Jimmy Nicholl believes loads of people wanted the assistant managerial post at Rangers, with the 61-year-old explaining that it was an opportunity he just could not let pass by once it came his way.
The Gers appointed Nicholl as the club’s new assistant manager last week as the former defender returned to Ibrox for the third time in his career; his two earlier stints at Rangers were as a player in the 1980s.
He was working as an assistant manager at Falkirk when he received the opportunity to become Graeme Murty’s deputy at Rangers.
And Nicholl, who admitted that he left Falkirk in a difficult situation, with the Scottish Championship outfit occupying the penultimate position in the league table, however insisted that he was no way going to pass on the opportunity to become the assistant manager at Rangers.
The ex-Northern Ireland international revealed that he was very much surprised when he was offered the position at Rangers as he knew that a lot of people were interested in the job.
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“It was difficult at Falkirk because they were second-bottom in the league and the Falkirk players haven’t been second-bottom for the last few years”, Nicholl told Rangers TV, when asked how surprised he was when Murty offered him the assistant manager’s post at Ibrox.
“It was a case of picking them up and lifting them. It was a difficult situation I left them in, but it didn’t do them any harm as they won 6-1 when I wasn’t there [laughs].
“So, when I got the call, I was surprised as it came out of the blue.
“You think the opportunity has passed you by and listen, I know for a fact that there are loads of names out there.
“I’ve never applied for a job in my life and I think there are loads of people who would have wanted the job.
“So, when you are asked out of the blue, it’s an opportunity you can’t let pass by.”
Nicholl, who has experience of managing Millwall, Raith Rovers and Cowdenbeath, has also served as an assistant boss at Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Hibernian amongst other clubs.
