Kenny Miller: Scotland Are Not In A Good Place To Qualify For 2026 World Cup

Scottish football icon Kenny Miller discusses the challenge facing Russell Martin at his beloved Rangers and how he linked up with former Celtic boss Ronny Deila at Atalanta United in the MLS.

In an exclusive chat with Canada Crypto Casino, the well-travelled forward, who had a season playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps as well as representing both Old Firm clubs Celtic and Rangers, discusses his former clubs, Scotland’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup and current role working as Deila’s Assistant Manager in the MLS.

Rangers

Q: You were at Rangers three different times. Was there any one particular spell that was more important to you than the others? 

Kenny Miller: Every spell at Rangers had kind of a different significance, I suppose you could say. When I first went there, I was a young player. I was that young Hibs player who broke through into the first team and earned a move after the first real year he played as a first-teamer in the SPL. So that itself is a situation where you’re going to a massive team, you’ve got something to prove.

I walked into a huge club the first time I joined Rangers. The squad list at the time was ridiculous. Back in 2000, the kind of money around the Premier League back then had just really started to kick off. Rangers and Celtic could really compete with other top leagues for player signings. With Dick Advocaat as manager, we had Dutch internationals like Arthur Numan, Ronald de Boer, Giovani van Bronckhorst. Jorg Albertz, Claudio Reyna, Lorenzo Amoruso, as well. We had Andrei Kanchelskis and Tore Andre Flo who just signed for £12 million.

That first spell was tough for a young player to break through and make an impact. And the third spell, coming back as an older player, I’m going back there to try and help the team build itself back up into the top flight after the demotion. But for me, the main spell, the most important one, was the second one.

I’d just played for Celtic at the time of my second Rangers stint, as well. So when I went back in 2008 after all of that, I felt like I had unfinished business. When I joined the first time in 2000, as much as we had all of those top European stars, we never won anything that year. That’s a club that expects to be competing for league titles and trophies, and winning their share of them. So, after not winning anything, I went back with a real focus in mind.

I was going back as an international player as well. Wearing the number nine for Scotland, a more experienced player and the fact I’d played for Celtic as well at that stage meant I had a lot of people to convince that I was going to be a good signing and would help them deliver league titles. Celtic had won three in a row by that point. And a big turning point was the first Old Firm game. We played them at Celtic Park and won 4-2, and I scored two goals. It was a big, big game for me and it was my first goals back at Rangers as well.

That 2008-2011 period was a big spell for me to deliver success to the club personally. We went and won three league titles, the Scottish Cup, the League Cup… it was doubles every year over that period, as well. Not to mention my first trophy in Rangers colours, full stop. I played pretty well over those three seasons, and had a decent enough goal return. I’m not sure if most important is the right way to describe it, but going there after playing for Celtic and finally winning silverware as a Rangers player, it was a really important spell for me, for sure.

Q: As one of only three men to play for both Old Firm teams, how do you handle everything that comes with that?

Kenny Miller: Well, when I went to Celtic I was only a young player in the history of Rangers. I spent about 18 months there, but it was only really one proper season because I went on loan to Wolves. I had a little taste of the top level during my first spell at Rangers, one game in the Champions League against Monaco. But the real opportunity to play at that top level for a prolonged amount of time came at Celtic.

I’ve always viewed myself as someone who wanted to win, and who wanted to compete at the top end of the game. I went to Celtic because it was a chance to go and do that, even with a bit of Rangers on my resume at the time. And no matter what, you’re always going to have to work on convincing people that you’re worthy of playing for teams like Celtic or Rangers, even if you didn’t play for their main rivals.

I didn’t feel the pressure too much going to Celtic, maybe because I was a younger player for Rangers for a very short amount of time. It was when I went back to Rangers in 2008, that’s when I really felt that.

But I’ve always been someone with a strong mentality. And if you play for Celtic or Rangers, let alone both, you have to have that mentality and a strong, thick skin because you’re constantly being judged and you’re under scrutiny for every touch, every performance.

You’re always likely to be getting some level of criticism if you’ve not been doing your job as well as you have shown you can, any given week. You’re under the microscope, even when the team has been successful, at a team like Celtic or a team like Rangers. And when you’ve represented both, I think that does go up a level or two. But I always tried to focus on the job, and I felt like I gave it everything all the way through my career. I always felt at the time that this would be recognised, and I think for the most part it was.

And when the goals come and the trophies follow, I think that’s all the fans of football clubs really look for. They want success to be delivered, and they want to be competing at the highest possible level. So, when you’re delivering that as a team, you’re usually viewed as doing a good enough job and being worth the trouble even if you’ve also played for a rival.

