Rumour Mill: Gerrard accused of lacking respect | Australia boss hits out at Celtic | Rodgers plea to EPL side
Gerrard accused of lacking respect
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has been accused of lacking respect for his Ladbrokes Premiership opponents by BT Sport and BBC Scotland pundit Michael Stewart. The ex-Hearts and Hibs midfielder was responding to comments made by Gerrard in the aftermath of his team’s 2-1 win at St Johnstone after saying they “shouldn’t have to work that hard to win at places like this”. (Scottish Sun)
Gerrard uses ‘hairdryer treatment’
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard admitted he dipped into the Sir Alex Ferguson playbook as his “hairdryer treatment” of his players sparked a second-half comeback in Perth to maintain their title challenge. Gerrard was left dismayed by a dismal first-half display which saw Rangers trail 1-0 to St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park. (The Scotsman)
Australia boss hits out at Celtic
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Hide AdAustralian head coach Graham Arnold has bemoaned Celtic’s response to his Asian Cup squad, saying the Parkhead side are the only team not to accept his wishes to have players at their training camp following the Boxing Day fixtures. Tom Rogic, along with Hibs trio Martin Boyle, Jamie Maclaren and Mark Milligan, have all been included an will miss the December 29 derby matches. (Scottish Sun)
Rodgers calls on Leicester to let Benkovic stay
Brendan Rodgers has urged Leicester City to allow centre-back Filip Benkovic to remain at Celtic until the end of the season. The young defender has impressed since signing for the Scottish champions but, while his loan deal runs until the summer, Leicester have the option to recall him in January. (Daily Record)
Lennon accuses Kamberi of lacking effort
Hibs boss Neil Lennon has accused Florian Kamberi of “a lack of hunger” and selling his team-mates short, claiming the Swiss striker’s penalty miss against Livingston summed up his form at present. Lennon has privately been unhappy with the performances of both Kamberi and his fellow striker, Australian internationalist Jamie Maclaren. (Evening News)
McKenna ‘threw himself to ground’
Hearts goalkeeper Colin Doyle has accused Scott McKenna of throwing himself to ground in order to win Aberdeen a penalty in their 2-0 victory at the weekend. The centre-back was awarded the foul after tangling with Christophe Berra in the penalty box as Derek McInnes’ men won for the eighth time in ten matches. (The Scotsman)
Mitchell to be disciplined
Hearts will discipline Demetri Mitchell internally for his red card against Aberdeen. Manager Craig Levein was unhappy with the on-loan Manchester United full-back and pledged to deal with him privately following Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Pittodrie. (Evening News)