Miller's big season

[Tannochsidebear 2,322]

I'm not a fan of Kenny Miller, although I was supportive of his first time purchase from Hibs and disappointed to see him sold on McLeish's first day in charge. His subsequent career down south, with our rivals, and down south again has been disappointing given the talent he looked at Hibs and in fleeting glimpses with us first time around.

 

His overall lack of goals for a striker has always hanuted him, and while he has always managed to go on hot-streaks, the cold-spells have normally been for longer. He usually misses decent chunks of the season with niggly injuries, and plays on with minor injuries that make his form and general play suffer.

 

He seems to be touted as a natural lone striker for big games, but I would challenge that as well. A lone striker cannot be merely a runner, chasing down defenders and running onto out-balls from our defence. In the big games in Europe during his time with us, he has been our worst player on many occassions, like Kaunas and Unirea, and the fact is we have completely under-performed in Europe since his return to the club, and he has been used in this lone striker role that both Cousin and to a lesser extent Darcheville mastered in our UEFA cup final season the year before he arrived, without any success at all.

 

The one positive I have taken from his return is his partnership with Boyd. They seemed made for each other, and created chances for each other and tormented many domestic defences with the different styles that combined so well. As with any partnership, you cannot give credit to one without the other, so both players were made to look better individually as a result of their excellant partnership. With Boyd gone, what sort of form will we get from Miller this season?

 

If you look at Miller's career, he has never had 2 good seasons in a row, generally resulting in a move. After an initial mixed season (more bad than good IMO, but I appreciate others would reverse that) he had a good season (certainly his goals tally was good) last season, we can only hope he can finally nail a second successive good season this coming term. Certainly he has the managers full support, and he seems to have won over the majority of the fans who didnt want him signed in the first place.

 

My fear is that Miller will revert to type, struggle with niggling injuries, miss far more chances than take, and with the absence of a predator beside him to take the goal-scoring pressure off him, he will quickly go off form and have a poor season.

 

My hope is he will grow into the number 9 jersey, continue on from last season, hopefully form a new and equally successful partnership with another striker (who at this stage is difficult to work out), and carry the Rangers onto 3 in a row.

 

Starting tomorrow, we are about to find out.

[Guest Flying Hippo]

You can't seriously believe that Miller's good form was only down to him playing alongside Boyd? It makes literally no sense, considering he was the one doing all the donkey work for Boyd

[johnnyk 158]

You can't seriously believe that Miller's good form was only down to him playing alongside Boyd? It makes literally no sense, considering he was the one doing all the donkey work for Boyd

 

I think Miller will play better without Boyd than Boyd will without Miller.