‘Miller has had more influence on me than Yorke and Cole at Sunderland’
Waghorn says on-song Ibrox veteran sets a greater standard than iconic duo did in autumn of their careers down south
I speak to Kenny about a lot of things off the field. He’s a great help to me and he gives you inspiration – not just me, but the younger boys
IT IS one thing being the experienced voice in the dressing room, it is quite another to still be able to perform on the park. Martyn Waghorn looked up to Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole and knew they could talk a good game. Now, he sees Kenny Miller leading by example at Ibrox.
Waghorn was a rising star at Sunderland when Yorke and Cole made their respective moves to the Stadium of Light and it was their former Old Trafford team-mate Roy Keane who handed the striker his debut against Manchester United in December 2007.
The United heroes were able to offer words of wisdom in the twilights of their careers but their best days were undoubtedly behind them. For Waghorn, it makes the feats of Miller all the more impressive as he continues to shine at 37 and prove his worth for Mark Warburton’s side on a weekly basis.
“We had people like Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole that came in later on and they had different impacts,” Waghorn said. “They were vocal and they spoke but they were dying out towards their career and they didn’t have quite the impact that Kenny is. He is still scoring, still contributing. You can see by his dedication on the pitch how he contributes and gets us going.
“We had different people at different times but Kenny is still producing the goods at his age and winning games, which is the most important thing. I would have been 17, 18. Rolling back the years, back in the glory days. Back then we were in a transitional period as well. We had just got promoted, we had a year in the Premier League and a lot of players in and a lot of players out. I was young so I didn’t understand the grasp of changing teams. When you have got someone like Kenny who is a focal point, like the skipper, it shows that you really need those experienced guys around the squad.”
Miller may have more miles on the clock than his Gers team-mates but the striker shows no signs of slowing down as he strives for further success at Ibrox. Boss Mark Warburton is keen to retain his services for another crack at the Premiership next term and his double against Motherwell last weekend was a timely reminder of how important a player he is to the Light Blues.
It is on the park where supporters see Miller reaping the rewards of his commitment and his professionalism. Waghorn experiences it every day and is eager to learn while he can as he listens to the Miller words of wisdom, moans and groans.
“I speak to Kenny about a lot of things off the field,” he said. “He’s a great help to me and he does give you inspiration – not just me, but the younger boys coming through, that you can play for Rangers until you are ‘X’ number of years old if you conduct yourself properly. He is a great example for anyone coming through. As a striker, it gives you confidence and belief that you can still score goals at a high level if you do things right on and off the pitch.
“He’s fine in the dressing room, it’s only when he is on the pitch that he’s the worst culprit! But that’s why he is where he is right now, because of the demands he makes. It spurs people on and sometimes you need a kick up the backside.
“Kenny gives you that from time to time. Lee Wallace is a bit different as skipper, he’s more laid back and just leads by example. But Kenny is the one who gives you a bit of verbal when you’re not doing it properly. If I don’t pass him the ball, he might tell me how unhappy he is – but in harsher words I can’t repeat here. But once it’s said, we all get on with it as professionals. It’s never personal and we always have a laugh about it afterwards.”
There will come a time when Miller has to call it a day. The forward is preparing for the future but he still has ambitions in the here and now. A move into coaching will be the next step in Miller’s career but Waghorn reckons it will be a while before his strike partner hangs up his boots.
“The way he is going, I can’t see him stopping,” he said. “I don’t know how he does it every day. He’s the first out on the training pitch every day, running about. He’s still got the hunger and he has also really bought into the way the manager has us playing.
“He is really excited by where the club is going, like we all are. It’s a young, hungry squad which wants to achieve a lot of things. Kenny has almost got a second wind in his career from that. That’s what is driving him on.”