Scottish Gossip: Celtic's Simunovic, confident Martin

FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Scotland defender Russell Martin has not booked a family holiday for next summer because he is convinced that Scotland will be at the Euro 2016 finals in France. (Various)

Norwich City's Martin was saddened that his club and Everton could not agree on a move for forward Steven Naismith but he and Canaries team-mate Steven Whittaker are pleased to be playing beside Naismith in the Scotland side. (Various)

Kilmarnock striker Kris Boyd thinks the Scottish Football Association is being foolish not to secure the services of national team boss Gordon Strachan by offering him a new contract. (Various)

Alex McLeish thinks Georgia, who Scotland play in Group D qualifying on Friday, are not as strong as they were when his Scotland team lost 2-0 in Tbilisi in 2007. (The Sun)

Scotland defender Russell Martin is in confident mood ahead of the Euro 2016 qualifying double header against Georgia and Germany

Giorgi Makaridze was in goals for Georgia that day eight years ago as a 17-year-old and he is in the host's squad again. He believes Scotland are favourites to win. (The Sun)

Charlie Mulgrew says his career is a great example of why a player should never burn his bridges - he and Strachan had their ups and downs at Celtic and he eventually left the club for Wolves in 2006 before returning four years later, but he is enjoying working for the manager in the national squad. (The Sun)

Barry Bannan, currently nursing a thigh injury, completed a move from Crystal Palace to Sheffield Wednesday this week to try to get first-team football and save his Scotland career. (Daily Express)

Former Celtic and Scotland defender Tosh McKinlay reckons new Celtic signing Jozo Simunovic is "Rolls-Royce material" and that "everyone will quickly see his quality". (Daily Mail, Scotsman)

Celtic were told signing target Michu was considering ending his career when they asked about the availability of the 29-year-old Spain international. (Daily Express)

RKC Waalwijk, who finished bottom of the Dutch second tier last season, are to receive £1,100 as their share of Virgil van Dijk's £13m move from Celtic to Southampton. The centre-half trained with them for 13 days at the start of his career before moving to Willem II, who will receive £300,000. (Daily Record)

Former SFA performance director Mark Wotte warns Hibernian manager Alan Stubbs that he faces "a big challenge" in managing 19-year-old Islam Feruz, who has moved to Easter Road on loan from Chelsea. (Daily Mail)

Former Celtic goalkeeper John Fallon says he spoke to Jock Stein only once in 13 years after leaving the club

After concern was raised by Motherwell's Barbados-based financial backer Les Hutchison that a payment had been missed from fans' group the Well Society, Fir Park chairman Brian McCafferty is optimistic that the fans will be able to buy out Hutchison's majority shareholding. (Daily Mail).

Former Celtic goalkeeper John Fallon, now 75, describes the club's late manager Jock Stein as a "dreadful" man manager and says he still feels "bitterly disappointed" by him. He says he was refused entry through the front door at Celtic after he left. (The Sun)

Birmingham City failed in a bid to sign Celtic striker Anthony Stokes on transfer deadline day because the clubs could not agree on terms. (The Sun)

After seven goals in 42 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday, Stevie May left Hillsborough on Tuesday to move to Preston North End, which he describes as a "bigger version" of St Johnstone, his former club. (The Scotsman)

Sierra Leone international defender Mustapha Dumbuya, who has signed for Partick Thistle, worked his way up through non-league football in England, where he worked part-time pushing trolleys in a supermarket. (Various)

OTHER GOSSIP

Watching Andy Murray outwit Nick Kyrgios at the US Open, Andy Roddick tweeted: "Murray is a stud. I hope people realize how massive his tennis IQ is when they are watching him. If I wanted a scouting report he'd be my guy." (The Scotsman)

Glasgow Warriors and Scotland centre Richie Vernon didn't realise he had made history by becoming the first Scotland player to be selected for two World Cups, one as a forward, another as a back. (Scotsman, Daily Record)

Warriors' tighthead prop Zander Fagerson, 19, views the absence of 20 of his team-mates to World Cup duty for Scotland, Italy, Tonga, Fiji and the USA, as a chance to show head coach Gregor Townsend what he and his young team-mates can do. (The Herald)

Lynsey Sharp, in the 800m and 400m hurdler Eilidh Child will compete in the Weltklasse meeting in Zurich on Thursday evening, while 1,500m runner Laura Muir has turned down a place in this month's Diamond League meeting in Brussels, ending her 2105 campaign. (Daily Record)