Rumour Mill: Mohsni | Griffiths-Cummings

Bilel Mohsni has words with Jordan Forster after Nicky Law's goal. Picture: SNS

Although he didn’t always mention the player by name, Rangers manager Ally McCoist insinuated a three-pronged criticism of defender Bilel Mohsni following his side’s 3-0 defeat to Hibernian. The Tunisian defender had written off Hibs’ title aspirations before the match, prompting his manager to say that his players need to be “more careful” about what they say prior to games in order to avoid motivating the opposition. Mohsni was also part of the backline which shipped three sloppy first half goals, with McCoist lamenting the team’s “defensive frailties” as a main reason for the loss. The Rangers manager then added that he would be speaking to Mohsni about a gesture the defender made to the crowd at the end of a torrid first half. McCoist admitted he hadn’t seen the incident, but said it would be “disappointing” if it proved to be the case. (Daily Record)

• Things could soon get worse for Mohsni as he and teammate Kris Boyd may face retrospective bans for a couple of off-the-ball incidents in last night’s defeat. BT Sport cameras showed Boyd moving his head into Hibs defender Jordon Forster during a late altercation, while Mohsni looked to have possibly aimed a punch at opposing player Liam Fontaine. It will now be up to the SFA compliance officer to look into the separate incidents. (Evening Times)

Griffiths not a fan of Cummings’s style

Former Hibs striker and lifelong fan Leigh Griffiths has slammed last night’s hero Jason Cummings on Twitter. Regarding Cummings’s post match interview on BT Sport where the striker said he had ‘the touch of an angel’ when talking about his goal, Griffiths tweeted:

“Touch like an angel... Jesus ******* Christ, do a normal interview and get back in the changing room and celebrate. #billybigtime (Twitter)

• Hibs manager Alan Stubbs hopes last night’s win acts as a springboard for the club’s season. The Easter Road side were sitting in ninth prior to the match having failed to win any of their three away games. They’ve now stopped that rot and jumped up to fifth place, and Stubbs believes the team are finally getting their rewards for the good football they’ve played this season. (The Scotsman)

Police investigate Van Dijk claims

Police have confirmed they are investigating alleged racial abuse from the St Mirren crowd aimed at Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk. The authorities will analyse broadcast and CCTV footage as they continue to make their enquiries.(The Scotsman)

• Celtic manager Ronny Deila has no concerns playing Callum McGregor in Thursday’s Europa League clash with Dinamo Zagreb despite the midfielder already playing 15 times this season. The youngster hasn’t missed a match across four competitions but Deila believes he has the mental capacity to keep his high standards up despite the demanding schedule. (Evening Times)

• The hearing into the alleged racial abuse by Celtic midfielder Aleksandar Tonev towards Aberdeen’s Shay Logan has been shelved until October 30. The original hearing was supposed to take place on October 9 but Tonev will be away on international duty with Bulgaria. (Daily Record)

Ozturk: Sow & El Hass > Boyd & Miller

Hearts defender Alim Ozturk believes that in Osman Sow and Soufian El Hassnaoui Hearts have the best strike-force in the Scottish Championship, saying that he would not swap the pair for Rangers attackers Kris Boyd and Kenny Miller. The centre back also revealed Hearts’ aims for going the entire 2014/15 season undefeated at Tynecastle. (The Herald)

• Despite Ozturk’s praise, and the fact that Hearts are the highest scoring team in Scottish league football, manager Robbie Neilson has admitted that he still doesn’t know his preferred strike-partnership. The Jambos played Sow and El Hassnaoui for the first time in Sunday’s 5-0 win over Livingston, and Neilson admits he’s willingly trying different combinations all the time to get the players comfortable featuring alongside one another. (The Scotsman)

• Hearts are now favourites with the majority of bookmakers to win the Scottish Championship. Following Rangers defeat last night the men in maroon are now odds-on for the title.

Possible new deal for David Goodwillie

Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has hinted at the Dons extending the stay of in-form striker David Goodwillie. The former Dundee United hero, who once commanded a £2 million transfer fee, signed on a one-year deal during the summer after struggling down south. After a slow start to life at Pittodrie he’s rediscovered his goal touch and it seems Aberdeen are looking into the possibility of extending his stay past 12 months. (Press and Journal)

• Meanwhile, Reds goalkeeper Jamie Langfield hopes that Aberdeen’s granted request to postpone their August fixture with St Mirren doesn’t come back to haunt them. The two will meet in the Scottish Premiership tonight after St Mirren agreed to the delaying of their originally scheduled meeting as Aberdeen looked to recover from Europa League duty. Back then St Mirren were struggling in the league but they’ve since won their first game and gave Celtic a scare at the weekend, something which hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Aberdeen stopper. (Press and Journal)

News in brief

• St Johnstone’s on trial forward has been revealed as former Scotland hero James McFadden. The 31-year old has been without a club since leaving Motherwell at the end of last season and Saints boss Tommy Wright has challenged the player to prove his worth by earning a deal at McDiarmid Park (The Courier)

• Queen of the South are set to make former Kilmarnock midfielder James Fowler their new manager on a permanent basis. Fowler was in caretaker charge for the last three games, including a memorable victory over Hibs, and has done enough to earn himself his first role in football management. (Evening Times)

• Partick Thistle anxiously await news from Kallum Higginbotham’s knee scan. The attacker was forced him to withdraw from action during Saturday’s 3-0 loss at Kilmarnock. (Evening Times)

• Cowdenbeath are unhappy that their scheduled match with Rangers next weekend has been postponed due to international call-ups. Chief Executive Alex Anderson bemoaned the late announcement for the match on October 11 and also felt Rangers’ squad depth meant they could have easily completed the fixture without the three absent players. (The Herald)

• Scotland boss Gordon Strachan has urged his players to use the confidence gained from their performance against Germany to help earn positive results upcoming international double-header against Georgia and Poland. (Daily Record)

• Former Scotland midfielder Billy McKinlay has taken over as manager of Watford after former No.1 Oscar Garcia resigned following a recent health scare. His first match will come at home to Brenford in the English Championship tonight. (The Scotsman)

Rumour Mill: Mohsni | Griffiths-Cummings | Celtic