The spat between Everton boss Ronald Koeman and Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill took another twist on Friday when the latter released a strongly worded statement about the Dutchman’s latest comments.

The Toffees chief had earlier accused the national side of failing to take care of midfielder James McCarthy after he returned from international duty with a knock, but O’Neill has hit back at the 54-year-old, calling him a ‘master tactician of the blame game’.

He suggests that the Merseyside outfit instead need to take a look at their pre-season programme, rather than blaming him and the player, who hasn’t played for his country since October.

This is just the latest in a long-running saga between the duo, and Toffees supporters were quick to provide their backing for their manager via social media, with many shooting down O’Neill for his statement.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction to the story…