Q: What really happened with you, Graeme Murty and Lee Wallace all those years ago?

Kenny Miller: Of course, that’s something I’ve been asked about a lot. It’s incredible to think that it’s actually seven years ago now. But what I would say is that I do feel, even to this day, that it really did hurt, the way I had to leave the club. Especially after spending so long as a player at the club. It was an association over three spells that lasted from 2000 to that day in 2018. I think it shows how I felt for the club.

Any time I was away from Rangers, I was always kind of looking to see if there’d ever be an opportunity to get back. I’ve been fortunate enough to represent them three different times. But it hurt, the way it went down the last time I left. And I know Lee was involved in it as well – I felt for him because he’s very much like me. He loved representing that club, being the captain of that club. I know how much it meant to him. It felt like all of those things were kind of thrown against us at the end, just for demanding better at Rangers.

Lee was there another year, and he was one of the best footballers in that club. And the limited game time he actually got the following year because of the circumstances… it wasn’t because of his abilities, that’s for sure. It wasn’t right how he was treated, either. And the way I left, having to go into a training ground to get your stuff when nobody else is around and nobody can see you, a black bag over your shoulder.

That hurt a lot, because over three different spells from 2000 to 2018, I knew the kitchen staff, all the other staff in every part of the club. And I never really got the chance to say goodbye to them. That was not nice.

What happened on the day… it felt like the demands and the standards, everything that you’ve been told comes along with representing clubs like Rangers and Celtic, it felt like it was kind of used against us. I mean, what was the demand at the time?

We’d lost four-nil to Celtic in the Scottish Cup. It could have been six or seven. Two weeks later, after everything that went down, there was a 5-0 loss to Celtic at Celtic Park and it could have been eight or nine.

The performances were unacceptable, the results were unacceptable. It made us realise, as a group, that we had to be better. It seemed like we were kind of being held up as scapegoats to mask a really poor result. But ultimately it was unfair, the way we were treated. For me, we had to move on. You move on.

It’s sad how my Rangers career ended, and there’s always a disappointment there over how I had to leave that club. But they will always be a big part of my career.

Q: What are your memories of playing alongside Russell Martin at Rangers?

Kenny Miller: Russell came for a few months in the second half of the season, on loan. It was a tough time to come into the club. I’ve played with Russell at international level as well. He was capped for Scotland a number of times as well. We played together quite a bit there, but at Rangers he came at a tough time. He played in that game we lost 4-0 to Celtic.

You could always see him going on to be a coach, that’s for sure. The way he looked at the game, he was very thoughtful, and he was a good player as well as a good head coach.

Q: What are the main qualities you expect Russell to bring as the Rangers boss?

Kenny Miller: The one thing that’s been really clear with him is his style. It was clear for MK Dons, for Swansea and for Southampton. I’m assuming he’ll want to maintain that. But I think that’s probably part of the reason he got the job at Rangers, the fact that there’s a clear way that he has his teams play.

There’s a new ownership group at the club that obviously believe that his way is a way that can deliver them success. It won’t be easy. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done to that squad. But then again, he’ll be fully aware of that. And he’ll want to make sure his style can translate to the players that are going to stay and the players that are going to arrive. And then, can that turn into delivering trophies?

Rangers prefer to play with a lot of the ball and that will suit Russell and his style. He will be up against a good Celtic team, though, and a very good head coach in Brendan Rodgers. So, it’ll be a really interesting season. People talk about aiming to close the gap to Celtic, but ultimately of course, the aim is to win the league. Steven Gerrard managed to do it in his third season, and it was a monumental one because it stopped Celtic getting 10 in a row.

Celtic are of course the driving force right now in the country, and have been for a number of years. How to turn that tide will be part of Russell’s job while still focusing on getting Rangers playing the way he wants them to play.

Q: Luuk de Jong is a striker linked with Rangers. Do you think this could be a good signing for them?

Kenny Miller: Well, when I saw that report the other day, I really wasn’t sure if there was anything to it. Is there any real substance behind the rumour? I’ve seen it over the years with clubs who have takeovers like Rangers just have. They’ve got all this money coming, apparently, and they’re linked with signing that player for 10 million and this player for 12 million. I don’t know if this one is a real possibility or not.

If it is, there’s no denying he brings a lot of experience. Rangers have had striker problems and they’re going to need to start strong in Scotland and in the qualifying for the Champions League. De Jong, even at his age now, has a wealth of experience at those levels. I think he’d be a wonderful signing for Rangers, but I just don’t know if there’s any substance to the reports right now. It remains to be seen, and it might hinge on a few departures first, as well.

