WALTER SMITH believes a sense of ‘bitterness’ will always remain at the way Rangers were treated in the summer of 2012.

The Light Blues last week completed their return to Scotland’s top flight after dropping down to the Third Division following the financial implosion at Ibrox four years ago.

And former Gers boss Smith reckons it will act as motivation as Mark Warburton looks to build a squad capable of challenging for the Premiership crown next term.

He said: "I think it [ill feeling] will always be there. There was no necessity for Rangers to be put down into the Third Division.

"I think that's the thing that will always stay in Scottish football, I think there will be a bitterness in the Rangers ranks that it happened.

"It will be a massive motivation for the club, it would be for me.

"There's no doubt it was the wrong move in my eyes. Scottish football's been worse off and a lot of the teams who were happy to see Rangers go down there have suffered and found themselves relegated or in the process of being relegated.

“So there will be that bitterness. How can they forget what happened to them?

“They can't forget that. Nobody can forget."

Having already won the Championship title and Petrofac Training Cup this term, Rangers will now set their sights on Scottish Cup glory.

Warburton’s side face Celtic in the semi-finals on Sunday and Smith reckons the renewal of the Old Firm encounter will be welcomed at Parkhead.

He said: "I think Rangers being out of the top flight has in many ways caused problems to quite a number of the teams that have been there and Celtic are one of them in the sense that they've been left more or less alone to win a championship.

"Aberdeen put up a great fight over the last couple of years but it's very difficult for the provincial teams to match Celtic or Rangers, when Rangers are at the level they were at five years ago.

"I think Celtic have had a problem with their own motivation in terms of going into games, I think that's a big, big thing."