Sunday's Scottish gossip

FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Celtic manager Ronny Deila reckons his side are at their best since he arrived in the summer. And he is convinced they are ready to face Inter Milan in the Europa League after they beat Dundee in the Scottish Cup despite a 2:30 GMT fire alarm at their team hotel on Friday night. (Sunday Mail)

Queen of the South manager James Fowler was delighted to see his team beat Scottish Cup holders St Johnstone, but he fears his side's promotion chances have taken a hit because of the five loan players who have gone to Championship rivals Rangers from Newcastle. (Various)

One of those loan players, Shane Ferguson, says he is unaware of any deal that means he will be handed a starting place at Rangers if fit. (Sunday Mail)

St Johnstone's David Wotherspoon insists his side only have themselves to blame for crashing out of the Cup to Queen of the South. (Various)

Striker Nicky Clark is determined to show his worth in a Rangers jersey after snubbing a January move

Queens goal hero Gavin Reilly is targeting a run all the way to the Scottish Cup final after knocking out the holders. (Sunday Mail)

Inverness Caley Thistle manager John Hughes saw Marley Watkins score in the 2-1 Cup win over Partick Thistle, then insisted the player should have netted a hat trick. (Sunday Mail)

Partick boss Alan Archibald branded the first half against Inverness as the worst of his managerial career. (Sunday Mail)

Ally MacKinnon scored the equaliser to earn Spartans a Cup replay with Berwick Rangers, and he believes the Lowland League outfit will see off the SPFL side to book a shock last eight berth. (Various)

Motherwell's on-loan goalkeeper George Long is hoping to follow in the footsteps of John Ruddy and Fraser Forster by making a name for himself north of the border. (Sunday Mail)

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes wants his charges to forget about their exits from both cup competitions and focus on a strong finish in the league. (Sunday Mail)

Kilmarnock's Manuel Pascali says the players are determined to ensure stand-in manager Gary Locke gets the job on a full time basis. (Sunday Mail)

Kenny Anderson dedicated his debut goal for Hearts to his late grandfather Jim, who was a fan of the Tynecastle outfit. (Various)

Marley Watkins was on target for Inverness but his manager reckons he should have hit a hat trick

Rangers striker Nicky Clark revealed leaving Ibrox in January was never on his radar, because he feels he has yet to prove himself at the club. (Sunday Mail)

Ibrox manager Kenny McDowall admits he is baffled by Kris Boyd's lack of goals this season. (Sunday Mail)

Celtic new boy Stuart Armstrong is hoping to follow in Scott Brown's footsteps by establishing himself as a key player for the Scottish champions. (Sunday Mail)

Lalit Modi's bid to buy Rangers has been branded a "joke" by a source close to the consortium of Douglas Park, George Letham and George Taylor. (Sunday Mail)

Dave King has been surprised by the lack of quality in the current Rangers squad and has vowed to rebuild the team if he completes a takeover of the Ibrox club. (Daily Mail)

Darren Fletcher, who recently signed for West Brom, is determined to prove there is life after leaving Manchester United. (Daily Mail)

FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Greig Laidlaw insists Scotland blew their chance to beat France in the Six Nations by conceding too many penalties in the 15-8 defeat in Paris. (Sunday Mail)

Majid Haq is bullish about Scotland's chances against New Zealand in the cricket World Cup

Scotland try scorer Dougie Fife apologised for giving away the penalty that allowed France to stretch their lead against the Scots in Paris. (Sunday Herald)

Majid Haq has backed Scotland's cricketers to shine when they take on New Zealand in the World Cup. (Sunday Mail)

Jade Nimmo, who competed for Scotland at the Commonwealth Games in long jump, is planning to switch to heptathlon. (Sunday Herald)