Q: Another player linked with Rangers is Lawrence Shankland. With the latest reports of his Hearts status, do you think that might be an easier deal for Rangers to get done?

Kenny Miller: I’ve no doubt that they could get a good deal for Shankland. It’s a player they know very well. He’s been in the league for a number of years now, and he’s a proven goalscorer. Last year, he didn’t have as good a season as he had the couple of seasons before that. I absolutely would have signed him for Rangers a year ago, or two years ago.

I thought at that time, he was a wonderful option for Rangers. He’d scored 28 goals and 31 goals, he was in the national team, but this past season he scored eight goals. So it’s a question of whether he’s on the slide, or if the situation at Hearts is having an effect and Rangers can potentially sign someone for a great price while they’re under the radar a little bit.

I still think he could do a job for Rangers, absolutely. He’s a really good player. But it’s not the most glamorous signing after the season he just had. So, you need to hope that the club see something most people can’t see, and can get him straight back to those 28-30 goal seasons. I think if the right moves are made elsewhere in the team as well, that will help. Because if Shankland gets decent service, he will score you goals.

I don’t think Rangers will sign numerous strikers, as Russell will probably play with one striker and a couple of wingers. You don’t want four or five strikers all sitting there unhappy. So whether it’s De Jong, Shankland or someone else, we might only see one come in and a few go out as well.

Celtic

Q: Can Kieran Tierney rediscover his best form at Celtic?

Kenny Miller: I think the only obstacle is being fit. He’s had a number of injuries over the years, of course. But I wouldn’t say they’ve halted his progress as a player at all. Kieran was 16, 17 when he first came to me when I played against him. I think he’s now one of the best players we’ve got in our country. He’s such a good player. He was good when he was young and now he’s gone and played in the Premier League.

I always thought he would find his way back to Celtic because that’s how much the club means to him. He came through the academy at Celtic. You could tell when he played, how much it meant to him to represent that club. I could always see it happening, and now he’s found himself back. He achieved so much under Brendan in that first spell. It may have been the gaffer, Ronny, that put him in the team first, as well. That goes to show what he had in him as a young player.

And he’s still got so much to offer. It’s not like Kieran is a 33-year-old, going back for the very end of his career. He’s a 28-year-old who will be in his prime, if he shakes off the worst of the bad luck with injury. He’s been about for so long, you think he’s older than he is. But I’ve always rated him so highly and I think he’s going to be a big success back at Celtic.

Hibs

Q: What do you think of Kieron Bowie who’s just won his first Scotland cap? 

Kenny Miller: I’ve seen him a few times – obviously I’ve been away working in the States, so it’s been kind of limited exactly how much I’ve seen of him. But for someone who obviously is a younger player, and who burst onto the scene and got a big move to Fulham, then found himself back in Scotland with Hibs, I think he’s handling the ups and downs of club football really well so far.

I suppose you could also say he’s a different type of striker to what Scotland already have. He has a different profile, if you look at the Scotland strikers in the last squad. He’s obviously more than just a target man, but he brings that target man option to the table. He offers a little bit more size up front and he’s doing well right now.

You could say it’s a position in the squad that’s very much up for grabs, as well. Che Adams is the one that’s been around for the last few years, him and Lyndon Dykes. Now, Lyndon’s kind of drifted away a little bit, Tommy Conway’s come into the squad, so has George Hirst and of course Kieron Bowie.

There’s a lot of experience there competing for the spots. It needs to be a big season coming up from Kieron if he’s to maintain that place in the squad. But he’s in a good place right now, he’s getting better, and there’s no reason why he can’t keep playing for Scotland. He’s very much in the mix.

Q: What do you think he can add to his game in order to achieve that?

Kenny Miller: I’ve probably not seen enough of him to really analyse his game, but as a former player offering advice to a young current player, it’s about playing consistently for your team. If he’s playing for Hibs week-in, week-out and scoring goals, he isn’t just going to be getting attention for the goals he’s scoring but he’s going to be developing those areas of his game that need developing along the way. Scoring goals, winning games and having that confidence up high will lead to more development, more often than not.

Hibs had a wonderful season last year after a poor start and as a result, he’s got a chance to play in European football this season as well. That will also add some experiences and some new wrinkles to his game. It’s a different level of playing football and it’ll help prepare him for more of what representing Scotland will throw his way, and it’ll help his development a lot. So that’s a big opportunity for him, early in the season.

Q: Do you think playing for Hibs would hinder his chances of grabbing one of those striker spots for the World Cup?

