WITH the top of the SPFL Premiership table so close at this stage of the season, hope springs eternal that a title race might actually materialise.

But how many times do I have to say it? There is simply no chance of Aberdeen, or anyone else other than Celtic, winning the league.

I will be at today's Aberdeen-Inverness Caledonian Thistle match due to the fact Ross County host Inverness in a New Year's Day Highland derby. I have seen the Dons a few times recently, including their win at Partick Thistle, and they have put together a consistent run. They have won seven of their last eight league games, with their only defeat coming against Celtic.

They will finish second this year simply because, Celtic aside, they are the most consistent team.

There is no doubt the gap is narrowing, mainly because Celtic this year haven't been quite what they were. Aberdeen finished fully 31 points behind the Parkhead side last season. A 15-point margin would represent five wins over the course of a season and with what Celtic have at their disposal, Aberdeen, Dundee United, Inverness Caledonian Thistle or anyone else would be delighted if they could cut their winning margin to something like that.

I have nothing but praise for our neighbours Inverness. They are a small club with a small budget, but have a really good group of players right now. They are doing tremendously well, but to expect them to go close and stay close? It just isn't going to happen.

Dundee United are a decent-sized club with some really good kids in their squad. From middle to front they are absolutely excellent. But the two games that tell you all you need to know about United were when they were beaten quite comfortably 2-0 by Aberdeen then managed to turn over Celtic.

They can beat anybody on their day, but somebody can always get a result against them. They are inconsistent and one thing they are missing for me is some real top-class experience, particularly at the back. Aberdeen, on the other hand, have a bit of everything. They can see out a close game 1-0, or go on to win with a bit of style.

With the way Derek McInnes has them playing just now, you would have to say they are the ones most likely to mount some sort of title push.

In Ryan Jack, they have the equivalent of Scott Brown at Celtic. While it is great to have flair players such as Niall McGinn and Johnny Hayes tied up, he is the man they will build their team around.

Jimmy Calderwood once said that kids from Aberdeen are too nice, but Jack has a steeliness about him. He can also play a bit and anticipates things really well. I am not sure that many people have spotted just how good he is yet.

Both Aberdeen and Dundee United are virtually debt-free now, and there is no reason why they shouldn't push on in the next few years. But I can't see any sign just yet of the end of Celtic's dominance, and I think it will only end with the return of a re-energised Rangers to the top division at some stage.

You would never say never when it comes to a genuine challenge to Celtic emerging at some point, but for that to happen someone would have to bring through a really good crop of young boys and match them with some top-notch experience.

Aberdeen are our best hope of that, but I am afraid it would still need a minor miracle for it to happen.

IN last week's column I said Rangers had to do things properly when it came to Ally McCoist. They didn't have the money to sack him, so they were trying to oust him on the cheap. It didn't surprise me then when they finally moved him aside, but even now they are still mixing and matching and leaving his friends in charge.

Kenny McDowall is well known throughout the game for being a good coach and I am delighted that Gordon Durie, who I know really well, and Lee McCulloch have had an opportunity to go in alongside him. I am sure Ally would have been telling them not to pass up this opportunity, but I very much doubt that the board see Kenny as any sort of long-term solution. I think it's pretty clear they intend to use him to bridge the gap until they get the man they really want.

Any board that takes over a club are entitled to get their own man in. Kenny might keep the job, but would need an incredible run of results to have a chance of doing that. Especially after yesterday's defeat to Hibernian, he would hardly be able to lose a game for the rest of this season. Only the board know how long they plan to give Kenny.

The managerial changes were just one part of another turbulent week at Rangers, of course. I saw bits of the agm, including the fans booing when the directors walked down towards the marquee on the pitch, and it was another embarrassment for the board, particularly chairman David Somers.

There was further bad news for them later in the week when it emerged the SFA had blocked plans for Mike Ashley to expand his shareholding to 29.9%. While I totally understand that the governing body feel duty-bound to observe their own rules, I think they need to try to think outside the box a wee bit with the state our game is in.

The more they play hardball, the more difficult they are making it to form a strong league again, something you can go out and sell to sponsors.

The case of Craig Whyte shows you can't just accept anyone coming forward, but you can't tell me Mike Ashley is anything like Craig Whyte. We shouldn't be letting successful businessmen who want to invest in Scottish football slip through the net. He may be in it for the money but Rangers and their fans might just get something out of the deal as well. The rejection of his offer led to a £6.5 million rescue bid on Friday night from Douglas Park, George Letham and George Taylor but that kind of money won't interest Ashley. He knows there is much more to be made long term.