ALEX RAE reckons Kenny Miller has what it takes to carry on leading the line for Rangers - as long as the Ibrox management give him time and space to rest his ageing limbs.

Miller has made it clear that he wants to stay at the club next term with reports suggesting that he has played enough games this season to trigger an automatic 12-month extension.

Should he stay on for next term, Miller will be at the club beyond his 36th birthday, but Rae was just four months short of the same landmark when he landed the Premier Division title in his first campaign with the Ibrox outfit in 2004-05.

Rae, on his way back to Scotland after leaving his role as assistant manager to Alex McLeish Belgian club KRC Genk, pushed himself to the limit throughout a playing career that went on until the age of 40.

However, he has found himself urging players, particularly older ones, to listen to their bodies and give themselves the best possible opportunity of lengthening their careers and keeping their level of performance high.

"Kenny has still got that prowess around the box," said Rae. "Just look at the goal he scored against Hearts a couple of weeks ago.

"I feel he still has a lot to offer the club.

"He has played the lone striker role a lot over the course of his career and it can take its toll because of the running and energy involved, but I joined Rangers at the age of 34 and I trained every day.

"Jan Wouters used to encourage me to take days off, but I never adhered to the view that would have been a useful thing to do. In my mind, taking days off would have been the start of my career petering out, if you like.

"I didn't do it, but I find myself telling people nowadays that I maybe should have.

"We had Thomas Buffel at Genk this season and we just told him to manage his own body and do what is good for him.

"I am led to believe Chelsea operate a similar policy with John Terry. It is horses for courses and Kenny is an experienced player that you can trust in that regard.

"Kenny is an intelligent player with some great movement. I think he can play on for a few years yet.

"He has always been a fit boy and has taken care of himself. He is not carrying any timber. I saw him recently and he was as fit as a butcher's dog."

Rae will be back at Ibrox this Sunday doing some media work around the second leg of the SPFL Premiership play-off quarter-final between Rangers and Queen of the South.

He expects a full house to cheer on Stuart McCall's side and knows just how important a vocal support will be for a Rangers team hoping to build up a head of steam in the wake of a 2-1 first leg win at Palmerston.

"I made the Play-Offs five times in England," he said. "On four of those occasions, I finished third in the Championship and never went up.

"In the year I did win promotion, we finished sixth at Wolves. Sometimes, it is really about getting your tails up when you are in the Play-Offs and developing confidence. Momentum is everything, really, in this environment.

"In my first year at Wolves, we were seven points clear in the automatic promotion spot one year with something like six games left to play. We looked a shoo-in to go up.

"When we had missed out and had to try to raise ourselves for the Play-Offs, it was like trying to get an old, clapped-out car back into gear. We were just so deflated by everything that had happened and lost to Norwich in the semi-final.

"At Wolves, we were getting sell-out crowds and that was a factor. From Rangers' point of view, filling the place and making it quite intimidating could have a bearing.

"I look at the Rangers squad and I still see a lot of very experienced players. I know there has been a lot of negative comment about them, but they have so many seasoned pros at Premiership level and I still look at them and think that they must click into gear at some point.

"If they can get through, they beat Hibs at Easter Road recently and can take a bit of hope from that as well.

"I would expect a healthy crowd on Sunday. I don't think these Queen of the South players will have seen Ibrox Stadium full and it will be interesting to see if they can cope with that pressure.

"Don't get me wrong, James Fowler has done a terrific job down there. He seems to have a style of play that can get results and this is certainly not a straightforward tie."

Rae does not believe rebuilding Rangers successfully hinges on winning promotion at the first attempt, but there is no question that it would help.

"Stuart McCall and Kenny Black have shored it up a bit since taking over and made the team more difficult to beat," he said. "I still think they can win the Play-Offs.

"Of course, the whole dynamic of the place has not been ideal and crowds have gone down as well, but the supporters are just looking for something to go and get behind again.

"If they manage to get up, I am sure the fans will be desperate to come back in their numbers next season and it is to be hoped that Dave King is rubberstamped as chairman by then.

"They need to put infrastructures in place and I have said it for years. They need a scouting network and they need to get the youth system in order as well.

"It has been a shambles of late, with all kinds of individuals taking money out of the club, and it needs to take small steps back in the right direction."