Betcha we can still catch Hearts and clinch third place.

Byline: JIMMY CALDERWOOD 

THE bookies rate Hearts as certainties to clinch third place in the SPL and they don't get it wrong too often.They can't afford to.

But I reckon they could end up with egg on their faces this time.

Obviously I'd much prefer to be in Hearts' position with a seven-point advantage.

But there will be a few twists and turns before this issue is decided.

For instance, if we beat Inverness Caley Thistle on Saturday and Hearts lose to Celtic, the gap will close to four points and Hearts still have to come to Pittodrie.

First and foremost we must be at our best in the run-in or we won't overhaul Hearts. Traditionally we have finished every season strongly and I know how good a team Aberdeen is when our potential is reached.

It's been a highly frustrating league campaign, getting off to such a poor start then failing to press on after performing so well against the Old Firm. Inconsistency has been the name of our game.

We didn't play well in our last two games at Easter Road and Fir Park but still dug out two points which could prove invaluable when Europe is decided.

Character

I have to hold my hand up and take responsibility for the display at Motherwell.

I opted for the 3-5-2 formation that had worked well against Hibs but a blind man could see it didn't work on Saturday and I carry the can.

The performance improved when we changed to 4-4-2 and the players deserve credit for showing a lot of character to come away from a game in which we were down to 10 men with 20 minutes to go.

George Peat, the SFA president, has been highly critical of the standard in the SPL and he is entitled to his view. It certainly isn't mine as we have been involved in a lot of competitive games this season.

I doubt if it has ever been more exciting because no one can say who will be champions, who will qualify for the Europa League or who will be relegated.

Unlike last term, this time there is no Gretna who were doomed long before the finishing line was reached.

Five clubs are fighting for survival as there has been a levelling off in standards because almost everyone is strapped for cash.

Every match is difficult to win because each team is so organised and pitches don't help the entertainment. But I still believe that the fans are relishing the fact that every issue is still live.

I saw first-hand the devastating effect a life ban had onWillie Johnston after he was sent home from the World Cup in Argentina for the heinous crime of taking a drug to cure the common cold.

Scotland suffered too as Bud was a fantastic winger and that is why I am against the life bans imposed on Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor.

I don't claim to know all the reasons for the punishment but I do know that theV-signs the pair stupidly gave from the bench at Hampden were aimed at the media - not the Tartan Army.

Sure, they deserve to be punished but this sentence is way over the top.

Murderers don't spend their lives behind bars but the stigma which comes with these bans will haunt them forever more.

The Champions League quarter-finals this week promise a feast of football and the one between Arsenal andVillarreal should be an open game between two wonderful, attacking teams.

I reckon Arsenal will go through because they have their big players, Adebayor and Fabregas back.

Even though their form has shaded a bit, I don't see Manchester United having any problem seeing off Porto and the same applies to Barcelona against Bayern Munich.

I fancy Chelsea to draw at Liverpool and win at Stamford Bridge but if the legs had been reversed, the outcome would be the opposite. That's how finely balanced this tie is.