Derby County have underwhelming Celtic transfer experience - £2.5m man's iconic goal aside | OneFootball

The Rams signed Kenny Miller in the summer of 2007, but he never was able to capture a true run of form.

Derby County last won promotion to the Premier League in 2007, as Stephen Pearson scored the only goal of the game in the play-off final against West Bromwich Albion to send the Rams back to the top flight.

It was a moment that very few saw coming at the start of the season, as Billy Davies went about a three-year process of seeing his team climb the Championship after finishing 20th in the 2005/06 campaign.

When the East Midlands outfit were promoted, it was clear to see that they did not have the quality in the squad to compete in the Premier League, and improvements that were made in the summer did not have the impact needed.

Derby spent relatively little, with the main focus on trying to bring in goalscorers as Robert Earnshaw was signed from Norwich City, while Kenny Miller arrived for £2.5m from Celtic. However, despite the latter finishing as the club's top scorer in 2007/08, the move never truly worked out.

Miller's life at Derby started incredibly

The Scottish forward made his debut for the Rams against Newcastle United in September 2007, with supporters needing to see some sort of positivity on the pitch as they had failed to win any of their opening five matches.

Partnering Steve Howard, Miller was tasked with being the striker to run off the shoulder of the Magpies defenders as Davies looked to get off the mark in the Premier League.

It did not take the ex-Celtic ace long to show to those in the stands at Pride Park what he could do if given the opportunity. Stephen Bywater's long goal kick was brought down by Howard, before the £2.5m man fired a spectacular shot from distance into the back of the net to send DE24 into raptures.

It was a moment that lives in infamy to those at Derby, as while it was an iconic moment, it proved to be the only league victory for the team in the Premier League in 2007/08 as they held on for all three points.

Miller scored once again just two games later, as the Rams were held by Bolton Wanderers in a 1-1 draw at home, with Nicolas Anelka levelling the match up for the Trotters just 13 minutes after the hosts had taken the lead.

Miller scored just two more goals for the Rams before leaving in the summer

After such a bright start, Derby fans were hoping that they had finally turned a corner and they had the goalscorer that they needed to help fight against relegation. However, the goals soon dried up for their number 14.

He netted once again against Newcastle, as the Magpies equalised in the final minute to deny the Rams another victory over them - this time at St. James' Park in a 2-2 draw.

Miller then scored against Blackburn Rovers in the second to last game of the campaign, five matches after relegation to the Championship had been confirmed with the East Midlands outfit rooted to the bottom of the table on 11 points.

He left Derby that summer, returning to Rangers for £2m just a year after playing for Celtic in the Scottish Premiership. He made a name for himself once again at Ibrox, and while the move to Pride Park never truly paid off while he was there, it did allow him to re-establish himself in his home nation.