Kenny Miller to Quit - Naismith to stay?

[Gers4Life 0]

The daily record and scottish sun are both carrying this story that miller will quit rangers during the january transfer window after transfer talks broke down??, I'm hoping this is just romours and this is not the case but rangers really should be pulling out all the stops to hold on to our top striker!!, you really have to ask what is going on at murray park! I'm very worried tbh

[ian1964 10,413]

KENNY MILLER last night edged closer to an Ibrox exit - as Rangers launched a bid to keep Stevie Naismith.

 

While talks to hold on to 19-goal ace Miller, whose contract is up next summer, hit the rocks a big-bucks effort was being made to tie down Scotland star Naisy on a new contract until 2015.

 

Now gutted Gers boss Walter Smith is facing the prospect of losing Miller in the January transfer window.

 

It's understood the talks on Miller's proposed two-year extension are doomed to failure now and that will alert predators from England and abroad when the transfer window opens.

 

Gers boss-in-waiting Ally McCoist, though, is desperate to prevent Naismith - who has 18 months left on his deal - joining Miller on the way out.

 

The Ibrox club have tabled a deal designed to keep 24-year-old Naismith at the club until 2015.

 

They are willing to offer him a long-term extension of at least four years after a stunning start to the season.

 

Naismith has been one of the most consistent performers in Smith's side both in the SPL and Champions League.

 

His form has also seen him become a regular in Craig Levein's Scotland team and he grabbed his first goal in the defeat to world champions Spain in October.

 

Those displays have alerted sides south of the border.

 

But McCoist is a fan of the former Kilmarnock kid's talents too. It's been made clear that Naismith is seen as a key part of the future success of the club.

 

Takeover talks with potential buyer Craig Whyte have delayed the club doing anything concrete with Naismith.

 

But it's believed they hope to move quickly in the coming weeks to iron out a deal.

 

Meanwhile, Smith is happy to have dodged a bigger fixture pile-up.

 

Tomorrow's lunchtime clash at Inverness WILL go ahead.

 

And Smith said: "We want to be getting games under our belts and we want to be playing again.

 

"We've got a busy enough period approaching without having it being made busier because we have more matches to rearrange."

 

 

Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/3269744/Kenny-goes-Naisy-stays.html#ixzz17goDyGQV

[Gers4Life 0]

All this money gained from the champions league and tv revenue and we can't even tie down miller, what the fuck is going on here ffs

[pete 2,499]

Maybe his demands are above a reasonable level. Is it possible that it is him that is playing hard ball? If we raise his salary to new heights then we are possibly opening the flood gates again. I don't know i am just mentioning a possibility.

[Norris Cole 0]

It's too late, I can't enjoy Christmas now.

 

No point worrying about it. If he doesn't want to be at Ibrox then I'd prefer he left sooner rather than later.

[metlika 0]

Tying down Naismith is good if it can be done. Miller I sort of thought he isn't really willing to accept a new deal, not sure if its because the manager is leaving as well..

[calscot 0]

I think Miller would be a fool to leave Rangers and only has to look at Boyd to see what can happen - although I suppose he's getting old and squeezing every extra million out of hard working fans pockets becomes more important than getting paid a million a year to actually play football for a team that you do well with.

 

I can't imagine that Rangers have offered him less than the maximum wage of our current pay structure, and without evidence I will not believe that he's being offered less than Beattie.

 

It may be best he goes now if we can cash in on a transfer fee. He's definitely a good streak - bad streak player, so maybe his form is about to go very flat soon anyway. If we can get a couple of million then we can perhaps afford a more consistent replacement for the second half of the season.

 

Keeping Naismith is far more important.

[ian1964 10,413]

WALTER SMITH last night warned that Rangers cannot afford to lose Kenny Miller or any of his top players in the January transfer window.

 

The Ibrox manager is bracing himself for bids for 19-goal Miller – whose contract talks have broken down – and keeper Allan McGregor, who is being closely monitored by Aston Villa.

 

But Smith is adamant their exits would severely hamper Rangers’ hopes of holding off Celtic’s SPL challenge.

 

Smith’s men will go five points clear if they win today in Inverness but injuries have decimated his threadbare squad and losing two of his main men in January is his nightmare scenario.

 

And while the board – or the club’s bankers – may be tempted to flog Miller rather than lose him for nothing in the summer, Smith is desperate to keep his main goal threat.

 

He said: “It’s obviously a concern. It’s a concern we’ve had for nearly two full seasons now – that when it comes to a transfer window, whether it be a winter one or summer – that we’ll lose players. We just have to hope we’ll get through this one in the manner we’ve got through the rest.

 

“We don’t want to lose important players. We’ve been dropping down in numbers over the last few seasons and we are reaching the stage where we can’t afford to go lower.

 

“The contract talks can be restarted again. They are stalled at the moment and I would stress that it is a stall. We’ll wait and see what happens.

 

“But the situation has been clear for the last two years. If somebody comes in for him, like every other player, there has to be a consideration.

 

“I read yesterday that a club in the Middle East said they made a bid for him last year but they didn’t. Nobody did. If we don’t get a bid we’ll be pleased with that.

 

“There is no use in worrying too much about what might happen because it has been like that for a couple of years.”

 

Rangers have opened talks with Steven Naismith about extending his contract and Smith is hoping a deal can be tied up for a player who has been outstanding this season.

 

He added: “I would welcome that. He has been doing well for us and I’d hope we’d be able to finalise a new contract for Steven. I’d hope he’d want to stay.

 

“He came in and had an awkward spell through injury and he is now showing real form and playing exceptionally well.

 

“Obviously, we want to try to keep good players.”

 

Rangers will assess the fitness of Sasa Papac, who is back training, before Smith names his team for the clash with Inverness.

 

He added: “Sasa’s only had a couple of days’ training so we’ll see how he feels in the morning. But he is available for us.

 

“Maurice Edu possibly will be available for next week’s game.”

 

Meanwhile, Smith has revealed that long-term injury victim Nikica Jelavic is unlikely to make the Old Firm clash on January 2 – although the Croat should be back in action a couple of weeks later.

[pete 2,499]

Penalty miss and a sitter at a very important time. That is what makes him a striker we can easily replace. We need a striker who gets one chance and scores the important goals.

[metlika 0]

Jelavic is something different shame about the assault on him as I feel we could be miles ahead if he had been fit.