Hugh Keevins: Opinion is being outlawed. In my opinion.

It seems to me there's a concerted attempt being made within the game of football to have opinion outlawed. In my opinion.

If you dare to say Celtic's 5 - 1 win over Rangers was assisted by poor managerial choice making then your thoughts are termed "Poisonous" by the Ibrox manager Mark Warburton.

If any critical comment is passed on Celtic losing seven goals to Barcelona in the Champions League then it is declared to be unwarranted because the Catalans have more money to spend than Brendan Rodgers' club.

If someone, let's say a pundit on Superscoreboard, should express understanding of Warburton's decision to terminate his post-match press conference following the draw with Ross County at the weekend on the basis that the questioning related to Joey Barton's suspension instead of the match just finished then the reaction is volcanic.

I think it was the former Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy who said, and I shall clean this expression up for public consumption, that "Opinions are like ear-holes; everybody has one."

Except Mick didn't use the word ear-holes, but something that sounded quite similar.

Whatever part of the anatomy the big man mentioned, the response to his remark is the same. If everybody has an opinion then it stands to reason everybody is entitled to express it when the need arises.

Celtic could, and should, have scored seven goals at Inverness on Sunday, but the home goalkeeper, Owain Fon Williams, had the game of his life and the match ended in a draw.

That's my excuse for being proved incorrect when I said on air that I had no doubt Celtic would win in the Highlands, and I'm sticking to it.

And here's another opinion for free. The mind boggles at what the likes of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne will do to a Celtic defence that couldn't keep pigeons out of a loft when Manchester City come to Glasgow next week.

Game two in Group F of the Champions League could result in the biggest home defeat in Celtic's European history.

Likewise, if Rangers fail to eliminate Queen of the South at the quarter final stage of the League Cup tomorrow night then the manager can prepare for his position to be questioned on the back of a public outcry.

It doesn't matter if you've yet to reach double figures in terms of games played since the season started. Scottish football is unforgiving terrain, just ask the now unemployed, former manager of St. Mirren, Alex Rae.

Any, or all, of these opinions can be queried, howled down or talked up. It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that so long as there has been no infringement of the laws relating to slander or libel then a person is free to speak his, or her, mind.

It's a game of football, not government policy, we're talking about.

If some football clubs had their way there would be no press conferences at all in future. The club would release a statement concerning fitness issues and any other matter relating to the team through the club's media outlets and that would be that.

In that way they could manage the news as it affected their club and impudent reporters with their prying questions would be banished from the stadium door.

Until that day comes along, opinion will be frowned upon and propaganda will be publicity stance of choice.

That's why freedom of expression should be cherished and the job of a football reporter will sometimes be to find out what a club would rather they didn't know and pass the information on to interested fans.

So, while I have the floor, let me say that the decision to replace Craig Gordon with Dorus de Vries in goal for Celtic looks more questionable with every passing game.

Hearts have a team which does look as if they have a problem with simulation because television's omnivorous eye keeps catching the offenders out.

And well done the Highlands after Ross County denied Rangers a win and Inverness Caley Thistle deprived Celtic of two points at the weekend. Budgets clearly aren't the be all and end all when it comes to deciding the outcome of football matches, and there's your proof.

In my opinion.

Now we can all sit back and pontificate on a week which will see Warburton fight to win the battle of public opinion on two fronts, against a part-time team from Dumfries in the cup and a doubtless fired up Aberdeen at Pittodrie in the league.

Both games will come after he's shown what he's made of in the stand-off with his miscreant marquee signing with the penchant for giving his opinions in a manner which may, or may not, constitute a breach of club rules or even employment law.

Likewise, Celtic will attempt to keep a rare clean sheet against the might of Alloa Athletic in the Betfred Cup and continue to feed the supporters' dreams of a domestic treble.

The football might not always be great, but the topics of conversation just keep on coming.

It's a great life if you don't weaken.