Kenny Miller is hoping sixth time is the charm for Rangers when it comes to nailing their recruitment. The former Ibrox striker has seen five summer windows come and go with his former club failing to bring in the right sort of players. It culminated in last season's post-split collapse and third-place finish after failing to keep up with Celtic and Hearts at the top of the table when it really mattered.
New Approach Needed
Chairman Andrew Cavenagh has ripped up the previous approach and adopted a Scottish first mentality, poaching manager Derek McInnes and top scorer Lawrence Shankland from Tynecastle. But Miller has pointed out the need for strong characters, regardless of nationality, to try and get Gers over the line when the pressure is on and things aren't going their way.
"It’s already been a summer of movement, both in terms of players coming in and out of the club," Miller exclusively told Ladbrokes. "But this might be the fourth or fifth summer in a row where we’ve talked about getting the recruitment right, and up to this point, we haven’t managed to do it."
More Than Quality Needed
"You need to get that right; it needs addressing. And it’s not just a case of adding quality, it’s about adding better characters, too. Characters who can come in and withstand everything that comes with wearing that jersey."
Miller highlighted the loss of James Tavernier as a significant blow. "They’ve lost a big player in James Tavernier. You know, he’s going to need replacing because, irrespective of what anyone says, no one will convince me at this moment in time there’s somebody in the building who can fill those shoes."
Transfer Window Changes
"He needs replacing, and if you don’t replace him, and you stick with someone who’s already inside the building, then you’re dropping down a level in that position. And as always, there’s rumours about other players. Chermiti might leave, I’ve seen Bojan Miovski in the media in the last week or so, and I don’t know what his Rangers future holds. So there’s going to be another transfer window of change, that’s for sure."
"But the players coming in don't need to be good; they need to be better, and they need to be proper Rangers signings. Good players aren’t enough."
Dealing With Expectation
"I’m not saying this current group aren’t good enough, but it takes more than that when you’re representing a club the size of Rangers. The expectation here is that you have to win every single game, no exception."
"So you have to be able to deal with that. And there are times when things are going to be against you, and you have to have a bit of character, a bit of personality, to stand up and listen to the crowd who pay their money, and have the right to boo you if they don’t like what they’re seeing. You need to take it, puff your chest out and still go and deliver your best."
Hearts' Success Rate
Miller also reckons Rangers, as well as Celtic, need to up their success rate when it comes to signings. With the help of Jamestown Analytics, Hearts built a title-challenging team under McInnes and despite losing their manager, captain and Cammy Devlin to Ibrox, Miller fancies the Jambos to get more right than wrong again after signing 11 players so far this summer.
"Rangers start every season wanting to win the league, so to finish third behind Celtic, and having Hearts finish above you as well, it’s not a good season at all. So there’s a lot of work to be done over the course of the summer."
"I would expect Rangers to be challenging for next year’s title. They have to be, because I’m expecting big summers from the other two [Celtic and Hearts] as well."
"Hearts just sign good players again and again. You know, Tony Bloom said he wanted to be challenging for the title within three to five years, and he’s done it within one. That’s because of good recruitment."
"Pretty much every player that came in last summer was a near enough hit. Compare that to Glasgow, and you’re maybe getting one hit in three at the moment, if you’re lucky. So for Rangers, next season is going to come down to recruitment this summer."
