Rumour Mill: John Brown| Rangers| Derek McInnes

• John Brown leads fans protest at Ibrox

In an interview appearing this morning he said: “Do I regret standing on the front step at Ibrox and saying what I did about him? Not at all.

“I got a lot of criticism for doing it and people I thought were my friends started to distance themselves from me after that night.

“They said the whole episode was embarrassing but that’ll only be the case if I’m proved wrong about Charles.

“It’s up to him now to prove he has Rangers’ best interests at heart and his first set of financial figures released showed a loss of £7 million.

“That’s not a great start.

“And I wasn’t the only one who had reservations about Charles taking the club over. Wasn’t Walter Smith part of a rival consortium at the same time?”

But Brown and Charles Green met for the first time this week and seem to have put the matter to rest.

Brown said of the meeting: “It was this week at the funeral of Irene Love, a kitchen worker who was like a mother to the Rangers players and an auntie to our children when they visited Ibrox.”

“I stopped to shake Charles by the hand after the service and wished him well with Rangers.

“He returned the handshake and told me to keep going at Dens Park.” (Daily Record)

McInnes appointed Aberdeen boss

Derek McInnes will be unveiled as the new Aberdeen manager early next week.

The former St Johnstone and Bristol City manager is set to take charge at Pittodrie, the appointment will see Craig Brown move upstairs to the boardroom.

Aberdeen had been keen on a move for Ross County manager Derek Adams, but were refused permission to talk to him by the Dingwall club. (The Scotsman)

It’s not easy being a Ger

Ally McCoist’s summer recruitment drive has not brought the style and success Rangers fans had hoped for.

But the Rangers boss insists high-profile signings like Ian Black and Dean Shiels deserve more time to settle in at Ibrox.

McCoist has watched countless players crumble under the pressure of pulling on the Rangers shirt.

He said: “It’s very difficult playing for Rangers. It does not matter who you are.

“There’s a graveyard out there full of people who could not play for Rangers.

“It’s not about turning up, playing for Rangers and winning games. It is about when things are not going well.

“The biggest test is when you are drawing three away games, losing at Stirling, that is when you see if someone can be a Rangers player or not.

“Boys like Shiels and Blackie have never played for Rangers before — but you find out.

“It took guys like Kevin Thomson and Steven Whittaker time to adjust and there have been others. There was myself and big Mark Hateley. There are more players who don’t hit the ground running at Rangers then do. (Various)

Strachan’s Scotland experiment

After defeat last night, Scotland coach Gordon Strachan has said he will experiment to find the right players and style.

Strachan said: “There were a few tonight who staked their claim and a few who will probably think ‘I could have done better’. They will get their opportunity again. It’s not a good period for us. We will experiment and find out what is right for us, who the right players are, and we will take it from there.” (Various)

Chris Coleman on ‘brutal’ Scotland tackles

Wales manager Chris Coleman wasn’t upset at “brutal” tackles in last night’s game at Hampden.

He said: “We knew it was going to be a tough game, it was quite physical, there were one or two brutal challenges but within the rules. I think they were clever, nothing nasty, they weren’t trying to break anybody’s legs but (it was) get the ball and get the man, in the laws of the game. There is nothing wrong with that, Scotland are entitled to do that.”(Various)

Sandanza’s Rangers future in doubt

Francisco Sandanza’s future at Rangers is in doubt after he was suspended amid a club investigation into comments he allegedly made during a hoax telephone call.

The Spanish striker allegedly revealed details of his salary and declared himself open to a move to a better league during a telephone conversation with a person who was pretending to be an agent, which was then broadcast online. (The Scotsman)

Scottish League restructure meeting

SFL clubs are to meet this coming Thursday in the latest bid to reach consensus on Scottish league reconstruction.

SPL and SFL representatives met on Tuesday to discuss details of the final proposal, which will be put to clubs. SPL clubs will vote on the final proposal on 15 April, while SFL clubs will make their decision soon after.

It now seems the idea of including Rangers and Celtic colt teams is dead in the water. (Daily Record)

Rangers transfer talk won’t distract Nicky Law

Motherwell midfielder, Nicky Law has assured fans he is fully committed to the club after being linked with a move to Rangers.

The 24-year-old said: “I said that I’ve had no contact from anyone and that is still the case now.

“I also told the reporter that I will be speaking to Motherwell and will probably take their offer more serious than anyone. I’ve had two great years here, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it and we’ve had some great success.

“The last thing I want is for the fans, who have been so good to me, to think I am not committed.

“We have got seven huge games left and that’s my only focus at the moment, giving 110% and hope the supporters see that.” (Various)

Gavin Masterton is Dunfermline’s only hope

Jim Leishman, who is leading the steering group trying to rescue Dunfermline through a fan-based takeover, has admitted the only person able to save the beleaguered club now is owner Gavin Masterton.

The Pars have until 27 March to settle their debt, with HMRC

Jim Leishman said: “We had investors in place but they have expressed concerns and we have been trying to answer the questions.”

“We have until 5pm on Monday to pay HMRC. The lack of time is so hard.

“The administration option is up to Gavin, we are not in control of that. Gavin has to come to a solution he thinks is right.” (Daily Record)

Kevin Thomson: ‘I was spat on by Hibs fans’

Kevin Thomson has spoken of his regret at how his move to Rangers was handled.

Thomson said: “I was 21 and felt I was as good as anyone in the country. I had the opportunity to move to Rangers, which was financially very rewarding, a great opportunity in my opinion to play for a team that was potentially going to win the league rather than a team that was potentially going to finish third or fourth.

“It was a no-brainer, but did I say things that I shouldn’t have? Of course I did. The whole thing got blown out of proportion, people were saying things they should not have and I have had to live with that, coming back to the club I loved and getting booed, the whole stadium singing ‘Kevin Thomson is gay’ and I was spat on, which was the lowest point for me. I loved playing for the club, my dad Alan was as proud as anyone sitting watching me every Saturday because he was a massive Hibs fan. But I am not naive, being a Hibs fan does not mean you can play for Hibs all your life. Did I say the wrong things? Yeah, I probably did.” (Edinburgh Evening News)

Marvin Andrews wants to be like Giggs

The former Rangers man, 37, is now playing for Albion Rovers in Division Two.

A short-term deal to help out juniors Kirkintilloch Rob Roy came to an end last January and Andrews was out of football, for a year until signing for his new club.

He said: “Now I’m happy just to be playing again. Being on a football pitch at three o’clock on a Saturday is a lovely feeling.

“To be playing at 37 isn’t bad but my desire is to play till I’m 40 like Giggs. I can hang up my boots then.

“My good friend Russell Latapy also played until he was 40 and I would like to get to the same age – and Russell lived a very different lifestyle to me!” (The Sun)

Watt back for Scots

Tony Watt is back in contention to feature for Scotland under-21s in their opening 2015 European Championship qualifier against Luxembourg at St Mirren Park on Monday. (The Sun)