Scottish Gossip: Graeme Murty, Rangers, Celtic, Hibernian, Aberdeen

FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Graeme Murty admits he was "staggered" to be named Rangers manager until the end of the season, following his second spell as interim boss of the Ibrox side in the wake of the sacking of Pedro Caixinha. (Daily Record)

Murty, who watched as Rangers recently tried and failed to land Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes, says he did not believe he "was in the running at all" to get the job and is determined to repay the Ibrox board for trusting him with the role. (Scottish Sun)

Murty says he has no problem that he wasn't the club's first choice for permanent manager and while he knows some people will be unhappy with the appointment, he is determined to win them over. (Scottish Sun)

Rangers managing director Stewart Robertson says Murty has a "once in a lifetime opportunity" and is in pole position to make himself the club's manager beyond this season. (Daily Record)

Graeme Murty is desperate to ensure he is Rangers manager for years to come

The Scottish FA have yet to open talks with top managerial target Michael O'Neill and he is about to be offered a new six-year contract to stay in charge of Northern Ireland. (Daily Record)

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says the culture at the club means they will quickly recover from the defeat to Hearts that ended their 69-match unbeaten run. (Scotsman)

Rodgers says the key to the healthy culture in the dressing room is that his players look at themselves rather than pointing fingers at others when facing adversity. (Scottish Sun)

Celtic defender Kieran Tierney says he will continue to focus on his football as he ignores comments on the BBC's Football Focus from former players that he will have to leave the Scottish champions to fully develop as a player. (Herald)

Hibernian full-back Lewis Stevenson admits he hid on the team bus to avoid angry boss Neil Lennon in the wake of the club's defeat by Aberdeen. (Scottish Sun)

Aberdeen's Kenny McLean has set his sights on a Scottish Cup winner's medal

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton says Aberdeen can lose their "big-game bottlers" tag by beating "vulnerable" Celtic and blowing the title race wide open. (Daily Record)

New Celtic signing Marvin Compper has revealed a breakfast meeting with Brendan Rodgers convinced him that moving to Scotland was the right decision. (Scotsman)

Midfielder Kenny McLean is determined to win the Scottish Cup this season so he can leave Aberdeen on a high this summer, with the 25-year-old having already told the Dons he won't sign a new contract. (Scottish Sun)

Hearts defender John Souttar has urged his side to follow up their huge win over Celtic by beating St Johnstone and ending their poor record against the men from Perth. (Scotsman)

Partick Thistle midfielder Adam Barton has criticised the tactics of Motherwell and Hamilton Academical as he insisted "kick-and-rush" football gives the Scottish Premiership a bad name. (Scottish Sun)

John Souttar wants Hearts to back up their win over Celtic with victory over St Johnstone

Norwich City boss Daniel Farke says he does not want "big leader" Steven Naismith to leave the club in January, despite the forward recently admitting he would like to return to Scotland. (Scottish Sun)

Other gossip

Edinburgh's Grant Gilchrist knows his side face a massive test when they take on Glasgow Warriors on Saturday, with the Warriors having won 10 from 10 Pro14 matches this season. (Herald)

Fraser Brown says it was an easy decision to extend his stay at Glasgow Warriors after signing a new two-year deal. (Herald)