I’ve no doubt I could still do a job up front for Scotland
Miller might be 37 but he feels ‘brand new’
LEAVING Chelsea defender Gary Cahill for dead with a feint one way then a swivel of the hips the other to craft a full yard of space before planting a fabulous finish past Joe Hart. Kenny Miller’s stunning Wembley goal in August 2013 was one of the more unusual precursors to a player concluding that time simply had to be called prematurely on his international career.
This beautiful display of scoring strength in a friendly against England was not the act of a man, then 33, whose aching legs could be heard begging him to pack it in for Scotland.
Come to think of it, almost four years on, Miller’s superb Rangers displays in the fading weeks of the season was form worthy of a shriek or two from those limbs in favour of retirement status to be reversed.
Any available striker might have felt hard done by to have put in Miller’s performances so far in 2017 then be ignored by Gordon Strachan for a place in the squad for next Saturday.
This is not lost on the veteran striker who is fresh, at 37 and a half, from his fifth 90 minutes of post-split Ladbrokes Premiership action and a cracking goal to round off the domestic campaign.
‘I’ve no doubt I could still do a job,’ said Miller. ‘But we’ve got umpteen players for Scotland in forward areas who are younger, playing at a decent level.
‘A lot of people ask me if I’ve had the benefit of not playing internationals but, to be honest, I don’t think you can be sure of that at all. I’ve just played three 90 minutes in the space of a week on the last week of the season for Rangers. And I feel brand new.
‘When you make a decision it doesn’t mean you didn’t feel you were still capable of performing.
‘But at that point there was a decision to be made and I made it.’
The point came nine days after Scotland’s 3-2 loss at Wembley which featured that 18th — and probably finest — goal in his 69 proud appearances for the nation.
There were many miles of hard graft on pitches around the globe in a frequently thankless lone-striker slot before the miles in the air, while a Vancouver Whitecap, took their toll on Miller’s Scotland career.
The hectic Major League Soccer travelling schedule and Scotland duties contrived to create injury issues he felt were not fair on his Canadian employers. Club career and family time were cited as priorities.
Miller is sixth highest all-time scorer behind Denis Law, Kenny Dalglish, Hughie Gallacher, Lawrie Reilly and Ally McCoist.
Yet goals have been at a premium while wearing No9 for Scotland and trying to climb that chart.
The most natural successor to his job with pace, movement, fondness of a dash in behind a defence, scoring instinct and will to run all day is finding out just how tough the gig can be.
Leigh Griffiths admitted on the eve of the Slovenia tie in March that he was ‘trying too hard’ to net his first goal for Scotland.
He debuted under caretaker Billy Stark in November 2012 against Luxembourg and, while at his most prolific for Celtic, played only 15 minutes of the doomed Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.
It’s 12 caps without a goal, most agonisingly against Slovenia when he struck the woodwork twice in the first half and couldn’t right those wrongs because of a back injury.
‘I feel for Leigh in that sense,’ said Rangers rival Miller. ‘I watched him the last few games, his movement is always very good, he’s always asking a question of a back line.
‘And he really is putting himself into the right positions. Chances sometimes are a premium with Scotland, although in the last game a few came his way.
‘One in particular a header where, if he scores, it’s a fantastic goal. One before that I felt he maybe could’ve done a wee bit better for someone who is a proper goalscorer.
‘Keep knocking on the door and it’ll come. He’s not done it yet for Scotland. You maybe find he’ll get one and then he will go on a wee run.’
Does he see a bit of himself in Griffiths? He laughs: ‘Maybe a younger me aye… but not now! Listen, he’s waited patiently for his chance because there’s been a lot of guys chosen ahead of him in the pecking order.
‘Steven Fletcher, Chris Martin, Steven Naismith are all lads more than capable. He wasn’t really getting much of a look-in even after a fantastic scoring season the year before this.
‘But he’s kept scoring for Celtic and working away. He’s had his opportunity, done a decent job of leading the line and is potentially going into this game as the No 1 striker now.’
In addition to England, Miller can count goals against European class acts Germany, Italy and Croatia among his haul.
Now he looks forward to the renewal of
Auld Enemy hostilities as an occasionally restless outsider, missing the buzz of being on the inside for international week.
His view of the 3-0 Wembley loss in November, with Griffiths in attack, was at the stadium working for television. Not an accurate reflection of the action was Miller’s verdicton that outcome.
The Hampden factor alone, he insists, can make a start towards avenging that event which many thought would claim the Scotland tenure Celtic boss Strachan.
When asked what gives him confidence of a positive result, one that would keep Scotland bang in contention for a play-off berth in a tightly packed bunch of Group F nations, he stated: ‘Home tie. Passionate, fantastic atmosphere. Any
big nation who came to Hampden in my time as a player always had a tough, tight game — Italy, Germany, Spain, Holland.
‘There is no reason why we can’t win it if we get the breaks on the night, nullify their threats and take our chances. You never know.
‘I know it was 3-0 but I thought they did pretty well at Wembley. We had really good opportunities to equalise at the start of the second half.
‘We never took them and I think, within a few minutes, they went up the park and got the second. That effectively really put a dampener on the lads and kind of killed the game. We had been right in it.
‘Going into this game, we have to take confidence in the fact we can hurt them. But the quality they’ve got in the Spurs lads like Harry Kane, Dele Alli plus Liverpool’s Adam Lallana, we need to be on top of our game defensively.’
Matching the firepower of Kane – with top-level goal tallies in all competitions for club and country of 32, 32 and 35 in the last three seasons — is an inordinate ask for Griffiths if selected by Strachan to lead the line.
With the Parkhead forward out of contention at Celtic and Moussa Dembele centre stage for Brendan Rodgers, Terry Butcher touted Miller for a recall in February as a potential fix for Scotland.
Was he ever tempted to revisit his own retirement decision? ‘No, I never did,’ said Miller. ‘If there was ever a time where maybe I was needed then, obviously, I’d have been more than happy to fill in.
‘But there is talent in that department available to Gordon. I miss it massively. I’ve always missed it. I miss meeting up with the lads, good guys and friends you’ve not played with for a while.
‘The games and representing your country were the pinnacles of your career. Pulling that jersey on was something I was really committed to, something I always loved.
‘Ask any player, whether they stop internationals through retirement or actual retirement they’re going to miss it, especially when you’ve enjoyed it as much as I did.
‘And that Wembley goal was right up there for me. Just disappointing it didn’t lead to a positive result for us.
‘For a Scottish lad to score against England is a dream come true. It was a good goal and a nice positive memory for me to finish my international career.’