SCOTTISH football has taken a step closer to introducing video assistant referee (VAR) technology after a summit meeting of the country's top flight managers and referees hosted by the SFA in Perth. Scottish FA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: "I think Scottish football can afford it. The SPFL have an amount of money and most of that is distributed to the clubs. If an element of that has to be taken to cover the costs of VAR then that's a decision the clubs have to make."

Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is hopeful of finalising a deal for USA midfielder Matt Polster after the 25-year-old impressed on trial with the club this month. "We haven’t got it over the line just yet," said Gerrard. "But we’ve told his advisers that we’d like him to come. If we do, it would be a long-term deal."

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has weighed in on the 'spygate' scandal started in England after Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa admitted sending a member of staff to report on Derby County's training routine. Rodgers revealed that "a couple of drones had been spotted" at Lennoxtown before before concluding: "There are a lot of self-appointed morality officers coming in now. Some are mentioning cheating, but that’s a harsh word to use. He’s trying to get an edge."

And the Celtic manager told a meeting of Ladbrokes Premiership managers and referees’ representatives that Scottish match officials must turn professional to reduce the number of mistakes being made. "Referees going full-time is a big one for me," Rodgers said. "Where the money comes from I don’t know, but for me it is one of the areas I would look at, them being professional."

Steven Gerrard says he has "no plans to embarass myself" by taking part in his side's friendly against HJK Helsinki on Sunday. Rumours were swirling that the 38-year-old would pick himself in the match, but Gerrard denied this.

And Gerrard joked that he's "heard more about [Central Park] than I did when I was on my way to the Nou Camp". "The cars usually start at ten to five on a Saturday, don’t they?" asked the Rangers manager. Gerrard said he was looking forward to his side's Scottish Cup match against Cowdenbeath and pointed out that he played at similar facilities himself. "I’m a grassroots man, I grew up on muddy pitches," Gerrard said. "I’ve been changed in dressing rooms that were too small, on the grass outside and sometimes on the gravel in the car parks."

Cowdenbeath striker Robbie Buchanan insists a dilapidated Central Park could support the Blue Brazil’s attempt to cause a mighty Scottish Cup upset. Buchanan said: "It’s a small pitch and you’ve got stock car track around the side so it’s dead open and it’s windy. It will be a bit of a shock to Rangers compared to what they’re used to but we’ll enjoy it and it’s our home ground. It must be intimidating for other teams with the pitch and the changing rooms not being up to scratch."

Auchinleck Talbot's goalscoring hero Stevie Wilson is hoping to continue his streak in front of goal to help his side knock out local rivals Ayr United when the pair meet in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup this weekend. "Realistically there is no pressure on us to get out there and win," said Wilson. "If we get a draw or even a win we will be partying for days probably!"

Former Motherwell defender Chris McCart has relived Motherwell's Scottish Cup win in 1991 and says that winning the trophy was important to the area as a whole. "It was when we got to the cup final really that it hit home," said McCart. "There was a bit of gloom in the town, and the cup run took people’s minds off it. Whether that was for a day, or for a moment, it did that."

Elgin City's Scottish Cup preparations for their match against Hibernian hit the skids when manager Gavin Price and members of his squad had to spend the night in their cars this week on the way back from training. "It wasn’t the perfect preparation," admitted Price. "There’s plenty of time for everyone to recover before Saturday, but it wasn’t the best."

Celtic midfielder Scott Allan has signed a pre-contract agreement with Hibernian and will join the Leith side at the end of the season on a three-year deal. Neil Lennon, the Hibernian manager, said: "It's no secret that Scott is a player I admire and wanted back at Hibernian. He’s a player who suits the attacking brand of football we like to play."

The Herald's Graeme McGarry says that Kilmarnock winger Jordan Jones faces an uphill battle to get his current club's supporters back on side after announcing his delight at signing a pre-contract with Rangers.

In rugby, Edinburgh coach Richard Cockerill says that he is attempting to change the way rugby is viewed in Scotland's capital city. Cockerill said: "There is a lot of rugby support in the city. They want to support a winning team and we are getting that. The supporters are just a little bit quieter than others and I’m learning that is different Leicester and Toulon or other places."

Glasgow Warriors' Ryan Wilson reckons his team have learned from tactical blunders at Saracens last time and will not repeat the same mistakes again. "We’ve said we want to go down there and play the game we want to play, stick to our systems and don’t change anything for them," said Wilson.

And in golfGrant Forrest and Scott Jamieson launched a second day offensive in round two of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship to barge their way into the top-10 at the halfway stage in the Middle East.

Championship side Alloa are interested in bringing in Celtic striker Jack Aitchison on loan until the end of the season, according to the Scottish Sun.

The Daily Record think that Aberdeen winger Gary Mackay-Steven is edging closer to a move to American side New York City.

And Aberdeen boss Derek McInnes has told the Press and Journal that his side haven't been approached by Wigan Athletic over a potential transfer for his captain Graeme Shinnie.