time to get back.’
It will be down to others to ensure Miller’s return ultimately ends in defeat. For all the justified positivity of Gerrard’s tenure, in particular Europa League qualification, he doesn’t hide from unhappiness at taking just five points from the first 12 available.
His side’s last outing brought a first defeat, as Celtic dominated chances on their way to a 1-0 Old Firm win. The Ibrox manager wants his squad to channel that hurt into a winning run through the four league outings that precede the next international break.
‘I’ve certainly got that feeling bottled and I hope my players have it bottled, too, and we take it out on Dundee,’ said Gerrard.
‘We are not happy with our points total. If I was an excuse merchant, I would say: “Oh, what about Aberdeen or the last result against Motherwell?”. But that’s happened. No one remembers that. Five out of 12 is not good enough. We need to amend that, starting against Dundee.
‘If you look at our league fixtures from now until the next international break, they are games that, if we play anywhere near what we are capable of, we have to be looking to take maximum points.
‘We are in a league where you can’t afford to make mistakes or concede last-minute goals or go down to ten men and not get the result your performance deserves. We need to learn. Today we posted our best training session I have seen since we have been together. If we can take that session into tomorrow, we will be fine.’
The Dundee match also brings Rangers back into contact with referee Kevin Clancy, whom Gerrard criticised for sending off Alfredo Morelos on the opening day of the Premiership season. That decision was later reduced to a yellow card on appeal.
The rights and wrongs of the SFA’s disciplinary system have become a hot topic, but Gerrard was unwilling to add his voice to the debate. Asked about the controversy generated by lack of retrospective punishment for Allan McGregor after the kick he aimed at Kristoffer Ajer during the Old Firm game, the Ibrox boss said: ‘It was two weeks ago. I’ve moved on. I’ve got nothing to say or add to it. Allan has moved on.
‘The only thing I’ve got to say is it’s a tough job for referees. They’re not going to get every decision right. Some of them are going to go for us, some of them are going to go against us. We have to accept that, move on and hope that they balance themselves out over the course of the year.
‘In terms of having the same referee as we had at Aberdeen, yes, let’s go, and let’s just hope we’re not talking about the referee after the game, for Dundee’s sake or ours. We want to play football and I’m looking forward to a good game.’