Michael Beale has walked back his claim that Aberdeen are the 'third best' team in the country by revealing he got some stick for the comments.
The Rangers boss perhaps unintentionally added fuel to the fire last month that the Dons and Hearts were in a perpetual battle for the tag of the third best team in the Scottish Premiership behind the two Glasgow heavyweights. On the park any doubt over the tussle between the two was laid to rest when the Jambos thumped Jim Goodwin's men 5-0 at Tynecastle.
Robbie Neilson's side have some distance between themselves and nearest rivals Livingston, but sit nine points above Hibs and a full ten ahead of the Dons. And Beale insists he wants to be clear that Hearts are the best of the rest and revealed he hadn't studied the league table in depth prior to those comments.
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He said: "You need to listen to these words they are the third best team in the country. I know I got a bit of stick for getting that wrong. I sent Robbie a message via a mutual friend straight after because I knew I had made a mistake.
"I honestly hadn't looked at the league table which sounds crazy but I know where my team are in the league, you tell me every week where I am and how many points behind.
"There was no disrespect in that. I think Robbie has done a fantastic job for the second time at Hearts. Playing in Europe has kicked them on as it has done for us. We're seeing that in their performances and it's the strongest Hearts squad I can remember.
"I always like Tynecastle, it's a feisty game. We're looking forward to it."
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