Rumour Mill: Griffiths blasts Madden | Sunderland eye Hibs trio | Armstrong for Scotland

Leigh Griffiths has criticised referee Bobby Madden for his failure to award Celtic a late penalty against Rangers, David Moyes is keeping tabs on a trio of Hibs players, and Stuart Armstrong will be included in Gordon Strachan's next Scotland squad.

Leigh Griffiths goes down under a challenge from Clint Hill. Picture: John Devlin

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

Griffiths blasts Madden

Leigh Griffiths claimed referee Bobby­ Madden was the only person inside Celtic Park who failed to recognise his side should have been awarded a 90th-minute penalty against Rangers. The Scottish champions were incensed by Madden’s dismissal of their claim when Griffiths was felled inside the area by Clint Hill’s challenge. It denied them the chance to grab all three points on a day when Hill’s goal three minutes earlier had cancelled out Stuart Armstrong’s first-half opener. (The Scotsman)

Hill admitted penalty

Brendan Rodgers was told that Celtic should have been awarded a penalty after Rangers minutes after had scored a late equaliser - by the player who committed the foul. The Celtic manager said Clint Hill admitted to him that “he got away with it”. (The Scotsman)

Richmond backs Madden

Former referee Charlie Richmond has backed Bobby Madden’s version of events, saying the whistle got the late penalty decision spot on. Richmond believes Clint Hill got to the ball fractionally before the defender collided with Leigh Griffiths, thereby making it a fair challenge. (Daily Record)

Sunderland eye Hibs trio

David Moyes was in attendance during Hibs’ 1-0 win over Dundee United at Tannadice in order to watch three Easter Road stars. The Sunderland boss is understood to have been keeping a close eye on Jason Cummings and John McGinn, as well as Celtic loanee Efe Ambrose. The latter was awarded man-of-the-match and is out of contract at the end of the season. (Sunderland Echo)

Dembele: Catch us if you can

Moussa Dembele aimed a dig at joyous Rangers supporters after the Ibrox side snatched a late draw in the Old Firm derby, telling them “catch us if you can”. Dembele posted a picture of the phrase on Twitter, along with a caption that mentioned the 33-point gap between the sides. If Dembele is referring to this campaign alone, he’ll probably be pleased to hear that it’s now mathematically impossible for Rangers to catch Celtic with only ten games remaining. (Sportslens)

Armstrong for Scotland

Stuart Armstrong is set to be rewarded for his recent good form with a place in the Scotland squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Slovenia. Armstrong scored in yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Rangers, a game that was watched by national team boss Gordon Strachan, who was a part of Sky Sports’ coverage of the game. Strachan later praised Armstrong, saying he was the most impressive Scottish based player he’d seen over the last few months. (Evening Times)

Pressley turns down Motherwell

Steven Pressley has turned down the chance to become the next manager of Motherwell. The ex-Falkirk boss was approached by the Fir Park club, but has chosen instead to remain down south, where he hopes to restart his coaching career after recent spells with Coventry City and Fleetwood Town. (Scottish Sun)