Kenny Miller tips Rangers to win Scottish Championship

Kenny Miller believes the Championship is precisely the challenge Rangers have been waiting for.

The former Scotland star swapped his Light Blues scarf for a jersey in midweek when he signed up for a third spell at Ibrox.

And while acknowledging the addition of Hibs the club he began his career at 16 years ago into a division already featuring Rangers and Hearts has made things tougher, he insists he will be a title winner again within a year.

“I was very surprised to see Hibs go down, and I wouldn’t say I was delighted,” says the 34-year-old.

“The play-offs gave them a second chance to stay in the Premiership and, after winning the first leg 2-0 against Hamilton Accies, I didn’t expect them to let it slip.

“It is going to make it challenging for us because it is now a very competitive division. You have Hibs and Hearts, who everyone knows about.

“And on top of that you also have Livingston, who are a good club, Falkirk, who will be there or thereabouts, and Queen of the South, who we know from the cups are always tough to play against.

“Add them all together and you can see it is going to be tough. That is okay, though, because I believe the challenge is just what this squad needs.

“We have played at a level in the last few years where we’ve won games comfortably while maybe not having to get out of second or third gear.

“The new season will be a test for us, and I think it is one we will rise to. Come the end of the season, we will be top of the Championship.”

Miller has attended games as a fan whenever his schedule allows since quitting for Vancouver Whitecaps three years ago.

His experiences have left him convinced of two things. Rangers fans don’t do walking away but the coaching staff have their work cut out to keep them happy.

“The fans’ support has been unwavering,” Miller continues.

“I saw us play Peterhead, we won 2-0 and there were 49,000 there I couldn’t believe it.

“My mate is a season ticket holder and I sat with him and said: ‘This is incredible. We’re in the Third Division, playing Peterhead, and there are nearly 50,000 here?’ There has been criticism of the manager, yes.

“It is hard, though, because as Rangers manager, you are always expected to win things. In the third and fourth tier, titles are taken as a given.

“The team changed dramatically but the players were still expected to win in the cups. The pressure was there for Ally McCoist.”

And that, the veteran striker argues, was unrealistic.

“You can’t ignore the big re-building job which has gone on at Rangers over the last few years,” he says.

“The coaches deserve a lot of credit because they have had to deal with so much. To go through the league unbeaten last season was just an incredible achievement. When that happens, you know you have to be doing something right.

“I say that because football is not as simple as saying: ‘You are better than that team now go out and beat them’. When Rangers went out of the SPL and were in a really bad plight, everyone expected Celtic to get trebles.

“We have not seen that yet…”