Scottish Gossip: Tom Cairney, Leigh Griffiths, TV deal, safety fears for officials

Alex McLeish has admitted Scotland are vulnerable to any bid by England to steal midfielder Tom Cairney after the manager was again forced to omit the Fulham midfielder from his latest squad. (Scotsman), external

Scotland manager Alex McLeish reveals Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths blanked his clear-the-air phone call after being dropped for the win over Albania. (Daily Record), external

Scottish football will be screened live across Australia, New Zealand and another 24 countries across the Middle East and North Africa after the SPFL struck a new TV deal with Qatar-based media group beIN Sports. (Daily Record), external

Former referee Hugh Dallas, once struck on the head by an object during an Old Firm derby in 1999, praises official Calum Spence for continuing to run the line at Livingston on Sunday after a similar incident. (Daily Record), external

Referees’ chief John Fleming has slammed the “cowardly” Rangers fan who targeted linesman Calum Spence at the weekend. (Sun), external

SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell has strongly condemned the missile-throwing incident that left assistant referee Calum Spence with a bloodied head, insisting it must act as a “wake-up call” about fan behaviour. (Daily Mail), external

A trade union which counts many top referees in Scotland among its members has called on the SFA to carry out an “urgent full investigation” of the safety measures in place at matches. (Herald,, external subscription required)

Hibs boss Neil Lennon hails midfielder Mark Milligan as “my kind of player” and insists “the best is yet to come” from the experienced Australian international. (Sun), external

Rangers captain James Tavernier wanted team-mates to rise above the goading from Livingston players after Sunday’s loss but to use the taunts as future inspiration. (Daily Record), external

Boyhood Rangers fan Craig Halkett admits Livingston’s win over Steven Gerrard’s side was special – even though he got stick from his parents afterwards. (Sun), external

Golf balls, bananas, a pig’s leg and a letter from the Ku Klux Klan: former Rangers winger Mark Walters reflects on life as a black footballer in the 1980s. (Daily Mail), external

Dundee United need to stop beating their players up with memories of past glories and can start by ripping down images of the golden era in the 1980s, says former defender Paul Quinn. (Daily Record), external

Former Rangers defender Maurice Ross has emerged as a surprise candidate for the manager’s job at Queen’s Park after spells in Norway and the Faroe Islands. (Sun), external