Rarely can Gordon Strachan have approached an Old Firm game with so many issues and queries buzzing around in his head. The first encounter of the Glasgow giants unfolds tomorrow and the Celtic manager is currently juggling three or four mental balls at once.

One of those even concerns one of tomorrow’s opponents Kenny Miller, a striker who attracts derision from the stands, but whom Strachan spoke warmly of once again yesterday. Then there is the issue of which defender Gary Caldwell or Glenn Loovens should partner Stephen McManus in the Celtic defence. And there is also (when is he ever far from our thoughts?) the matter of that likeable loose cannon, Artur Boruc, a goalkeeper whose abilities between the sticks is only matched by his appetite for the nighttime après-ski.

Miller, whom Strachan signed for Celtic from Wolverhampton Wanderers in June, 2006, may or may not start for Rangers tomorrow, but the Celtic manager remains unshaken in his admiration for the striker. The truth is, Strachan never wanted Miller to leave Celtic in the first place.

“We can only thank Kenny for what he did when he was here,” Strachan said. “He was a good pro who helped us to win two trophies. He was not a minute’s problem. Kenny only wanted to move on because we couldn’t guarantee him a game. I appreciate that and I understand that and I like that in a man. So Kenny has got my admiration and respect.”

For a player who scored one goal per five games for Celtic, it is doubtful if the Celtic legions or those of Rangers for that matter share those sentiments. Miller, if he plays, is bracing himself for a disparaging reception at Celtic Park, with both sets of fans expected to make their contributions.

McManus, the Celtic captain, also weighed in yesterday with his respect for the embattled Rangers forward. “If you speak to any of our lads, we certainly didn’t want Kenny to leave, either,” McManus said. “For me, Kenny is someone who will be a success at Rangers. In the dressing-room he was someone I had a lot of respect for. He’s a really good lad and was really popular, working his socks off and always giving his best.”

More pertinent for Strachan is the fact that last season’s 51-goal partnership of Scott McDonald and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink are both out through injury. Georgios Samaras and Shaun Maloney, if both fit, will almost certainly start for Celtic. “We’ve just lost 51 goals in one fell swoop but that’s what happens,” Strachan said.

The last time Boruc played for Celtic against Rangers at Celtic Park he wore his infamous Papal T-shirt beneath his yellow jersey and flaunted it. It is to be doubted, in truth, whether Boruc worships His Holiness quite to the same extent that he does drink and women, and the Pole has had to be rebuked twice in recent weeks.

Strachan himself warned Boruc after some late-night shenanigans on Celtic’s preseason trip to the Netherlands, while last week Leo Beenhakker, the Poland manager, issued Boruc with a two-match ban for similar antics. It all left the Strachan yesterday, slightly perversely, having to defend his goalkeeper.

“To be fair, I’ve tried to contact Mr Beenhakker but his mobile just keeps running out,” Strachan said. “But he’s made his decision and we’ll have to stand by that. I’ve spoken to Artur and he’s given us his version, and that’s it closed now. Artur has cost himself two Polish caps.

“Artur played well last week and his attitude has been first-class. I spoke to him in the last couple of weeks, just as I’ve had to speak to a number of players. Basically, it was just to offer some advice. You give out that advice and, if he doesn’t take it, then you have to be a disciplinarian.

“It’s not a new phenomenon you have to do it all the time as a manager. There’s always people who lose their way. If you look at Alex Ferguson, he’s had to do it quite a few times over the years at Manchester United, but he’s not got a lack of discipline. You get people who step out of line and sometimes you have to do something about it. It’s nothing major.”

Tomorrow’s Old Firm match, said Strachan, would be no more draining than usual. Saturday nights for the Celtic manager appear to be quiet, homespun affairs, with Strachan usually to be found horizontal on his couch and faintly snoozing after the earlier afternoon rumpus.

“You have to enjoy the [Old Firm] occasion as a manager and a player,” he said. “You have to enjoy the hype, the tension, the apprehension – it’s all there. To be fair, I find most games draining. That’s why nobody ever sees me out on a Saturday night. I just flip on to the settee and don’t go anywhere. Most games are like that, but more so these ones.

“You are up for it, but there is the down to it after it has finished. It doesn’t matter what the result is, you just feel [exhausted].”