Rumour Mill: Celtic wanted Barton | Warburton '˜must win next two' | Barton faces SFA betting probe

Celtic tried to pinch Joey Barton from under the noses of Rangers, Chris Sutton says Mark Warburton must avoid defeat in his next two games to avoid being sacked, and the SFA are investigating claims Joey Barton broke betting rules.

There have been yet more twists in the Joey Barton saga. Picture: PA

Celtic tried to sign me - Barton

Joey Barton has revealed that Celtic tried to hijack his move to Rangers at the 11th hour.

Writing in his autobiography, set for release on Thursday, Barton claims an agent acting on behalf of Celtic chief Peter Lawwell contacted him the day he was due to travel up to complete negotiations with the Ibrox club. (Daily Mail)

Warburton ‘must win next two’

Mark Warburton must avoid losing his next two games if he wants to remain manager of Rangers, according to Chris Sutton.

The BT Sport pundit believes Warburton would not survive if the Ibrox side exited the BetFred Cup tonight before losing to Aberdeen on Sunday. (Daily Mail)

Barton faces SFA betting probe

Joey Barton faces an investigation by the SFA over claims he broke strict rules regarding footballers in Scotland betting on matches.

A high street bookmaker is alleging the midfielder made a bet on another football game, though it is not known which one at this moment in time. (The Sun)

Barton: Lower level harder than I thought

Joey Barton insists his struggles with Rangers have come about because he’s not used to playing at a lower level and he’s trying to improve everyone else, according to the outspoken midfielder.

After Rangers were “pumped”, in Barton’s words, by Celtic, he says people have found his honesty difficult to deal with. (The Guardian)

POLL: Will Joey Barton ever play for Rangers again?

Barton would’ve stayed at Burnley in hindsight

Joey Barton has revealed that he should have stayed with Premier League new boys Burnley instead of moving to Rangers.

Barton says it’s been much tougher than he expected in Glasgow. However, he believes the resiliency he’ll need to show will make him stronger. (The Guardian)

Saints tie bigger than Rangers - Maddison

James Maddison can’t wait to get his teeth into the intense rivalry that exists between Aberdeen and Rangers.

However, the teenage star believes Thursday’s Betfred Cup quarter-final against 
St Johnstone is more important than Sunday’s showdown with the Ibrox club. (The Scotsman)

Hearts’ Robbie Neilson escapes touchline ban

Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson has escaped a touchline ban after being sent to the stand during Saturday’s 1-0 defeat by St Johnstone.

Neilson was dismissed from the technical area by referee John Beaton with 14 minutes remaining at McDiarmid Park and later claimed it 
had been for “sarcastically clapping”. (The Scotsman)

Inverness draw proves Celtic must be resilient

Celtic will work on becoming a team that can grind out results after their late setback in the Highlands, according to assistant manager Chris Davies.

The Premiership leaders
hit the frame of the goal three times on Sunday as they looked for a third goal to finish off an Inverness team who were inspired by goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams. (The Scotsman)

Rangers ban Joey Barton for a further three weeks

Joey Barton has been instructed to observe a three-week vow of silence over his breach of discipline at Rangers before a decision is reached on whether he still has a long-term future at the Ibrox club.

The English midfielder has been suspended until 10 October by Rangers following the training ground altercation with team-mates last week which earned his initial banishment from angry manager Mark Warburton. (The Scotsman)

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Gordon Strachan was in attendance to see young Scotland goalkeeper Zander Clark’s man of the match performance against Hearts. (Dundee Telegraph)

• Owain Fon Williams hopes his excellent showing against Celtic keeps him in the mix for Wales. (Daily Record)

• St Johnstone will not fine Chris Kane or Graeme Cummins for their acts of simulation against Hearts. (Dundee Courier)

• Scott Sinclair could still be a star down south but he’s loving his time at Celtic, according to assistant boss Chris Davies. (Daily Record)

Click here for the latest results, fixtures and stats>>>

Keep up to date with all our sport news on The Scotsman’s Sport page on Facebook


DOWNLOAD THE SCOTSMAN APP ON ITUNES OR GOOGLE PLAY