Scottish Gossip: Celtic, Rangers, Manchester City, Dundee, Hearts, Dundee United, St Johnstone, Peterhead
Last updated on .From the section Football
FOOTBALL GOSSIP
Sunday's Petrofac Training Cup final between Peterhead and Rangers will be the last before the competition undergoes a massive revamp, with 54 teams, including Scottish Premiership colt sides and teams from Northern Ireland, Wales and the Highland and Lowland leagues, taking part next season.(The Scotsman)
Rangers manager Mark Warburton is viewing Sunday's Petrofac Training Cup final against Peterhead as a dress rehearsal for his side's return to Hampden the following week to face Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final. (The Herald)
Manager Jim McInally believes his Peterhead side can join Berwick Rangers and Inverness Caledonian Thistle as Scotland's legendary giantkillers after Sunday's Petrofac Training Cup final, especially if opponents Rangers have one eye on their Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic. (Daily Express, print edition)
Present manager Mark Warburton has opened the door to predecessor Ally McCoist being invited to their celebrations as they prepare for the presentation of the Scottish Championship trophy against Alloa Athletic in a fortnight. (Daily Record)
Celtic manager Ronny Deila reckons Rangers' promotion to Scotland's top flight will have little impact on his plans for next season.(The National)
Manager Ronny Deila has insisted that Saturday's trip to face Motherwell in their bid to retain the Scottish Premiership title is more important to Celtic than next week's Scottish Cup semi-final against city rivals Rangers at Hampden. (Daily Record)
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton thinks the only chance Rangers will have of winning the Scottish title next season is if their city rivals retain Ronny Deila as manager.(Daily Record)
On-loan Manchester City winger Patrick Roberts has told his parent club he would want to play against them if they are drawn against Celtic in next season's Champions League - and the English club have agreed. (Daily Mail)
Celtic manager Ronny Deila will urge 19-year-old on-loan Manchester City winger Patrick Roberts to favour club over country this summer should the Glasgow club retain the Scottish title as the Champions League qualifiers coincide with England's participation in the European Under-19 Championships in Germany.(The Herald)
Manager Ronny Deila hopes that Leigh Griffiths has not become burdened by the prospect of eclipsing the 35 league goal record created by Henrik Larsson and Brian McClair for a season with Celtic, with the Scotland striker being stuck on a total of 26 after failing to score in four starts. (The Scotsman)
Dundee defender Thomas Konrad insists he has no reason to panic about being out of contract in the summer as the 26-year-old former Eintracht Trier centre-back reckons he will have no problem finding a new club in Scotland or back in his native Germany.(The Courier)
St Johnstone midfielder Liam Craig says he put talks about a new contract on the back burner as the priority was securing the Perth club a place in the Premiership's top six. (Daily Mail, print edition)
Julen Etxabeguren says he's a big fan of the Scottish Premiership's end-of-season split system, but the Dundee defender admits he had difficulty explaining it to his puzzled Spanish friends how it at all works.(The Herald)
Japan goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima is hoping to repeat with Dundee United the escape from relegation he helped achieve with Lierse in 2011, when a final-day 0-0 draw with Club Brugge was enough to keep his side out of the play-off and in the Belgian top-flight for another season. (The Herald)
Hearts have released an artist's impression of their planned new Main Stand, which will have seating for 7000 fans - bringing Tynecastle Stadium's total capacity up to more than 20,000 - and which could open early in the 2017/18 season.(The Scotsman)
OTHER GOSSIP
Dundonald Links, between Irvine and Troon, will be announced as the 2017 host course for the Scottish Open before the end of this month and will be the first time it will be staged in the west of Scotland since ending its stint at Loch Lomond in 2010.(The Scotsman)
Olympic gymnast Dan Purvis says countries all over the world are trying to replicate the success of Team GB. (The Herald)
Dwindling numbers could threaten the existence of Freuchie Cricket Club, which earned its place in sporting folklore in 1985 when it became the first-ever Scottish team to win the National Village Championship, beating a Surrey XI.(The Scotsman)
