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Celtic boss Martin O'Neill says he hasn't spoken to TalkSport presenter Jim White since being upset by his comments in the wake of the Hoops' title celebrations.
O'Neill gave up some of his time shortly after the title win to speak to White and TalkSport about his and his side's achievement after the final day win over Hearts, but White took particular exception to the fans' celebrations, which involved many supporters invading the pitch to celebrate.
White said that the celebrations showed a 'lack of class', and that did not sit well with O'Neill, who was supposed to be enjoying the achievement, and even though the celebrations were almost overwhelmingly in good nature, the Celtic boss isn't exactly responsible for how supporters celebrate in any case.
O'Neill on his rift with White
Speaking to the Glasgow Evening Times, O'Neill opened up on his issue with White, which has led to a silence between the pair. "I haven't spoken to Jim since," said the Celtic boss.
"Where my problem was with Jim was that when the shareholder of Hearts [Tony Bloom] said one or two players had been hit, and Jim didn't progress that as a normal journalist would have done.
"They didn't get hit. They didn't. In fact, if you actually talk about it, I think that one of their players snatched a phone. There was taunting going on, I agree, [but he] actually smashed his phone on the ground.
"So there's evidence of that, but there's not evidence of any of the players being hit. I know Jim's modus operandi, so I would have expected [it], but to say that it tarnished the afternoon, no, it didn't tarnish the afternoon for me.
"I got great, great pleasure out of the team winning. Great pleasure indeed. One of the great moments of my managerial time.
"And strangely enough, had the reverse happened, had Hearts scored that goal, and some of those fans come onto the pitch, Hearts fans coming on just before the end of the game, I don't think that would have tarnished their winning of the league, which would have been remarkable."
The celebrations are almost a conversation of their own, given there are always going to be a few individuals who do things the wrong way, which, in this case, was rubbing salt into the wounds of the Hearts players on the pitch, who were understandably devastated.
But the vast majority of fans did celebrate in the right way by celebrating Celtic's victory rather than Hearts' disappointment, with the majority celebrating with the Celtic players and other fans.
But that is almost by the by. What was strange is for White to approach the issue when he did, rather than focusing on O'Neill and his success in turning around a tough season for the Hoops. The issue could and should have been discussed weeks later, not in the aftermath.
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This article was originally published on thecelticbhoys.com as Celtic boss Martin O'Neill explains why he is still angry with radio presenter.