Kenny Miller: I don’t think playing for Hibs will hinder him at all. Does it help your chances if you’re at Rangers or Celtic, or a Premier League or top Championship side? Absolutely it can. But when you look at the pool of strikers that might be available to Steve Clarke, assuming that everybody will be fit and available if they make the tournament, of course, I don’t see any reason why he wouldn’t be in the mix.

He just needs to be making sure that he keeps improving on his game, building on the season he had last year, developing, scoring goals and listening to his coaches. The main thing will be that he’s playing consistently, performing well and getting goals. And if he’s doing that again this coming season, he’d make the World Cup squad if they qualify regardless of the shirt he wears.

Q: Hibs have been drawn against Midtjylland in Europa League qualifying, a tough draw for sure but can David Gray lead them to the league phase and how impressed have you been with Hibs this year?

Kenny Miller: You only need to look at the start of last season. David Gray is obviously a Hibs legend, who’s been around the club for a long time. He knows it inside-out. He was caretaker for a couple of spells, but when he took charge last season, things were really bad.

But despite that, from November he made some changes and they were great. They qualified for Europe, and that was a really strong final two thirds of the season. What that took to achieve was really impressive. It requires the belief that you can turn it around before it gets even more dire. They’re a club that are amongst those who should be expecting to fight for third, fourth every season. And they managed to qualify for Europe after all, despite losing something like 11 out of 12 at the start.

The gap between Aberdeen and Hibs at the start of the season was huge. That Hibs turned it around showed such good leadership from David for me. It would have been easy for the club to not think he was the man to turn things around, but they didn’t rush to judgment and didn’t press the panic button.

Midtjylland will be a tough ask, it’s a real tough draw to get at this stage of the season when you’re still building and preparing. It’ll also be a new experience for some of the Hibs players, playing at that level. But they absolutely can pull off a win. They’ve got a really good team, but a good result away from home and you wouldn’t bet against them.

Scotland

Q: Do you think Scotland will qualify for the 2026 World Cup?

Kenny Miller: If you had asked me this a few years ago, I probably would have said yes. And this was just because of the way the team was trending at that point. At this moment right now, they’re not in a good place in terms of the results. They qualified for the Euros, and it was such a positive start to that campaign that we had qualified with a game or two to go. But coming out of the Euros, the results have turned. But, I do think we will qualify.

It’s not going to be easy now. But the squad’s really started to grow together over recent years and have achieved, obviously, getting into two Euros, back-to-back. I think if they can rediscover their form and play to the potential that this team has shown, that really good formula that worked for so long for Steve Clarke can absolutely get them to the World Cup.

A lot of these players have moved on a little bit now. They’ve got more experience, there’s more players with tournament football under their belts, more international caps between them. It’s going to be tough but there’s no reason why this group of players can’t turn their form around again and get there next summer, and end this long wait to be at a World Cup.

We’ve seen Scotland beat Spain. Now we’ve seen Scotland lose to Iceland. The form has shown we’re capable of both the good and the bad. But yeah, I believe they’ll make it. I believe they can turn that around. I believe in the group. I always have. I think it’s a really good group of players.

Steve’s obviously found a way to get the best out of that group and they’ve responded to him over the years that he’s been in charge. So, if they get that back, there’s no reason why they can’t get through that group.

Q: Is Scott McTominay one of the world’s best midfielders and does United’s decision to let him go highlight the mistakes the club have been making in the transfer window over the years?

Kenny Miller: I honestly don’t know how United will view that, because I don’t think he was ever really a mainstay in their team. I think he became a really important player all over again. I mean, he had just an incredible run, it was absolutely sensational. It’s interesting to hear Scott speak now and hear him speak about his position.

When he broke in, playing at Man United and even when he was coming away with Scotland, he played centre-back. He was playing as the right sided one in a back three. I thought he did that role pretty well because while he’s a midfielder, he’s got the size, the presence, and he’s a ball player so he could get things moving out of the back line in the way he wanted to play.

He’s come through at United, and he’s Scottish. Maybe there’s a chance he’s just not viewed as a glamorous enough member of the team. It’s not the same as signing a big name player, you know, the next best Portuguese or Spanish or German international making headlines. Maybe you just get a little bit undervalued.

And I’m not saying that I think Jose Mourinho was behind it. He’s talked really highly about Scott. He obviously appreciated the job that he did. But if you listen to Scott now… I always viewed him as maybe a defensive midfielder. Whereas, you see the way he played for Scotland when he moved to centre-back and he was given a bit more licence to get forward.

It’s just so natural to him to time his runs into the box. His finishing is so good. He ended up with 13 goals or something for Napoli. Some strikers don’t get that over the course of a season. And he’s got it from a number-8 position.

