Scottish Gossip: Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Valencia, Hibs, Heckingbottom, West Brom, St Mirren

Scottish gossip

FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Former Rangers football board chairman Sandy Easdale has told Dave King he wants out of the Ibrox club after he and his brother, James, agreed to sell their stakes to the current chairman for £1.3m. (The Herald)

Hearts have vowed to work with Police Scotland to hunt down the Auchinleck Talbot supporters who allegedly aimed racist abuse at Uche Ikpeazu and Demetri Mitchell during their Scottish Cup tie at Tynecastle. (Edinburgh Evening News)

Valencia coach Marcelino, whose side face Celtic in Thursday's Europa League first-leg tie, has revealed his admiration for the current crop of opposition players - and expects some of them to go on and play at a higher level. (Evening Times)

On-loan West Bromwich Albion forward Oliver Burke has told his Scottish team-mates at Celtic they are better than the players he came up against in the Bundesliga in Germany and Premier League in England. (The National)

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has urged his players to believe they are good enough to overcome their Europa League rivals Valencia - and go all the way in this year's competition. (The Herald)

Scotland left-back Kieran Tierney could return from injury for the second leg of Celtic's Europa League tie against Valencia after being ruled out of Thursday's first leg in Glasgow. (Evening Times)

France striker Kevin Gameiro will face Celtic in Valencia's Europa League tie in Glasgow on Thursday despite sporting a boxer's black eye following a horrendous facial blow 12 days ago during his team's draw with Barcelona in the Nou Camp. (Daily Record)

As Paul Heckingbottom was named as his successor as Hibernian head coach, Neil Lennon has broken his silence to promise a return to management. (Scottish Sun)

Adam Hammill, the winger who recently left St Mirren for Scunthorpe United, has urged Hibernian fans to judge new head coach Paul Heckinbottom on the way he transformed their side at Barnsley rather than his doomed four-month spell with Leeds United. (The Herald)

Lee Bullen, who was Paul Heckinbottom's team-mate at Sheffield Wednesday, says the new Hibernian head coach should be judged on his work at Barnsley rather than his short-lived spell with Leeds United last year. (Scottish Sun)

Hearts at one point paid each of their players a win bonus of £5,000 during the early days of the Vladimir Romanov era, according for former midfielder Paul Hartley. (The Scotsman)

On-loan Rangers full-back Lee Hodson looks to have played his last game for St Mirren after picking up a nasty ankle injury in last month's defeat by Celtic and having returned to Ibrox for treatment. (Scottish Sun, print edition)

Larry Barilli, an 83-year-old who lives in Greenock and whose current amateur side is called Chaplins, is Britain's longest-serving football manager, having first set up a team aged 18 and playing into his 40s. (The Scotsman)

OTHER GOSSIP

The Six Nations unions have been holding secret talks about securing a deal to revolutionise the broadcasting rights of Test rugby in Europe in a move that would scupper controversial plans for a World League.(Daily Telegraph)

Glasgow Warriors full-back Stuart Hogg has been ruled out for the rest of Scotland's Six Nations campaign with a shoulder injury. (The Herald)

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has complained to Six Nations officials about the incident that has cost him the services of full-back Stuart Hogg as he was deeply unhappy that referee Romain Poite missed the incident and the television match official also refused to step in. (The National)

Rangers academy head Malky Thomson hopes a move Stateside to take up a scholarship in South Carolina will allow son Connor the chance to make a name for himself as Scotland's next tennis star. (The Herald)