Hugh Keevins: Affection versus confection. That takes the cake.

Football and logic are incompatible. I get that. I'll even accept that when Partick Thistle go eleven men against ten against Celtic on Saturday it knocked them out of their stride and the dismissal of Nir Bitton contributed towards a one-nil defeat.

If Alan Archibald says what used to be known as a numerical advantage is now a psychological impediment then I'll take the manager's word for it. After all, Hibs had conceded three goals to an eleven man Rangers at Ibrox a few days earlier and then lost a fourth to ten men when Andy Halliday was sent off.

I expect this will mean that when a player is sent off in future the opposition side will protest en masse and demand his re-instatement before the red card minimises their chances of winning.

So far, so good. Football and logic are incompatible, right?

No.

Now comes the hard part.

There was a time when Celtic's history regularly contained heroic examples of ten men overcoming adversity to record memorable victories that became part of the club's folklore.

But what used to be known as logic was once again turned on its head on Saturday night in the aftermath of the team's win over Partick Thistle. The result moved Ronny Deila's side three points above Aberdeen, with a game in hand and a vastly superior goal difference, at the top of the Premiership table.

No problem there then. Or perhaps not.

In reality, a new word was added to Superscoreboard's lexicon by a Celtic supporter exasperated by a fellow Hoops fan with a negative view of the day's proceedings. The caller wanted to know what was wrong with a positive result bringing progress to the title race. The answer to that might have been thought an unequivocal "Nothing at all."

But the Devil's Advocate on the other line had left the ground before Leigh Griffiths' 90th minute winner on the basis that Celtic's performance had irritated him to the extent that going home, or heading for licensed premises, was the preferred option.

It was at this point the early evacuee was told never to darken Celtic Park's doorstep, a message re-inforced by the addition of the memorable parting shot, "What are you talking about ya doughnut."

Was this the watershed moment when one man's affection for his team provoked him into describing the target for his verbal abuse as a confection from a bakery?

Affection versus confection. That takes the cake.

But, peculiarly enough, it's possible to see both sides of the argument.

Being top of the table after a hard fought win is a good thing, right?

Sort of.

The only trouble is a growing number of Celtic fans have become disenchanted/disaffected/disillusioned with Deila's team and their style of play. Delete whichever is inapplicable.

And accusing the critics of heresy while issuing instructions for them never to come back again simply won't do. All season ticket buyers have equal access to freedom of speech and if everyone who boos the team is instantly barred the ground will soon be deserted.

It's now reached the stage where a temperature check has been taken concerning Celtic's hierarchy to see if there has been a fevered response to the home crowd becoming restive. Deila has been given what sounds suspiciously like a vote of confidence from an unknown source, with the proviso thrown in that the loss of the league title would mean all bets were off.

But another slant to the argument over the Norwegian was introduced by a Superscoreboard caller who said he could not bear the thought of Deila going head to head with Rangers' Mark Warburton in the Premier League next season. This one will run and run in the time honoured "My dad's bigger than your dad" way beloved of Old Firm fans.

Whatever is the case, and I do fully understand that Rangers have yet to win promotion to the major league, there is another point to be made.

Aberdeen should be kicking themselves over their inability to take advantage of a Celtic side that is so mediocre even their own fans have turned on them while they sit at the head of the queue to be crowned champions.

Delia's side might have dropped copious points on the back of regularly unconvincing and disappointing displays, but Derek McInnes' side have consistently failed to make the headway they should have done in response to that state of affairs.

They have blown it big time when presented with the best chance to win the title since the days of Alex Ferguson at Pittodrie.

And the certainty is that when Celtic and Rangers are eventually re-united in the top flight the opportunity for Aberdeen to rise above the pair of them and win the league will never come up again.

Not until doughnuts are only referred to as comestibles instead of being used as a term of abuse.