Ibrox return would be 'no brainer' for ex Rangers striker who is 'desperate' to land new role

Kenny Miller insists it would be a “no-brainer” for him to accept a coaching role at Rangers should the opportunity arise - admitting he is “desperate” to get back involved in the day-to-day running at a football club.

The former Gers hitman enjoyed two seperate spells at Ibrox, where his goal scoring exploits propelled him to fan-favourite status during his playing career.

Now working as a Scottish football pundit across various media outlets, Miller has pitched his attributed as a coach to current Light Blues boss Philippe Clement, claiming he would love to get back into that side of the game.

The 44-year-old - who has obtained all the relevant coaching badges - had stints as player/manager at Livingston, and served as assistant boss at Falkirk and Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia.

“Absolutely yes, that has never changed,” Miller told BoyleSports, who offer he latest Old Firm odds. “I was fortunate to have a long career and played until the age of 40. Others are not that fortunate, but I was still thinking about coaching and management from the age of 30!

“It’s not changed, I want to now get back into the coaching game, whatever level that may be. I miss being on the grass, I miss being on the grass around the group. Being a pundit, you’re always around football watching loads of games on TV, but it doesn’t match being on the grass Monday-Friday, getting a team prepped for a Saturday.

“I'm as hungry as ever to get back into it, I went from playing in January 2020 to coaching a month later - there was no time off. This has been the first season since I was 16, the first time in 29 years that I’ve not been involved in a group as a player or coach. There’s a massive hunger and desire to get in and climb that ladder again.

“It would be a no-brainer to go back to Rangers, going in to try and help add value to the project. You’ve got an existing coaching and playing staff there, and you might come across somebody who you click with, then they think ‘he could be of real value to me as a head coach’.

“It’s about finding a way to help, where you could really make a difference in a specific area. It’s a big team in terms of the staff, you’ve got the players as a unit but then you need to have a strong working staff to succeed now. They’re under so much pressure to deliver that you can’t afford to leave any stone unturned. If there was a role like that in the future, then great, but if it was at Rangers it would be an absolute no brainer.”

Rangers head across with city to take on Glasgow rivals Celtic in a massive Old Firm encounter that is likely to have huge implications on the Premiership title race this weekend, And Miller believes the situation is clear for Clement’s side - they need to start how they finished the previous derby clash at Ibrox.

He added: “The one thing you get at this time of season is that the situation you find yourself in is really clear and Rangers will need to go there and win, it’s as simple as that.

“Then, it’s about the manager doing his preparation and following that it’s about picking the right team, then, it’s about the guys actually performing on the day. That’s important because over the previous three games, Celtic have won two and drawn one - the last being that 3-3 at Ibrox. 

“In the last two since Phillippe Clement has been in the opposite dugout, they have gone 2-0 up in both and actually looked really comfortable in both of those games. Firstly, at Celtic Park, which finished 2-1 and then the 3-3. When you take that into account, you will be thinking that Rangers will need to start well and get going like they finished the last two Old Firm games.

“It’s a lot easier said than done, but going in there from a Rangers perspective they will need to win. They know they can’t afford to be giving Celtic another two-goal lead like they have done recently. If they have any hope of winning the league, they now have to win at Celtic Park.”