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SUNDERLAND manager Martin O'Neill lamented the loss of the telephone and says Twitter is more trouble than it is worth, after James McClean closed down his account following another controversial tweet.
McClean caused a controversy after he shared his "favourite" song by Irish band The Wolfe Tones, 'The Broad Black Brimmer' - which tells the story of a boy whose father is killed while fighting for the IRA - on Twitter ahead of Sunderland's match against West Brom.
Martin O'Neill says the player left Twitter voluntarily despite reports that he had done so after a frank meeting with his manager, but he says the site is more trouble than it is worth for football clubs.
"I must admit I wish I knew the rules of these things. What players seem to forget is that if they are tweeting to their friends it immediately becomes public knowledge,” he said.
"In the case of James, he came off it himself, and I think he will stay off it for some time."
When asked if Twitter was more trouble than it is worth, Martin O'Neill said: "From our view point, yes.
"There is an age gap there, which I occasionally find it difficult to breach, but it's one of the modern-day mechanisms for speaking.
"What happened to the telephone, I don't know."
