Michael Beale has admitted he was left heartbroken and bruised after being sacked as Rangers manager.

And the former Ibrox boss cited instability on and off the pitch as he reflected on a difficult spell at the club as manager.

Beale - now Sunderland boss - has insisted that he poured his heart and soul into his time at Rangers but vowed that the experience would make him a better manager.

"There is a lot of emotion that goes into managing big football clubs, you put your heart and soul into it," Beale told Sky Sports.

"That club was a club I worked at for a number of years and invested a lot in the people and city and everything.

"So look, does it bruise you? If you're not hurt or you're not heartbroken at times or you're not wounded by your bad days then how do you...are you putting everything into your job? 

"What it does do is give me huge experience moving forward as a young manager. Both my time at Queens Park Rangers and Rangers, I loved both clubs and the time I had at both and I'm thankful for both experiences. Certainly, they will make me a stronger manager moving forward."

Beale went on to brand stability at football clubs as "really important" as he opened up on "a lot of turnover" at Rangers during his time in Glasgow as manager.

"I think stability in a football club is really important and when you come to recruitment there was a lot of turnover in my last club," said Beale of his time at Ibrox.

"I still think they have a fantastic chance, to fulfil Rangers, whatever they want to fulfil.

"But there was a lot of change there and maybe that can destabilise.

"I think that's important for us to understand here at Sunderland as well, to nudge the group on but obviously there was a lot of change with players leaving and coming in and naturally that is going to take a bit of time to settle.

"Sometimes the demands are really high and you need to hit the ground running. I'm as pleased as anyone to see the team go on and win the Scottish League Cup because we were in a good position, but it's one thing being in a good position it's another thing going to win it.

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"I was delighted for everybody at Rangers for that to happen and to get out the Europa League group because again we were in a decent enough position after beating Real Betis but you still had to go away there and get the result in the end.

"That's the biggest thing for any football club, some stability with people in the decision-makers off the pitch and stability in and around the squad so it can grow.

"I think any club that has that, generally over a period of time, does move forward. Whether that's stability in the manager or decision-making or key players.

"That's the big thing that in my time at Rangers - what was it four and a half years over two periods - that I felt when the club has had stability it has always moved forward."