Rumour Mill: Warburton wrong to drop Halliday for Barton | Dembele for England? | Collum criticised

England are looking into the possibility of selecting Celtic striker Moussa Dembele, Mark Warburton admits he was wrong to pick Joey Barton over Andy Halliday, and Kilmarnock vent their fury at Willie Collum over penalty decision.

Mark Warburton has stated he should not have dropped Andy Halliday, right. Picture: John Devlin

England check Moussa Dembele eligibility

Moussa Dembele could be forced into deciding whether his international future belongs with France or England.

The Celtic striker will have been in the UK five years in 2017, which would mean he’ll reach the length of residency required to be considered for international involvement. France, though, are confident he’ll pick his home nation. (Daily Record)

Richard Gough pays tribute to bus crash victim

Rangers legend Richard Gough has paid tribute to bus crash victim Ryan Baird.

The 39-year-old was killed when a Rangers supporters’ bus crashed in Ayrshire. Gough posted a photo of himself with Mr Baird on Facebook.

He wrote: “We have lost one of our Rangers family. My heart goes out to the family that has lost one of their own and I hope for a quick recovery of those that have been taken to hospital.” (The Herald)

Warburton: I was wrong to drop Andy Halliday

Mark Warburton admits he was wrong to drop Andy Halliday in favour of Joey Barton for the games against Kilmarnock and Celtic.

The midfielder netted Rangers’ second in their 2-0 win over Partick Thistle and Warburton insisted there was no more passionate player in the Ibrox XI. (Daily Record)

MacDonald makes emotional Jardine tribute

Alex MacDonald burst into tears while talking about his friend Sandy Jardine as the former joint-Hearts managers were inducted into the club’s hall of fame.

MacDonald was in attendance for the event and spoke for his old friend, who died from cancer two years ago. (Various)

Kilmarnock fury at Willie Collum decision

Kilmarnock expressed their disappointment with referee Willie Collum after the whistler granted Aberdeen a penalty in their 4-0 victory at Rugby Park.

Though the visitors would eventually coast to all three points, they were helped along the way when, at 0-0, Collum adjudged Jamie MacDonald to have fouled James Maddison in the penalty area, despite it appearing to be the other way around. (The Herald)

Rodgers approves of ‘Deila dome’ idea

Brendan Rodgers believes Celtic would benefit from a state-of-the-art indoor training facility, and voiced his support of the winter break.

The idea to have a domed training facility was first mentioned by Ronny Deila when the Norwegian arrived two years ago, but the project never got off the ground. (Daily Record)

Darren O’Dea ‘proud’ of Dundee display

Dundee centre back Darren O’Dea said he was “proud” of his club despite the 1-0 defeat to Celtic yesterday.

The home side went down to a Scott Brown goal, though O’Dea insists there was no shame in being beaten by a “top team”. (Twitter)

Philippe caught me off the ball - Azeez

Partick Thistle striker Ade Azeez insists Philippe Senderos unfairly caught him in the face during his side’s defeat at Ibrox.

The pair collided during the first half, with Azeez hitting the deck, but the referee waved play on. (Sun on Sunday)

Lennon: Celtic told me to be ‘whiter than white’

Embarking on his first job in management, the then Celtic manager, Neil Lennon, was warned that he would have to be “whiter than white”.

His time in England opened his eyes to a different side to the game as rumours circulated of underhand dealings and the kind of corruption that has been highlighted south of the Border these past few days thanks to a newspaper sting. (Scotland on Sunday)

Scott Brown ‘a wonderful captain’

Brendan Rodgers has hailed the impact of club captain Scott Brown after the midfielder’s goal in the 1-0 win over Dundee.

The new Celtic boss has been “really impressed” with the ability shown by Brown since he arrived at the club. (Celtic TV)

Rangers close to seeing best of Kranjcar

Assistant boss David Weir believes Rangers are close to seeing the best of Niko Kranjcar after the Croatian starred against Partick Thistle.

The former Tottenham and QPR playmaker was the stand-out performer as Gers claimed just their third Ladbrokes Premiership win of the campaign with a 2-0 Ibrox success. (The Scotsman)

NEWS IN BRIEF

• Tommy Wright hailed an “amazing” St Johnstone performance as the Perth side defeated Ross County 2-0 in Dingwall. (Various)

• Martin Canning lamented his side’s lack of ruthlessness as Inverness CT came back to rescue a point in Lanarkshire. (Various)

• Interim St Mirren boss Allan McManus doesn’t know whether he’s taken charge of his last game or not as the club search for a new manager. (The Scotsman)

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