It's Miller Time - Or Is It?

SO, it's Miller time - well pardon me for not holding my breath. The last Bill Miller I can recall having an association with Rangers was a Cumnock Academy contemporary, who was signed whilst still at school - at the same time as Academy team mate Tommy Donnelly (Simon's dad).

Big Bill, then a pe student at Jordanhill College, scored for fun in the reserves; in season 1966-67, garnering some 40-plus goals, at a time when Rangers' first team famously had an inside forward trio (numbers 8, 9 and 10 for the benefit of the younger readers), all of whom were actually half backs (numbers 4, 5 and 6 in old money).

There were calls for this young laddie Miller to be given a run in the first team, but, it never happened; allegedly because he turned up at the annual Rangers dance with his girl friend - whom he went on to marry - who had, in the Glasgow parlance "gone to the wrong school" - ie, she was a Roman Catholic.

To be fair to Bill, he, to this day, insists he simply wasn't good enough and he went on to have a long and relatively-successful career with Kilmarnock and with home town team Cumnock Juniors.

But,the fact is, that Bill Miller didn't cut the mustard with Rangers, and from what I've read so far about the 21st century, American version, he will not do either. He has unsuccessfully tried to buy into both Tranmere Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday. Pardon me for being cynical, but, if you cannot buy Poundstretcher or Spar, what makes you think you can buy Tesco?

Apparently this Bill Miller's scheme is to keep the good stuff - Ibrox, Murray Park, the players, the strip and history in a new "corporate wrapper", while hiving-off the toxic stuff - Craig Whyte, the debts, the accusations of "cheating" and the Big Tax Case - into another company, to be dealt with over a few years.

I know nothing about high finance, so I have to assume what he is suggesting is legal; it will certainly not find universal approval, but, if it avoids liquidation, good luck to him. Of course, if the Miller plan works we will henceforth have two versions of history - the Rangers' and Celtic ones.

I still think, if he really wants to make money out of Rangers, he should wait for liquidation, then buy Ibrox, Murray Park, the strip and name - plus a struggling English club and move the lot into Ibrox.

Should, however, he successfully keep Rangers in the SPL, I can see the transfer ban lifted - after all, the other chairmen having demonstrated their lack of cojones and Celtic having been saved from down-sizing (you think they could maintain the current level of financial unfair play in favour of the Old Firm without Rangers?). The rest of Scottish football will have shown that, even after all their years of mis-management, Rangers are still THE PEOPLE.

If Rangers avoid liquidation, then it will soon be a case of the same-old, same-old, and Scottish football will continue to stagnate and struggle.