KENNY MILLER last night admitted Rangers must strengthen their first-team squad if they are to challenge at the top of the Ladbrokes Premiership next season.

The veteran striker is hopeful Dave King and his directors will back manager Mark Warburton, who wants to bring in a number of new players and sign up at least some of those whose contracts are at an end, although what money will be available remains to be seen.

“The board have done a great job since they have come in and I am sure they will back the manager as much as they can with the summer recruits we are looking to get,” said Miller.

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“There is no doubt we need signings because we are light in numbers and there are also situations that need to be resolved with the boys who are out of contract. We will need to sign players.

"We have full faith in the manager, Davie, Jim and Frank and the work they have done so far. We have full belief and trust in them.”

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Warburton is a wanted man and while some may well be sceptical about the many jobs he has been linked with, Everton being the most recent, the 53-year-old old is as highly rated down south as he is in Scotland where, on Sunday, he was named Manager of the Year by his peers.

Miller gave off the impression he expected an English club to make a move for his boss any time soon. It would not be a welcome move for a player with 20 goals this season and who has nothing but praise for the work which has been undertaken at Murray Park over the past ten months.

“We certainly hope the manager stays here,” said Miller when asked about Warburton’s future. "None of the lads can speak highly enough of the him and Davie and the atmosphere they have created. There is no doubt he is going to be linked with big jobs in England because he has done a fantastic job here.

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“It is not just the success we have had but it is the way we have all gone about our jobs. We hope he will be here for a long, long time. He knows the size of this club, what the goals are for next season and there is no doubt he wants to be a part of it.

“When other teams come calling then he will have a decision to make but we are hopeful he will stay here.”

Miller would win his third Scottish Cup medal if Rangers can beat Hibernian on May 21 at Hampden Park. The Championship title winners are favourites for many reasons, primarily because the Leith outfit have perhaps six play-off games to take care of while their opponents in the final have none.

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“We went through the play-offs last year and to get over that final hurdle to get promoted takes a big, big effort,” recalled Miller. “They will have four or five games if they get through before the cup final."

“It is gruelling, but I am sure they will be ready for it ,but that is outwith our control."

Meanwhile, former Rangers striker Mark Hateley has warned Warburton's side not to fall into the same trap as Ibrox's Class of 1994 ahead of that showdown with Hibernian at the National Stadium.

Since prevailing over Celtic in the semi-final on April 17, Warburton’s side have failed to win a match, losing two and drawing two.

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It was a similar story 22 years ago. After clinching the title, the sixth of what proved to be nine, Rangers lost twice, drew once and failed to score a goal before going down 1-0 to Dundee United in the cup final at Hampden.

“There is no doubt that failing to make that bit of history and winning back-to-back Trebles was a bitter pill to swallow," recalled Hateley. “It would have been an enormous achievement – something that had never been done and may never be done.

“Over those two seasons, the strains and stresses of doing what we were doing were huge – not just physical but mental too.

“We had a tight squad back then. Mark Warburton has the same and we played a lot of games that season, too. It is a similar situation.

“It’s all about trying to be focused on getting that form back, but it’s not an easy thing to do, especially at the end of a long, hard season.

“There is no doubt that it is very tiring physically and mentally and, when you win the title with games to spare, it is a natural thing to switch off a bit.

“It’s been a long season when the demands have been a lot higher than most of them have been used to.

“I think Mark is in a much better situation than we were because he has this period to rest the players up, then go down for the closed door game before coming back to have 10 days of preparation for the Cup Final.

“It’s not ideal but I think I would rather have the rest than be in Hibs’ position where they are playing on."