Scottish Gossip: Peter Lawwell, Edinburgh derby, Rob Kiernan, Gordon Strachan

FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Celtic's Peter Lawwell is the best chief executive in European football, according to the former chief executive of the Scottish Premier League, Roger Mitchell. Indeed, Mitchell believes with Lawwell in charge Celtic could win the Premiership title for 20 years in a row. (Evening Times)

Former Hibernian manager Alan Stubbs insists the club has banished any derby-day fear factor. The Easter Road side go into Sunday's Scottish Cup fifth-round showdown at Tynecastle unbeaten in their last five meetings with the Jambos. (Edinburgh Evening News)

Hearts head coach Ian Cathro welcomes the added pressure that Hibs striker Grant Holt feels is weighing on his opponents' shoulders. "I'm happy to have it all and I think my players would be happy with that too," says Cathro. (Edinburgh Evening News)

Defender Rob Kiernan could quit Rangers after being "baited by an Ibrox hate mob" at half-time in last weekend's 1-1 draw against Ross County. (Sun)

Scotland manager Gordon Strachan has turned 60

As he turns 60, Scotland boss Gordon Strachan discusses growing up in Muirhouse, fighting Irvine Welsh's brother and falling out with Alex Ferguson. (Herald)

Says Strachan of Muirhouse, which was depicted in the film Trainspotting: "It just used to be a hard area - if you said something you'd get a smack in the chops but no one was going to knife you, or take drugs or all the rest of it." (Daily Record)

Asked which Trainspotting character he most resembles, Strachan suggests Spud. "I was never the good-looking one," he jokes. (Daily Telegraph)

Aberdeen favourite Neale Cooper believes his former team are the only one that can prevent Celtic winning a domestic treble this season. (Press and Journal)

Charlton's Tony Watt shrugs off suggestions that he failed at Hearts, claiming his performances during the six-month loan spell reflected his lack of match fitness and being asked to play an unfamiliar role. (Scotsman)

Angry Motherwell manager Mark McGhee wants the Scottish Football Association to tell his players how they should tackle, after back-to-back red cards for Scott McDonald and Carl McHugh in their last two games. (Sun)

Andy Ritchie scored for Motherwell in a 2-1 win over Rangers at Ibrox in October 1983

As Morton prepare to face Rangers at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup, their former striker Andy Ritchie recalls scoring for Motherwell at Ibrox in John Greig's last days as Gers manager. "Obviously I'm not a visitor to Murray Park every day but if you had to pick a week in the season to play Rangers, you'd choose this one," says the Ton idol. (Daily Record)

Rangers centre-half Clint Hill looks upon the Scottish Cup as "our last effort at getting some silverware this season" and says of the Morton tie: "We need to hit the ground running, and we know how important it is for everyone at this club to get the right result." (Evening Express)

Celtic are in talks with their goalkeeper Craig Gordon, 34, about a deal to keep him at the club until 2020. His current contract is due to expire in the summer, although Celtic have the option to trigger an extension until 2018. (Daily Express)

OTHER GOSSIP

Veteran hooker Ross Ford, on the bench for a spell against Ireland last Saturday, insists he never took his starting place in the Scotland XV for granted. (National)

Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw promises that, ahead of Sunday's Six Nations match against France, the squad is still developing. "The forwards have been working hard on set pieces and, in the backs, we've been tightening a few things up. You can always get better," he says. (Scotsman)

Laidlaw feels one area where the team has improved under Vern Cotter is their ability to "dig themselves out of a hole". (Daily Mail)