Town boss Mick McCarthy has revealed he advised his players not involve themselves in any social media spats with fans in the run-up to the Championship play-off semi-finals with Norwich City. The Blues face the Canaries at Portman Road in the first of the two games today (KO 12.15pm).
"I did say on Monday when I had a word with them, I said ‘Whatever you're doing, don’t get involved in any of that stuff on social media’.
"Because all of a sudden [fans] can start tweeting players and I don’t want any of my players being in trouble replying to something which might be said.
"I might be appearing a bit of a luddite here, I’m not quite, but I don’t get involved in any of that.
"Quickly enough it can deteriorate into verbal wars and they shouldn’t be doing it in my view.
"I would guess fans would use it to upset players or get in their earhole and get them to say something that they regret and suddenly they’re in trouble and we’ve got the FA bearing down on us because they monitor it all.
"People would just turn up and give you a gobful when I was playing, which is fine. I think can be a distraction, if you let it be a distraction.”
He says he’s not made any rules as such, just advised them: "Issuing rules to them is a recipe for disaster, isn’t it? Because then what do you do if one of them breaks it.
"I want all mine to be relaxed and to be playing but not to be getting involved in anything which would cause them a problem.
"I don’t think they do, but I’ve seen it at other places where people react to something that’s been said.
"It wouldn’t be the right preparation if one of my players is on Sky Sports News tomorrow morning having replied to somebody and effed and jeffed at them and somebody takes offence at it when actually all they were doing was try and cause offence in the first place. I’m glad that wasn’t the case when I was playing.”
McCarthy himself is on neither Facebook nor Twitter, but says there are impostors out there pretending to be him.
"I have people who tell me ‘I’m a friend of yours on Facebook’. ‘Are you really?’. ‘I follow you on Twitter’. ‘Are you really, good for you!’.
"I disappointed somebody that much recently, he texted me back and said ‘All those people that are tweeting you and are in contact with you think are a friend of yours’. Well they’re not, simple as that, unlucky, get over it.
"Somebody was at home one night having shepherd’s pie with my wife Fiona, apparently! It wasn’t me! It’s great isn’t it - ‘Shepherd’s pie for me and Fiona and the kids tonight!’. Is it any wonder I call it Twatter!”