IT is little over a week since Graeme Murty was, much to his surprise, asked to take temporary charge of the Rangers team until an interim manager was appointed.

However, the pressure of being the man responsible for the on-field fortunes of the Ibrox club has not taken long to take its toll on the under-20 coach’s life.

Just how much the role was occupying his mind was driven home to the former Reading and Scotland defender earlier this week as he attempted to enjoy some quality time with his family.

“All I’m thinking about is the next game,” said Murty. “I had a day off on Thursday and walked round Loch Lomond with my wife, my daughter and goddaughter.

“Half an hour into a walk round a lovely part of the world I’m thinking about formations, I’m thinking about shape, I’m thinking about tweaking things. What happens if we lose the ball? What happens if we lose the game?”

Murty played for Reading for 11 seasons, two of which were in the Premier League, and has worked as a youth coach at Southampton, Norwich and Rangers since retiring seven years ago.

However, the 42-year-old, who was asked to take over last Friday evening following the sudden departure of Mark Warburton, admitted that addressing senior professionals for the first time had been daunting.

He said: “I’m looking at players like Kenny Miller, who I played with, and thinking: ‘Is someone of that status going to listen to me?’

“But they will listen to me if they think I can help them win. If they don’t I might as well walk out now. I haven’t had that feeling yet which is a positive for me. I don’t think they are looking for me to provide a spark. It is intrinsic, it is built into them.

“They are looking for clarity and structure and a clear message. What they don’t want is a muddy message. That is what I have endeavoured to give them this week."

Murty has worked under some renowned coaches during his career – including the late Tommy Burns, Steve Coppell, Alan Pardew and Mauricio Pochettino - and revealed that he had been inundated with offers of help and support from both north and south of the border since being promoted.

“The development I’ve had as a coach and the people I’ve worked with has helped,” he said. “You can’t fail but take something from them. Some real good names have told me to pick the phone up to vent, talk or decompress and I’m grateful for that.”

Despite the trepidatious moments which Murty has experienced since being phoned out of the blue last Friday night as he sat watching a Glasgow Warriors game, he appreciates the opportunity which he has been given by Rangers greatly.

He moved to Glasgow last year because he wanted to work at a club where he would be under more intense pressure to succeed and to determine whether his future was as a youth coach or as a manager. He is certainly getting the chance to do both those things now and is grateful for that.

“My wife would say that I’m lucky already although I’m not sure I agree with her,” he said. “Seriously, though, I feel incredibly lucky and very honoured that board have trusted me with the position. I’m just embracing the experience and trying to get as much learning and growth as I can.

“When I was in Scotland squads I discussed with the Rangers and Celtic players the pressure which there was on teams to win. If they were playing well then they would not just be expected to win 2-0. They would want it to be 3-0, 4-0, 5-0. If I’m brutally honest, I came here to expose myself to an expectation of winning.

“Where I’ve coached and played at before I was always a bit of an underdog. With Norwich youth teams when you go to Chelsea nobody expects you to win. At Rangers, at 20s level, you are expected to win and win handsomely. It is the same as a first team boss.”

Murty added: “I came to Scotland to distil what I wanted to do in my own mind. I got a little bit stuck at Norwich between youth development and coaching. I put myself on the pro-licence here and I have given myself a couple of years to decide if I have a coaching philosophy that I can take to a club.

“The best managers I’ve worked with and seen have a clear idea of how they want every day to look and how they want their club to look. I was working towards a club philosophy in the academy and I’m still distilling that in my mind. I have to decide if my future is in development or coaching a first-team. I’ve been put in a situation where I’m getting to look at it.

“At one stage you are going to have to address a group of players. I’ve just had meetings with players who won’t be in the squad to travel and it’s horrible. But it’s something that needs to be done. If you can’t do it then why get into the game in the first place?”

Murty oversaw a narrow 2-1 triumph over Greenock Morton in the fifth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup at Ibrox last Sunday – less than 48 hours after being asked to make the step up to the first team.

He is hoping the week that he has had working with the squad will make for a less nerve-wracking 90 minutes in the Ladbrokes Premiership meeting with Dundee at Dens Park tomorrow afternoon.

“I wouldn’t say I’m more settled, but I’m more clear in my own thoughts about what I’d like the team to do,” he said. “The squad have been fantastic and I’m happy with their attitude and application. I’m happy with the way they have listened and the feedback they have given me."