KRIS BOYD believes Kenny Miller is worth a new deal at Rangers and I have to agree with him.

Experience counts for an awful lot in football these days, especially when it comes to someone like Kenny who has been at the club for a long time over three spells and seen it and done it all.

If he was past his best you would just let him move on next summer, but I think he’s still good enough to make a contribution.

So with that in mind I would have no hesitation in offering him a new one-year extension to keep him around for a bit longer.

It is still fairly early in the season, but it would be good if it could be sorted out sooner rather than later.

Until it’s resolved it will be in the back of Kenny’s mind, with him maybe wondering what is going to happen to him come the end of the season.

If he’s not going to get a deal he’ll have to think about whether he maybe retires from playing, look for another club or moves into coaching right away.

I know that’s something he’s definitely been thinking about for the future.

But for now I think he has something to offer to Rangers, even if they go back up to the Premiership as looks likely.

So I would like to see him given another 12 months and I’m sure he would gladly sign that contract if it was placed in front of him.

It would save him worrying about it over the next few months and will give him a lift for the next few matches, knowing his future has been secured for another year.

I’m sure he’ll have spoken to Mark Warburton about it and hopefully he’ll get an answer soon. He’ll maybe become increasingly more of an impact player – someone you bring on after an hour or so – and any time he’s done that this season he has performed well.

I think as long as he’s still featuring most weeks then Kenny will be happy with that.

Obviously he wants to start games – and there will be games when he does when others pick up injuries and suspensions – but even off the bench he can still make a big contribution

He always works his socks off for the side and nobody can say otherwise.

You can see the younger players at the club love having him around and learning from him, guys like Nicky Clark, Ryan Hardie and even Martyn Waghorn.

Kenny still brings an awful lot to the team just through his presence and experience.

If he wasn’t you wouldn’t give him a deal just on sentimental grounds. But you can see he still has something to offer and has earned any new contract.

Rangers fans will point out that Kenny is pushing 36 years old but you can’t beat experience in the side. You can’t field 11 youngsters every week.

They need some sort of guidance, a calming head who can talk them through matches. And Kenny definitely delivers that any time he is on the field.

He’s also a fit lad as well which goes in his favour. There aren’t many players at that point in their career who are as quick as Kenny is.

And he’s still as sharp as a tack as well. Most of us put on the weight the older we get, but he seems to be going the other way and getting leaner with age.

So there can be no qualms about him missing games or struggling with the pace as he’s shown that isn’t a problem.

His attitude is terrific as well and you know he’s someone who will always try his heart out. I know the manager certainly appreciates the effort Kenny makes every day.

The goals have dried up a bit recently, but Kenny can play anywhere in the front four positions.

He can play through the middle on his own as he did for years for Scotland, coming in off the left or off the right, or just behind a central striker.

So he offers versatility and that also means he will have a better chance of playing most weeks as he can fill in in a number of roles.

It’s not all about scoring goals. Yes, it helps as a forward if you’re weighing in with your share, but if you’re setting up chances for others then that’s just as important. Kenny was unlucky not to score against St Mirren last weekend.

He missed a few chances which will have annoyed him and then when he did get one in he was flagged for offside – and I thought that was marginal. But he’s still getting in the right position to miss the chances.

That gives him hope going forward as it would be a lot worse if nothing was falling to him and he was drifting out of games.

But that’s not been happening. He’s always in the box and I don’t doubt that the goals will start to flow for him again soon enough.

Glasgow Times:

Beware backlash from Hibs team in last-chance saloon

SUNDAY’S trip to play Hibs at Easter Road will be the hardest game of the season so far for Rangers.

This is a massive test for them as they are up against a team still smarting from that 6-2 drubbing in the Petrofac Training Cup, and then the 1-0 defeat at Ibrox in the league.

Hibs felt that they should have got more out of that game and they definitely created a few chances.

But they never took anything and that leaves them up against it a bit.

They will be thinking they have to beat Rangers at least once this season if they are to make a challenge for the title so Sunday will be like their cup final.

They need to take something.

But they are a team bang in form. They have won all their games since that defeat to Rangers in the league, apart from just one draw at home to St Mirren.

They are at home and making noises about they are going to do on Sunday. Rangers, though, have just been getting on with it and letting Hibs do all the talking.

But Mark Warburton, Davie Weir and rest will know they will need to up their game this weekend. There is no doubt the matches are getting harder for Rangers the longer the season goes on.

Teams know how they play now and that Rangers don’t really change from their 4-3-3 formation.

They have gone off the boil a bit but the main thing from their perspective is that they are still winning games. These are matches they were drawing or losing last year.

So there’s a huge improvement on that front. But against St Mirren last weekend they gave the ball away far too cheaply and you can’t do that against a side like Hibs.

Glasgow Times:

Accord with King is only way to sell the jerseys

THE row between Dave King and Mike Ashley isn’t going to go away any time soon so it is in everyone’s best interests to try to find a solution somehow.

The Rangers chairman made his feelings about Sports Direct’s business practices known the other day and, although it is obviously an uneasy relationship between the two parties, they have to try to work towards a resolution that suits everyone.

The Rangers fans are still not buying official merchandise from the club stores because they know most of their money goes to Ashley rather than the club.

And they aren’t going to be back buying strips and the rest until something moves in Rangers’ favour.

So it’s imperative that both parties keep talking.

Ashley has everything in his favour with the contracts and so on – everything is legal and above board.

So it’s up to him whether the situation changes. But if he wants more of his merchandise to be sold then he is going to have to reach a compromise with King as the Rangers fans won’t let up.

They are staying together and staying strong. A few years ago the club used to sell 500,000 strips and now that’s down to 50,000.

There’s a reason for that. Fan power is playing its part. Hopefully sense prevails in the not-too-distant future as the young fans will want to be wearing the latest strips and they can’t for the time being.

It’s coming up to Christmas but the Rangers fans won’t be buying the merchandise.

Only Mike Ashley can change all that in the coming weeks and months by getting off his high horse and letting the club move forward.

Glasgow Times:

Your question for Derek Johnstone

DAVID HEPBURN from Glasgow asked DJ: With talk of Kenny Miller playing on until he is 36 or 37, do you wish you had extended your own career?

DJ says: I hung up the boots when I was 33 although some folk say I had chucked it when I was 29! But I had problems with my knees and ankles so there is no way I could have carried on.

I wished I could have played longer but the ones who play on past their mid-30s tend to be the guys who looked after themselves well or were just naturally fit, guys like Sandy Jardine and David Weir.

But I would have loved to have carried on if my body had let me.

The day you give up and you’re no longer in the dressing room with the boys – that’s when you miss it. That’s why most guys try to play as long as they can.

If you have a question for Derek, just email him at dj@eveningtimes.co.uk and we’ll print the answer alongside the question.