Rumour Mill: Rangers | Edinburgh derby

Rangers' Sebastien Faure on the ball at training. Picture: SNS

Faure slams dietary habits of Rangers team

Rangers outcast Sebastien Faure has hit out at the eating habits of his teammates. Prior to his 2012 move to Ibrox, Faure spent his entire career with French side Lyon and believes his former coaches would be gobsmacked by the diets of the Rangers players, who he says are allowed to eat what they want. The 23-year old even singled out Ian Black for eating biscuits with a cup of tea during half-time of games. (Daily Record)

• Darren McGregor would sacrifice his contract extension to ensure Rangers win promotion from the second tier this season. The defender triggered an automatic additional 12 months on the end of his current deal by being available for 50 per cent of Rangers games this season, though the player has dismissed any notion of celebrating as it pales in significance to the club’s struggles of late. (The Sun)

Rangers are the same old club, says SPFL chief

SPFL chief Neil Doncaster insists Rangers are still the same club as the one which suffered liquidation back in 2012. Attempting to draw a line under the issue, Doncaster pointed to the Lord Nimmo Smith commission who stated that Rangers were the same club, albeit one owned by a different company, when they did their investigation into EBT payments. (Daily Record)

The Three Bears’ investment welcomed

The Rangers board have welcomed the share purchase by The Three Bears group of Donald Park, George Letham and George Taylor. The trio bought a 16 per cent stake in the club previously owned by Laxey Partners. In a statement to the Stock Exchange on Friday, Rangers said they were “delighted” that the group has “demonstrated their commitment to the company”. (The Herald)

• The Three Bears have also received backing from Rangers fan ownership groups and are believed to be the favoured option of former managers Walter Smith and Ally McCoist in the struggle for control in the Ibrox boardroom. (Evening Times)

David Gray wants to go out on a high

Hibs defender David Gray wants to end his run in the starting XI on a high by defeating Hearts in the New Year derby. The right back is due to have a groin operation to cure a problem which has gotten increasingly troublesome recently. Gray has played through the pain but going under the knife is inevitable and his recovery will likely keep him out of action for several weeks. (The Scotsman)

Victory all that matters to Hearts-daft Nicholson

Sam Nicholson produced a piece of magic which put his side on the road to victory the last time Hearts hosted their rivals at Tynecastle. While it was a special moment for the boyhood Hearts supporter, Nicholson knows the most important goal from any Edinburgh derby is to take the three points. (The Scotsman)

Aberdeen sit top of the Scottish Premiership

Derek McInnes refused to indulge in talk that Aberdeen can win the Scottish Premiership after they became the first non-Old Firm side in 23 years to sit at the top of the league beyond the turn of the year. The Dons went ahead of Celtic by a point following their 2-0 win over St Johnstone. Celtic do have a game in hand, however, after their match against Partick Thistle was postponed. (The Scotsman)

Deila won’t risk comeback players on plastic pitch

Ronny Deila will not risk players coming back from injury just because Celtic have been leapfrogged in the title race by Aberdeen. Having had their match with Partick Thistle postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, Celtic’s next match will be away at Kilmarnock on the Ayrshire side’s plastic pitch. Returning players such as James Forrest and Jason Denayer may be kept on the sidelines due to the nature of the surface. (Evening Times)

News in brief

• St Mirren caretaker manager Gary Teale reckons match officials may have cost him the opportunity to get the job on a full-time basis after yesterday’s 2-1 loss at home to Kilmarnock. (The Sun)

• Jackie McNamara hailed his players after Dundee United put six goals past rivals Dundee for the first time ever in a competitive game. (The Sun)

• Jim McIntyre has told his Ross County players that their performance in yesterday’s derby loss to Inverness CT was not good enough. The club remain rooted to the bottom of the table. (Daily Express)

• Ian Baraclough admits he’ll have to be “creative” in the January transfer window as he looks to strengthen his Motherwell side following yesterday’s humiliating 5-0 loss to local rivals Hamilton. (Evening Times)

Rumour Mill: Rangers | Edinburgh derby | Aberdeen