NO MARGIN OF ERROR
New Ibrox signings mean serious competition for places, declares Miller
IT is not difficult to detect a fear factor amongst the Rangers players as they go through pre-season training in the steamy heat of South Carolina. But that edge does not just stem from the ‘Beware of the Alligator’ signs that hang around their footballing base here.
In fact, all that is snapping around the heels of Mark Warburton’s first-choice stars are hungry rivals intent on stealing their place in the team.
With eight new recruits joining the club in the summer, including star names Joey Barton and Niko Kranjcar, every player needs to be on their toes if they want to earn a place in the side and remain there.
It is a fraught state of affairs that veteran striker Kenny Miller admits was not always the case last season as Rangers romped to the Championship title with consummate ease.
‘It’s an exciting time,’ said a smiling Miller. ‘There is a lot of competition, which we didn’t have last year and that was not good for a club like Rangers.
‘Most people could have picked seven, eight or even nine players who were going to play most weeks.
‘In saying that, these guys were playing well enough to hold on to the jerseys.
‘But the guys who were playing 95 per cent of the games needed pushed by other players.
‘I just felt last season there were a number of players who took their place in the team for granted. They knew that, no matter what, they would be playing.
‘We needed bigger numbers in the squad and more experienced players. You need to have that fear of being taken out of the team.
‘If you have a bad game and then another bad game — or even an average one — then there should be a guy taking your place.
‘That’s what we have now. The fact we have brought in new players will only make the lads already here better.
‘But it’s about getting the balance right because you want players coming in to challenge for places and not just to make up numbers.’
The evergreen striker’s enthusiasm about returning to the Scottish Premiership with Rangers at the age of 36 is in stark contrast with the despair he felt at the end of last season.
Back in May, Miller was gutted at losing the Scottish Cup Final to Hibs and was dismayed by the ugly scenes at the final whistle that saw Rangers players allegedly attacked by fans of the Edinburgh club.
But the former Scotland striker showed his class by entering the Hibs dressing room afterwards to congratulate Alan Stubbs and his team on ending the club’s 114-year run without winning the trophy.
‘I pretty much shook all their hands,’ he said. ‘I know Alan Stubbs well.
‘I played with him (at Derby County in 2008) and he did a fantastic job at Hibs. His staff are very good as well.
‘I also know a few lads in the Hibs
team. I went along to their dressing room to see Darren McGregor, who used to be a teammate of mine at Ibrox. ‘As much as I was really disappointed that we lost to Hibs, I was delighted for Daz. He’s a great lad and he did a very good job when he was at Rangers.
‘He had to move on for whatever reason and he got a move to the club he supported as a boy.
‘In the aftermath of everything that happened at Hampden that day, we never got a chance to shake hands with the Hibs lads after the game.
‘So I just went to wish them all the best and, to be fair, all of them were brand new with me.
‘They were all jumping around celebrating at the time but they were quite hospitable towards me when I went in.
‘It was a great season for us, but the disappointment still lingers even now because, at my age, Scottish Cup Finals may not come along again.’
Miller admits he believed his time in the Scottish Premiership was up when he swapped Rangers for Vancouver Whitecaps in 2012.
However, now he is back, he hopes to grace the top flight as manager Warburton’s No 1 striker rather than a bit-part player.
‘I’m delighted to be back in the top flight,’ he added. ‘Now it’s about putting a squad together who are capable of winning the league. There is no doubt that we have put the foundations in place to do that. ‘I want to play. If I felt differently, I wouldn’t be here. ‘I had a strong season last time. I finished well and I felt great. ‘At the moment, it’s going really well. I’m still going to be knocking on the boss’s door, expecting to be the No 1 striker. ‘For me, age is just a number. I’ll be judged on my performances, my goals and everything else I bring in a game — not the fact that I’m 36. ‘I have a year left on my contract and we will see how it goes. ‘But I want to be here — and that won’t change. ‘We have good sports-science guys at the club and I feel able to play the way I want to play.’ Premiership fever has hit Ibrox this summer, with more than 40,000 season tickets sold already for a campaign that will see Warburton go head to head with new Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers. Rangers are on course to beat the record of 43,000 set in 2008. That was the summer Miller left Derby to join the Ibrox club for the second of his three spells in Govan. ‘I think those record season-ticket sales back in 2008 were off the back of me signing,’ he added with a grin. ‘It’s an amazing number of tickets sold this summer and beating that record of eight years ago is definitely on the cards. ‘Our fans are optimistic about the coming season. They see the signings we have made and there is a lot of excitement for the new campaign.’