Photo: Hazel May
Cascadia to make shock bid for Scotland’s Kenny Miller
by Steve Clare
Prost Amerika understands that Team Cascadia are poised to make a shock approach to out of favour Rangers striker Kenny Miller. The Cascadians contest their first ConIFA Football World Cup this summer with matches against the Isle of Man, Bawara and Tamil Eelam.
Miller played 43 games for the Vancouver Whitecaps between 2012 and 2014 and therefore meets the qualification criteria to represent Cascadia. He scored 13 times for the Caps in his stay. The player is currently in the doghouse at Ibrox having been part of a very public bust-up after their 4-0 defeat by Celtic.
The Daily Record initially trumpeted that he was to be fired.
“It’s understood Miller is raging with Murty’s handling of the game and vented his fury in the dressing room afterwards,” according to the Record.
The slightly more reliable National newspaper declared that the 38-year-old had played his last game for Rangers. Although the club later only suspended Miller, the National stuck to its line, adding:
“Miller won’t get the chance to pull on the Rangers jersey again as the club’s hierarchy take a hard-line approach to what they see as a culmination of events involving senior players at Ibrox. The 38-year-old is out of contract at the end of the campaign and the win over Dundee earlier this month will prove to be his final appearance for Rangers.”
To accentuate the divide inside the club. Miller’s wife Laura took to twitter to defend her husband, prompting heated arguments with Rangers fans.
Miller’s situation obviously means that there is no chance of Rangers negotiating any further time for the ex Scotland striker who scored 18 goals in his 69 games for his country. It is also true that despite his age, he proved to be one of Rangers’ more consistent performers in his third and final spell at the Govan club.
Laura Miller defended her husband’s fitness level
Cascadia coach James Nichols hails from the border area just a few miles from Scotland and has already had his eye on some players in the Scottish League network. Before recent events, he may have considered a play of Miller’s ability and experience off his radar, but now the Edinburgh born striker may be looking for any showcase to demonstrate that he is still as hungry to play professional football as ever.
A man with 69 international caps to his name who scored goals against some of the world’s top footballing nations like Germany, Italy and Ukraine and also against England at Wembley would be a huge experience and quality boost for the Cascadians. In 2005, he scored four goals in three internationals, against Austria, Italy, and Norway.
Coach Nichols still has some time to complete his squad and speak to Miller and his agent and thereafter it is a matter of ascertaining if there’s anything in it for the player himself, who will then wear a shirt sporting both green and blue together.
More Cascadia and ConIFA
Cascadia announces first player for ConIFA World Cup
EXCLUSIVE: Cascadia appoints ConIFA World Cup coaches
Cascadian team prepares for first CONIFA World Cup
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Conifa is an organisation that embodies states and regions that are not affiliated to FIFA.
The World Football Cup will feature 16 teams that include Matabeleland Select, Abkhazia, Bawara, Cascadia, Ellan Vannin, Felvidek, Kabylia, Northern Cyprus, Padania, Panjab, Székely Land, Tamil Eelam, Tibet, Tuvalu, United Koreans in Japan and Western Armenia.
