KENNY MILLER insists he is relishing his role as the elder statesman of the Rangers dressing-room and all too aware of the need to serve as a guiding light within a club still finding its way out of the darkness.

Miller’s third spell at Ibrox has been an eventful one with the failure to make it out of the Championship at the first time of asking followed by a boardroom coup and the decision to entrust Mark Warburton with the task of rebuilding an institution so badly damaged by the events of the past few years.

His role, having signed a contract extension that will take him to the summer of 2017, is about so much more than just turning up ready to play every Saturday.

It is about helping his team-mates understand what it is to be a Rangers player, cope with the pressure of performing under a crushing weight of expectation and realise just how badly the club needs to win this season’s Ladbrokes Premiership and return to the top flight after a four-year absence.

He has also taken on a role beside Ian Durrant and David McCallum with the Under-20s and sees introducing a new generation of players to the demands they will face in the not-too-distant future.

“It is not only a young group of players,” said the 35-year-old. “It is a new Rangers team.

“The older guys in the dressing room such as myself, Lee Wallace and Dean Shiels, who has been here for a number of years now, have to pass on the experiences they have got.

“It is about making the younger lads and the newer lads appreciate what this club is about and the expectations that go along with playing for this club.”

Miller was given his role with the Under-20s following discussions with Craig Mulholland, head of the academy system at Murray Park, last year. He does have hopes of becoming a fully-fledged coach in time, but insists his main focus remains on playing.

“It has been great,” said Miller. “At the moment, it is not so much about coaching as going in and helping out when I can.

“I spoke to Craig at the end of last season about helping out at some level and I was grateful that he managed to squeeze me in alongside Durranty and David McCallum with the Under-20s.

“I have been doing it for a couple of months now and it is great to look at the other side of the game in terms of how things are done.”

In many ways, Miller is emerging as a modern-day equivalent of David Weir, currently assistant manager of the Ibrox outfit.

Weir turned up as a stop-gap signing for Walter Smith in January 2007 on a six-month contract. He stayed for five years and finished up playing for the reserves, playing a major role in helping the younger players within the youth set-up, before leaving to pursue his coaching career at Everton.

Miller played beside Weir during his second spell at Rangers and would be delighted to follow in his footsteps both in terms of extending his playing career in Light Blue and, eventually, moving into a full-time coaching position.

“You can tell with players if they have another stage to go in their career with management or coaching and David was definitely one of those lads,” said Miller in an interview with Rangers TV.

“He was a great captain and a fantastic guy to play alongside. Now, you can see the qualities he’s bringing to the other side of the game as well.

“He’s never changed the fact that he’s a calm person, but I’ve seen him lose it a few times as a player. The way the manager and him complement each other makes them a very, very good team.”

Warburton clearly sees Miller as a man capable of helping create the alchemy he wants within his club, though.

“From the first day of pre-season, he developed a real desire and a passion to help take the club forward and he’s made a very positive contribution both on and off the pitch,” said the manager.

“His seniority within the squad is very important. His knowledge and his experience are special when we have such a young squad and have recruited young players and have taken in young loan players too.

“The experience of the likes of Kenny, Dean Shiels and Lee Wallace - as captain, of course - is invaluable, so he has a key role to play on and off the pitch.

“David and I are thrilled to have him commit to the club for another year and I hope very much that Kenny feels a bit part of what we’re doing.

“Kenny is very much part of our plans going forward. He’s played a key role in terms of his attitude, performances and in a mentoring role to the younger players.

“Any spare time now he is committing to broadening his coaching experience and gaining valuable information in terms of delivery of sessions and appropriate content of sessions.”