Martin O’Neill has revealed he was forced to change a phone number he had used for 35 years after it was leaked ahead of his side's title decider.
The Celtic manager said the number, which he described as “part of me”, was circulated online in the days before the Parkhead clash, sparking a flood of calls and messages. O’Neill explained: “I’ve changed my telephone number because it was circulated around.
“You want to hear some of the comments on it. That was from Wednesday night. I had to change it.
“It’s not a problem but I’ve had it for 35 years and it was kind of part of me.”
The Celtic manager revealed the disruption began before the game and quickly intensified, forcing him into action by the end of the week. He said: “It got circulated somewhere, but they are on tape. It was messages, texts, everything.
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“That was before the game. I decided on Friday I needed to change it to concentrate on the game on Saturday.”
O’Neill admitted he has yet to take the matter further, but hasn’t ruled it out after receiving hundreds of calls in a short space of time. He added: “I haven’t contacted the police yet but I may do. There were only about 250 calls!”
Despite the chaos, O’Neill joked he may yet revisit the old number just to hear what was left behind.
He said: “I might put it back again just to listen to the messages.”
