Divers join search for missing island teenager
Aleksandr Benga, 16, was last seen in the grounds of Stornoway's Lews Castle.
Ross County have told Heart of Midlothian they do not want to lose Yan Dhanda in January - and with the Tynecastle club not prepared to pay a significant fee, they may sign the playmaker on a pre-contract deal to join in the summer instead. (Daily Record)
Read the rest of Monday's gossip.
Image source, BBC Sport
Image source, SNSAfter giving a good account of themselves in opening day defeat to Celtic, County picked up their first win of the season the folowing week, with Kyle Turner and Connor Randall on the scoresheet.
Image source, SNSCounty were enjoying a good League Cup campaign, reaching the quarter-finals, but Jack Baldwin's early red card gave the Staggies a mountain to climb, allowing eventual finalists Aberdeen to progress.
Image source, SNSWinless in nine, defeat to fellow strugglers St Johnstone spelled the end for Malky Mackay in Dingwall, in a sacking that surprised many.
Image source, SNSA familiar face returned to the Victoria Park hotseat, as Derek Adams made it three spells at the Highland club. He got off to a strong start, taking seven points from his first three outings.
Image source, SNSIt wasn't to stay all rosy, however. Following a last-gasp defeat to Dundee, Adams launched a scathing critique of Scottish football, saying the Morecambe squad he had left behind were 100 times better than this County team.
Image source, SNSSean McGill, BBC Sport Scotland
It's that time of year where rumours start to swirl, and fans of most Scottish Premiership clubs begin to fear their best players are going to be pinched from right under their nose.
In the Highlands, that fear is most closely attached to the Staggies playmaker Yan Dhanda, a player of such quality that suitors are always going to keep a close eye on events in Dingwall.
With the January window now open, the noise around a potential departure has become louder in recent days, particularly from the capital.
It's perhaps unsurprising some are linking Hearts with a move for the 25-year-old, given the wonderful display he put on at Tynecastle a few weeks ago - perhaps his best in the navy of County.
The joyful and incisive performance was capped off by the Englishman's sensational free-kick from 25-yards, so good that Zander Clark could do nothing but stand and watch it soar into the top bag.
Whether it be Malky Mackay or Derek Adams in the dugout, Dhanda is almost always the player who looks like he can make something happen in what has been a slog of a season.
Out of contract in the summer, he's contributed to five of County's 17 Premiership goals so far, a figure that was 11 out of 37 last term.
Curiously though, both of his managers this campaign have struggled to get the best out of Dhanda as their side slumps at the foot of the table. While the strikers are starved of service, their best creative outlet doesn't seem to be unpicking defence as he perhaps should.
You'd think keeping a player of his profile would be paramount as County try to find potentially crucial late goals, but he's often one of the first hooked when his side search for answers.
Only in six of his 19 top-flight appearances this season has Dhanda completed a full 90 minutes, with his manager shaking things up and searching for a alternative route to much-needed points.
Maybe that suggests that County could maintain their Premiership status without the diminutive Dhanda, but letting a player of his style and grace slip their fingers would be a serious risk at a time when the stakes are already high.
When you're based in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, who needs to chase the sun?
Ross County are staying put this winter break and will make their preparations for the second half of the season in Dingwall.
The players will also be afforded some time off to recover from the busy festive period and spend time with their families.
They welcome Partick Thistle to the Global Energy Stadium in their first game back, as the Jags look to avenge their dramatic play-off final defeat at the end of last season.
Image source, SNS
