Miller prepares for the flak to fly on Parkhead return

Rangers striker Kenny Miller wears a chest protector during training and will be expecting to come under fire from the Celtic support tomorrow as he returns in a blue shirt Picture: Craig Williamson/SNS Group

NO matter how many other subplots surround tomorrow's first Old Firm showdown of the season at Celtic Park, and there are certain to be many, the main storyline has always seemed likely to focus on Kenny Miller.

The Scotland striker's return to Rangers in the summer less than a year after he left Celtic ensured additional intrigue, as if any were necessary, was given to the fixture.

The player himself may be more at ease with supporters tomorrow. He has been here before, as a Rangers player facing Celtic during his first stint with the Ibrox club in 2001. If the lions' den awaits, he should have no fear of entering it, because he has known his way around such inhospitable places for some time now.

What is more likely to be on Miller's mind is that, almost inevitably, he heads to the east end of Glasgow still searching for the first goal of his second spell as a Rangers player.

Even those Celtic supporters who did not mourn his departure to Derby County at the start of last season will nurse a fear he may be fated to break his duck in this game.

They will recall the corresponding fixture two years ago when Miller, without a goal in his first eight games for Celtic following his move from Wolves, scored the clinching goal in a 2-0 win over Rangers which set Gordon Strachan's team on course for a second successive SPL title.

It was the first of 11 goals Miller managed in 28 starts for the Parkhead club before his acrimonious transfer to Derby, the player later accusing Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell of hastening his exit.

Whatever the truth of the matter, and Miller's first team opportunities at Celtic were clearly going to be limited as Scott McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink firmly established themselves as Strachan's first choice strike pairing, the manager insisted yesterday he would have preferred to retain his services.

I didn't want him to leave, not at all," said Strachan. "But I understood where he was coming from and had no problems with that whatsoever. He was up front about it. He just wanted to play football, which I couldn't guarantee anybody, to be honest.

We can only thank Kenny for what he did here. He was a good pro when he was here and helped us win two trophies. He wasn't a problem for a minute.

Kenny only wanted to move on because he wasn't guaranteed a game. I appreciated that and understood that. I like that in a man who just wants to play football, so he has got my admiration and respect.

" That observation from Strachan could be interpreted as an implied criticism of Bobo Balde who appears to be utterly resolute in his intention to see out the remainder of his lucrative contract with the Scottish champions despite being out of the manager's plans.

The big defender turned down a move to Birmingham City earlier this week and Strachan admitted he has no idea whether Balde will remain at the club beyond the close of the current transfer window on Monday night.

I've not got a clue what will happen," he said. "Bobo is doing his own negotiations with other clubs. We don't feel it is right to speak to him about it. As a manager, if he wants to come to me and speak about it, he can. If he wants to keep it to himself, then that's entirely up to him.

Players can decide themselves. Kenny came in and said he wanted to go and play. If Bobo wants to stay, there is nothing we can do about it one way or the other. We get on with it."

Strachan has other matters to concern him ahead of tomorrow's match with both McDonald and Vennegoor of Hesselink rated doubtful starters. Shaun Maloney, who limped out of a training session earlier this week, adds to the problems in selecting a strikeforce to face Rangers.

He refused to rule any of the trio out before today's training session at Lennoxtown, but appeared to hint strongly that last season's 51-goal partnership of McDonald and Vennegoor of Hesselink will not make it.

"We will have a look at all three and see who is the fittest," he said. "It is something which is going to happen through a season. Unfortunately, we have lost 51 goals in one fell swoop but we have to get on with it."

Gary Caldwell did return to training yesterday and the Scotland defender is likely to resume his partnership with captain Stephen McManus at the expense of recent Dutch recruit Glenn Loovens.

The two dramatic victories Celtic achieved against Rangers at Parkhead in April were the key to their outstanding finish to the season which allowed them to retain the Premier League championship at the expense of their great rivals on the final day of the campaign.

They were also vindication of Strachan's determination not to be distracted by the widespread claims earlier in the season, when Rangers defeated Celtic twice at Ibrox, that the balance of power had shifted to the south side of the city.

You have to keep focused on your job as a manager," he said. "We were well beaten when we lost 3-0 at Ibrox last year, but we went away, analysed it and tried to do better.

You have to enjoy these occasions, it's the same for managers and players. You have to try and enjoy the hype, the tension and the apprehension."

Strachan believes his counterpart Walter Smith has recruited wisely over the summer and the Celtic manager will attempt to tailor his own side to face the different challenge Rangers now present.

"You analyse them anyway, whether they have new players or not," he said. "How the new players will handle their first Old Firm game, I don't know, but I do know Rangers have signed good players. We have to try and work out how the game will be played and who our best players are for it."

For his part, McManus is relaxed about the prospect of facing Miller, who remains a team-mate in the international set-up.

Whether (he scores] or not, time will tell," the Scotland defender said. "But I'm not one for superstition or fate or anything like that to be perfectly honest, I'm pretty much black and white.

I have no doubt that Kenny will be a success at Rangers. He gets a bit of stick at times but he really does work so hard for the team, he's a team player."

One thing McManus is sure of is another full-blooded encounter between two of the fiercest rivals in the game.

He added: "These are the best games to play in, without doubt."