Scottish Gossip: Scotland, Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Aberdeen, Hibs, Man Utd, Southampton, Hull, Hampden, Andy …
FOOTBALL GOSSIP
New Scotland head coach Alex McLeish wants to snatch Sam Gallagher, who is on loan to Birmingham City, back from England, who the Southampton striker played for at youth level after appearing for Scotland Under-19s. (Scottish Sun On Sunday, print edition)
Allan McGregor, who has kept international colleague David Marshall out of the team at Hull City, will get the chance to reclaim Scotland’s goalkeeping jersey at the age of 36 when Alex McLeish announces his first Scotland squad on Wednesday, but he will face competition from Hearts’ Jon McLaughlin in the absence of Celtic’s Craig Gordon through injury. (Sunday Mail)
Alex McLeish is poised to hand Scotland call-ups to Oliver McBurnie, the striker on loan to Barnsley from Swansea City, and Hearts goalkeeper Jon McLaughin this week – and is waiting to hear if Manchester United midfielder Scott Tominay will accept an invitation. (Sunday Post)
Hearts central defender Christophe Berra has no plans to follow the lead of Celtic midfielder Scott Brown and quit playing for Scotland any time soon, the 33-year-old being nine short of his 50th cap. (Scottish Sun On Sunday)
Rangers manager Graeme Murty has tipped David Bates for a Scotland call up with the 21-year-old having kept Portugal veteran Bruno Alves out of the starting line-up at Ibrox. (Scottish Sun On Sunday)
The Scottish Professional Football League has thrown out a proposal to streamline the Premiership play-offs, with the new format suggesting that teams finishing higher in the Championship should be given home advantage instead of facing home and away ties before the final against the second-bottom Premiership side. (Sunday Mail)
Ryan Christie will report back to Celtic in the summer after his loan to Aberdeen and be given one last chance to prove himself with the Scottish champions, but fellow midfielder Scott Allan will not play for the Glasgow club again and has been advised to remain at present loan club Hibernian. (Sunday Herald)
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has opened the door for Neil Lennon, his counterpart at Hibernian, to buy playmaker Scott Allan from the champions this summer but has insisted that Aberdeen, who have had midfielder Ryan Christie on loan since January of last year, will not be permitted to make that arrangement permanent. (Scotland On Sunday)
Hibernian head coach Neil Lennon believes that the Edinburgh club can take inspiration from Leicester City and win the Premiership in years to come. (Scottish Sun On Sunday)
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers believes that next week’s Old Firm derby pressure is on Rangers – because Graeme Murty’s side find it more difficult to play under the pressure of playing in front of their own fans at Ibrox. (Sunday Mail)
Brendan Rodgers admits that this is the strongest Rangers side he has seen since he became Celtic manager. (Scotland On Sunday)
Graeme Murty admits he could lead his side to Scottish Cup glory this season and still not be retained as Rangers manager beyond this summer. (Sunday Mail)
Former Rangers striker Mark Hateley, presently a club ambassador, admits that his dream job would be assisting present director of football Mark Allen. (Scottish Sun On Sunday)
Paul Fletcher, a former chief executive of the Reebok Stadium in Bolton and the Ricoh Arena in Coventry as well as commercial director of Wembley Stadium, has described Hampden Park as “an athletics track that converts into a football ground” but thinks the Scottish FA should stay there and built a completely new stadium. (Sunday Herald)
Hearts owner Ann Budge has revealed that the Edinburgh club’s new stand at Tynecastle Stadium will not be finished for some time yet despite it being opened in November. (Scottish Sun On Sunday, print edition)
Hamilton Academical midfielder Darian MacKinnon could return to action next month despite being told that he would be sidelined through injury until the end of the season. (Scottish Sun On Sunday, print edition)
Football fans can expect disruption to their travel plans for Sunday’s two Scottish Cup quarter-finals following the cancellations of train services. (Edinburgh Evening News)
OTHER GOSSIP
Kyle Edmund will tomorrow officially end Andy Murray’s reign as Britain’s number one tennis player, which extends back 12 years apart from one brief interruption, with the Englishman poised to move to a career high of 24th in the world and the inactive Scot dropping to 29th. (The Telegraph)
Dan Lancaster, the fly-half/centre son of former England coach Stuart, is expected to be named in the Scotland Under-18 rugby team to play Wales in Edinburgh next Sunday. (Sunday Times)
Mark Watt will play for Scotland against Afghanistan today in the qualifiers for next year’s ICC World Cup begin in Zimbabwe, with the 21-year-old having already upset the odds by starting his cricket career at Edinburgh Trinity, where the 21-year-old had to start his own team. (Scotland On Sunday)
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