Interim Rangers boss Jimmy Nicholl has revealed that a number of players were hurting after Graeme Murty was sacked at the start of the week.
Following an Old Firm mauling at Celtic, Rangers chose to sack Murty, despite the manager's contract only running until the end of the season.
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard will take charge from 1st June, leaving Nicholl in interim charge to finish off the season and try to guide Rangers to second place in the Scottish Premiership.
The Gers took a step towards doing so by edging out Kilmarnock 1-0 at Ibrox on Saturday afternoon and Nicholl was quick to admit afterwards that a number of players had been hurting at Murty being shown the door.
"This is three times I have been an interim manager and you’re never interim manager because your mate who you have been working with has gone on to bigger and better things", Nicholl told Rangers TV.
relatedNewsStory
"It is always because, unfortunately, he has lost his job and that is what happened on Tuesday.
"As the week has gone on you hope things get a wee bit better, the atmosphere about the place and there were a few players hurting, I could tell."
Rangers next face a trip to Pittodrie to take on Aberdeen on Tuesday night in a game which will go a long way towards deciding who finishes in second spot.
