Friday's Scottish Gossip

FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Celtic captain Scott Brown criticises the Scottish Premier League's fixture planners for spoiling a potential title party as his team could win the league on Friday evening without kicking a ball, if Motherwell fail to beat Dundee United at Tannadice. (Various)

Celtic are angry that their manager Neil Lennon will have to watch their potentially title-winning match on Sunday against Inverness from the stand, after being found guilty of using foul and abusive language at St Mirren captain Jim Goodwin. (Daily Record)

With Darren Randolph looking like he is on his way out of Motherwell at the end of the season, the Fir Park club are keen to sign St Mirren goalkeeper Craig Samson, who has rejected a new deal in Paisley. (Daily Express)

Swansea manager Michael Laudrup calls the inability of Rangers and Celtic to join the English leagues a "football political thing". (Daily Record)

Motherwell manager Stuart McCall feels frustrated that he cannot play trialists in his team's games in the Under-20 League. (Daily Record)

Hearts manager Gary Locke says prize money for finishing higher up the SPL than the team's current 10th place is a major motivation for the cash-strapped club. (Various)

Rangers defender Dorin Goian, who is on loan at Italian Serie B side Spezia, is wanted by Steaua Bucharest in his homeland. (Daily Express)

Kilmarnock assistant boss Jimmy Nicholl argues that English Premier League clubs hold their reserve teams in higher regard than they do the top teams in the SPL. (Various)

Hibernian manager Pat Fenlon admits he may have been too cautious earlier in the season in blooding youngsters Alex Harris and Danny Handling into the first team. (Daily Mail)

OTHER GOSSIP

Sir Chris Hoy's retirement from competitive cycling prompted tributes from the great and the good in sport, with Victoria Pendleton describing his as "an incredible ambassador for the sport of track cycling" and Andy Murray saying he will "go down as one of the greatest sportsmen Scotland has ever produced". (Daily Express)

Olympic gold medal rower Katherine Grainger believes Hoy's impact is that Scots should no longer consider themselves the underdogs in the sporting arena. (The Herald)

Snooker star Graeme Dott says he is fed up being "tarred with the same brush" as Peter Ebdon in terms of the slow pace of the latter's play. (The Herald)