Former Rangers captain Lee McCulloch said Graeme Murty has to brush off the heavy defeat to Celtic and get his players firing from the off against Hearts this Sunday.

The Ibrox side were thrashed 4-0 by their arch rivals in the Scottish Cup semi-final at the weekend.

Rangers have since become embroiled in off-pitch drama, with senior duo Kenny Miller and Lee Wallace suspended after they were understood to have been involved in a dressing room bust-up with their boss.

Murty's men host Hearts in their first post-split fixture as they vie with Aberdeen and Hearts for second spot in the Premiership.

McCulloch believes the first twenty minutes at Ibrox will prove the most significant period to come for the Light Blues.

He said: "We'll see on Sunday against Hearts, the first 20 minutes will be the most important 20 minutes of the run in.

"They need to get the fans back on side by showing a bit of desire and fight for the jersey.

"I've a lot of time for Graeme, he'll be hurting but it's up to him to get the team going on Sunday."

McCulloch was a teammate of Miller and Wallace as Rangers chased promotion through the lower leagues.

The former Kilmarnock boss insists Miller has displayed a winning mentality throughout his career.

He added: "Kenny, when I was in the dressing room with him, was opinionated and a winner. I think his CV has proven that."

McCulloch was replaced as skipper of the Light Blues by Wallace in July 2015 as he hung up his boots.

The 39-years-old said it's important a captain displays leadership at all times.

He said: "It's hard to comment on speculation but all I can say from my own time as captain is that it's important you tell the players how you feel and get the feel from your players, that's the job.

"At any club a captain has a massive role, with the link to the management team, he needs to lead by example."