He’s really kicked on in these last two, three, four years. But he was a Man United player for a long time and he was in their first team for eight years or so. He was always at a really high level of football, it’s just sometimes you underestimate exactly what a player can contribute. Maybe he didn’t get the credit or the recognition he deserved. But one thing is for sure is that he’s getting it now.

There’s no doubt he’d be adding value to that United squad now. But he’s there at Napoli and he’s helped them deliver a league title. And under that manager as well, Antonio Conte, who’s very demanding but Scott has played his part. It speaks volumes of him and of Billy Gilmour. It’s such a good story. Seeing those two at the heart of that title-winning midfield is really pleasing.

Atlanta and old rivals reunited

Q: You are currently an assistant to Ronny Deila at Atlanta United. I bet you never imagined working with your former Old Firm rival! How did that move come about and how are you enjoying life in the States?

Kenny Miller: Yeah, I knew Ronny from his time as Celtic manager, when I was a Rangers player at the time. We didn’t really face each other too much because of the league structure at the time. We were kind of on the way back up, and I think we played them in two semi-finals each year. But yeah, we knew each other, and I always followed his career, he’s been successful pretty much everywhere he’s been.

I’ve been working with Ronny for a year. I went with him to Al Wahda in the UAE League last July, we stayed until December and then we had the opportunity to join Atalanta United in the MLS.

Through my agent, David Baldwin, I’d met Ronny a few times and there was a connection there. We both viewed the game the same way and he needed someone to come and work with him at Atlanta.

It’s a huge club here in the MLS. They have a wonderful stadium, great fans, a great training ground and big expectations. It suits both Ronny and I in terms of our ambitions and how we want to work and how much we want to succeed.

There’s obviously some banter at times with the Rangers and Celtic connections, but we’re also obviously really focused on turning the season around, getting the best out of the players and getting the club back to where they once were.

There’s a really good support network above the manager in Atlanta. They give us everything they can to try and success. They put a lot in there. And from my standpoint, where I was a player and now, I’ve moved into coaching, it feels like you’re starting at the bottom again and learning new things.

So, to work with someone like Ronny, who has been a player but has also been coaching from a pretty young age and racked up so much experience now, it’s been so good working with someone that experienced and who’s achieved so much as well.

Q: Does Ronnie still talk about Celtic and their progress, and can you ever maybe see him one day returning to the Scottish League as a manager? 

Kenny Miller: He still tracks Celtic, yeah. He’s a football fan, so he’s all over his football. He’s always got a track on what’s happening in his homeland in Norway, what’s happening in the big leagues, but the fact is that Celtic obviously still holds a big place in his heart. I think he was well-received at Celtic, he had success there. And these clubs leave a mark when you have success there, especially.

Could he go back to Scotland again? Maybe. There’s no way of knowing for certain. You see managers go back to their old clubs. Neil Lennon’s done it with Celtic. And Ronny has been quite open in saying that he’d be much better prepared now to take the Celtic job and the challenges that come at that level. When he was there, he was really young. Since then, he’s managed New York and Atlanta, he’s managed Standard Liege and Club Brugge.

I think all the experiences he’s had would definitely prepare him to meet a return to Celtic head-on, if it ever happened. For now, we’ve both got plenty of big challenges ahead in Atlanta, and I see first-hand how he attacks the job every single day. If a return to Scotland ever came about, in his own words he would be way more ready to deal with the challenges.

Q: Has Miguel Almiron, back at Atlanta after time with Newcastle United, ever shared his thoughts and experiences of playing for the Magpies?

Kenny Miller: I’ve not sat down and probed him about his time at Newcastle, but you could easily see during his time there that he had a connection with the fans. I think it was his last game for the club, when he might not have even played, and Newcastle won and celebrated in front of the fans. And they pushed Miggy to the front of the group because I think they knew it would be a farewell opportunity, of sorts. It was a send-off, because he was coming back to Atlanta. And you could clearly see the connection between player and fans.

Not only was he connected to the fans there, but for the other players to want to put him front and centre and give him that kind of send-off, shows how loved he was in the changing room. It’s an experience I’m sure he’ll remember for the rest of his life, six years at Newcastle, playing at the highest level and being a very important player for that club over that time period.

He’s a very infectious player. He comes to work every day with a smile on his face. He plays with such a really good energy. And now, we’ve got him back at Atlanta.

From his time as a Premier League player, we want him here and driving the team to those sort of standards. Helping the young players with his experience. And he’s not old – he’s only 31 – but he has so much experience at a high level now and he can be an important player for us, not to mention a role model, especially as he was here when the team won the MLS Cup in their second season of existence.