Town boss Paul Jewell wasn’t particularly upset by Shane O’Connor’s Twitter outburst and wondered who Cork City’s new signing might target next, laughing off the Irishman’s quickly-retracted Wednesday evening comments. O’Connor’s Blues contract was terminated by mutual consent earlier in the month after a year in which he had played only 16 minutes of first team football.
Jewell wondered whether the 21-year-old might hit out at some of the clubs where he had spent time on trial perhaps, or maybe at Port Vale where he was on loan before Christmas without breaking into the first team: "I don’t know who’s next, Port Vale, Yeovil, Southend? They’ll be getting it because that was where he went and he couldn’t get a game there. Maybe he needs to have a pop at them.
"Maybe spends too much time on Twitter and not enough worrying about his football,” he added.
The Town manager said he had no issue with the Irishman while he was at Portman Road: "I had no problem with him when he was here. The only problem we had was trying to get him fixed up somewhere.
"If Shane O’Connor’s having a pop at me on Twitter, it’s the least of my worries. Did he spell it right?”
O’Connor, who joined the Blues under Roy Keane’s management in 2009 after impressing during a trial, was never in favour under Jewell but the Town boss says there was nothing more to his omission than football: "The only reason anyone wouldn’t get picked is football, it’s nothing personal.
"I thought he was a nice lad. I’m disappointed, no, not disappointed, I’m surprised he’s on Twitter, to be honest.”
Asked whether he would advise young players not to go on Twitter, Jewell joked: "I would advise young players not to call a manager a c***, I don’t think that’s quite right!”
Speaking after signing on at hometown club Cork City yesterday, O’Connor was taking a more diplomatic line regarding his lack of chances at Portman Road, although while continuing lively and sweary exchanges of views on Twitter: "Managers come in and they don’t like you or they bring in their own players.
"I’ve been really low on confidence for the last six months, so coming to a place you feel wanted and can really go and express yourself, that’s what I want to do here.”