Kenny Miller hurting as ex Rangers striker stunned by Celtic move he never thought he'd see
Hurting Kenny Miller admits it's hard to stomach Rangers' demise as Celtic strengthen their dominance of Scottish football.
The ex-Old Firm striker - who pledges his loyalty to Gers - couldn't believe the eye-watering sums Brendan Rodgers spent during the summer window. Celts twice shattered their transfer record to land £9.5million striker Adam Idah and £11m Belgium international Arne Engels during a staggering £30m spending spree.
The Hoops have enjoyed a perfect start to the campaign, thrashing their Glasgow rivals 3-0 at Parkhead, and have a golden opportunity to progress in the Champions League. Gers, meanwhile, are in crisis as they search for a new CEO and chairman to get them back on track.
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Miller, now assistant manager to ex-Celtic boss Ronny Deila at UAE outfit Al Wahda, confessed this campaign already looks like a write-off for the Light Blues. He told the Monday Club Podcast: "I don't think the team or the club are in a great way. It's not been a great start to the season.
"It was the worst time to get that Old Firm game. If you lose that then you've got two weeks of chat that people need to fill and they are all going to be talking about that last result. Unfortunately for Rangers at the moment, Celtic are moving away. That's my genuine opinion and it hurts me to say it.
"When you look at the last couple of days of the transfer window, Celtic just flexed their muscles. They spent £11m then another £6m on the lad Auston Trusty as well. And then they are on the bench for the game they are already winning 3-0 in, and by the way, it could have been more.
"So I think they flexed their muscles at that moment and unfortunately from the top, down there's been mistakes made. Whether it be people in certain important positions, it then leads to more bad decisions because they are maybe not the right person for that role. Again, recruitment is massive. It's been talked about for the last three seasons. It's not to say it's not going to come good, but it needs to be good now.
"When Michael Beale did his recruitment last year it didn't look great. He obviously then loses his job and now Philippe's come in and the recruitment's been done again. It was clear to everybody that Rangers needed at least six starting footballers, not projects or squad players. We need to hit the ground running now. There's not a lot that's gone right over the first few months of the season. When you're five points behind after just four games, it's not a great look. Nothing is won or lost in August or September, but you're five points back. It looks like a long way back.
"Everything needs to improve and you need to find a way to claw it back again but it just seems like this is what we always seem to be talking about. Even at this stage last season, we were seven points back early doors and Rangers are just having to play catch up an awful lot. Sometimes you need to just roll your sleeves up and start improving and that's probably where the fans are feeling a bit frustrated at the moment.
"I hate this term 'the gap'. It's not about that for me. Celtic look like they are moving in a certain direction and we're not really moving forward. Whether it be off-the-field stuff or recruitment in the team, improvements have stalled a wee bit whereas Celtic look like they are moving in the one direction. I never thought I'd see Celtic or Rangers spend £11m on one player. I think Odsonne Edouard was the highest before that. I just thought they'll never spend that, and then they go and spend it."