Kenny Miller has it out the 'excuse' over the gap between Rangers and Celtic as he warned 'recruitment must improve in the summer'
Ange Postecoglou and his troops hold a nine point gap at the top of the Premiership standings ahead of the action this weekend and have only tasted defeat on one occasion so far this term in the league. Last weekend they lifted the first trophy on offer this season by defeating Michael Beale's men 2-1 at Hampden in the League Cup Final - sticking a first defeat on the Ibrox boss.
The 42-year-old has admitted the financial disparity between the Glasgow rivals means his side are 'competing against the odds' but former Rangers and Celtic striker Miller has taken issue with that idea and branded it as an 'excuse'. He reckons that argument is maybe applicable in the English Premier League but he's not having it north of the border.
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Speaking on Clyde 1, he said: "I lived it for a few seasons when we were miles behind Celtic, I don't like it. Celtic are better at the moment. They are winning trophies and everything is rosy.
"In terms of the finances, it is not that big. You are not telling me whoever has spent the most has won the league every year in Scotland.
"Maybe in England that is applicable, because Rangers have spent less and won leagues and Celtic maybe spent less back in the day and won leagues.
"I don't like it, it does seem like you are finding some excuse. The bottom line is that Rangers have got to improve their performances and their recruitment must improve in the summer.
"You talk about it being hard to compete with the finances of Celtic. Well, you can't be spending seven or eight million on one or two players who are not starting and making a difference."
Speaking yesterday, Beale stated: “The biggest clubs in the world spend hundreds of millions and get it wrong. That’s the reality of recruitment. We’re competing against the odds if you like.
"In general, if you look at any league in the world, the team that spends the most is first. So we have to compete against the odds because we’re not going to spend the most money. We’re not going to recruit the finished product. So there’s a lot of coaching, a little bit of patience and a lot of good work to go on.
“It is going to be a significant summer. There are no quick fixes so the word ‘patience’ comes out again, the word that nobody in this city likes. But the reality is that over 90 days we’ve made steady progress, regardless if people say that we haven’t. I’m saying we have and that’s my opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own.
"But I won’t be dampened by one defeat, no matter how damaging that defeat is because I know that in that [Old Firm] head to head months before we were worse off. So we’re moving forward. Whether it’s quick enough for people or not we have to still keep moving forward.
“I’ve got quite a complex job here at Rangers as I’m going to need to change a squad with not huge finance. And everyone wants me to get it ready. The most important thing is people stay fit because if you don’t, how can people be judged? There’s been an element this season where we’ve not had a number of the new signings or a number of key players fit.”
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