Martin O'Neill has defended his Republic of Ireland setup in the wake of very public criticism from Ronald Koeman over James McCarthy's hamstring injury.
Everton midfielder McCarthy was gearing up for Ireland's game against Wales last week when he aggravated the problem, which Koeman claimed the Irish knew about when he arrived for international duty.
But on Friday night O'Neill hit back in furious style, releasing a statement which branded Toffees manager Koeman a 'master tactician of the blame game'.
The astonishing attack questioned every element of Koeman's own statement, issued during a press conference hours earlier, which pinned the blame for McCarthy's fitness issues squarely at the feet of his national side.