Kenny Miller has voiced his concern over the growing gap between Celtic and Rangers, confessing that it “hurts” to see Celtic pulling so far ahead of their old rivals.
Miller, currently working in the UAE alongside former Celtic manager Ronny Deila, linked Rangers’ struggles to a series of poor decisions within the club, while Celtic’s bold actions in the transfer market and impressive start to the season have underlined their dominance.
Celtic’s campaign has begun in perfect fashion, including a commanding win in the Glasgow Derby, which has left Rangers trailing in their wake and already five points adrift in the league standings.
Pointing to Celtic’s heavy investment in new signings, Miller highlighted the acquisitions of Arne Engels, Adam Idah, and Auston Trusty for significant fees as a clear display of the Hoops’ financial power and ambition.
Turning his focus to Rangers’ broader issues, Miller criticised the club’s recruitment approach, noting the absence of players who can make an immediate impact.
He stressed the importance of bringing in top-level players to start matches, rather than developing projects or focusing solely on squad depth.
The former Rangers striker lamented the club’s continued state of playing catch-up and called for significant improvements to restore their competitiveness.
“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,” he said, quite by Record Sport.
“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.
“They flexed their muscles at that moment and unfortunately from the top down, there’s been mistakes made (at Rangers). 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 are always 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.”