James McClean M Wrexham b.1989

[geysir]

James can retort, '65 pages about me? have you lot nothing better to do'.

[Fixer82]

Jesus, he played no part in the qualifiers and then expects to get more game time in Euros.
Stephen Hunt didn't get a look-in in Euros but didnt complain.
McClean spoke about the honour of being named in the squad for Euros and now he's moaning he didn't get enough game time.
He got more game time than a lot of the players who had been in the squad a lot longer than him.
This lad is starting to annoy me.
He's not the brightest at all is he...

[Murfinator]

Dropped for Sunderland today. Probably long overdue and I don't see him getting back in.

[tricky_colour]

Dropped for Sunderland today. Probably long overdue and I don't see him getting back in.



Back in on 67 minutes :p

[elroy]

Dropped for Sunderland today. Probably long overdue and I don't see him getting back in.

Not so sure, given the defeat. Sunderland appear to have gone very stale under O'Neill. A malaise that has struck many of his teams.

[Murfinator]

Not so sure, given the defeat. Sunderland appear to have gone very stale under O'Neill. A malaise that has struck many of his teams.

Judging from the fans clamber to get him off the team I doubt they'll be looking for him reinstated unless he does something good from the bench.

[tricky_colour]

It's in his favour that they went a goal down without him and were at least level with him on the pitch.
One of four players given a rating of 7 (top rated). Rated 5th out of 14 on the 'your rating'.

[Charlie Darwin]

Not so sure, given the defeat. Sunderland appear to have gone very stale under O'Neill. A malaise that has struck many of his teams.
Because he plays the same 11 every week injury permitting and they become either fatigued or predictable. At any other club, James not starting a game wouldn't be a story because he'd have been rested many times.

[paul_oshea]

Ive always thought O'Neill would make a far better International manager than club manager. He is far more suited to that, where he can really motivate players to excel, and getting the best out of ordinary/average players for the big games particularly. But this doesn't work over a 36+ games season, which is why you always see his teams do well in patches. I also notice that his teams seem to tire towards the end of the season, but sunderland look now like they are at the end of the season.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Hopefully he might fancy a crack at a certain relatively mediocre national side in the next year or so...

[tetsujin1979]

Dropped for Sunderland today. Probably long overdue and I don't see him getting back in.starting today

[Charlie Darwin]

Sunderland 1-0 up. He's finished.

[tricky_colour]

Sunderland 1-0 up. He's finished.


2-1 Everton - he is now!
Everton up to 4th, you probably would not expect Sunderland to get much against the 4th place side,
I mean that like going to Chelsea or Arsenal and getting a result.

Would be nice if Coleman s playing in the Champions league next season!!

McClean played the full game not one of the the three subbed.

[DannyInvincible]

How did he fare today?

I see he's been getting some stick on a Sunderland forum for declining to wear a poppy on his shirt: http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=741464

For what it's worth, I believe Martin O'Neill was the only member of the coaching staff who also declined to wear one.

[Charlie Darwin]

This poppy stuff is a most bizarre form of thought control. Personally, I could wear or not wear one, it makes no difference to me, but people being villified for conscientious objection is just depressing. Sadly the UK is full of people who have absolutely no clue about the experience of Irishmen in Derry and their suspicion of British soldiers.

[Grafter]

While you'd commend someone taking a stand against this all-pervasive poppy onslaught in recent years.... the kid has invited a world of sectarian pain upon himself at a time when his career is at a critical point.... guess joining up with Irish squad for next week might be a welcome relief for him at this time...

[geysir]

MON didn't wear one. Why is all the rumpus being directed at McClean?
It would be hard to find anybody more thick and contradictory than poppy fascist dullards on an English football related, internet discussion board.

[SkStu]

Post #1296 continues to apply...

http://foot.ie/threads/160177-James-McClean?p=1639164&viewfull=1#post1639164

[geysir]

I thought McClean was so so today, Sunderland played well enough to get a point.
O'Shea got nutmegged twice, for both Everton goals as the ball found its way into the net.
As Andy Reid would say, 'twice is careless'.

[SwanVsDalton]

Post #1296 continues to apply...

http://foot.ie/threads/160177-James-McClean?p=1639164&viewfull=1#post1639164

Can't agree. Any player should have the right to choose to wear one or not whether their form is good, bad or indifferent.

AFAIK O'Neill did wear one in his post match suit but just not on his pitchside training gear.

I thought it was a brave thing to do, considering he's breaking rank completely. If it gets seized upon by morons well so be it.

[Charlie Darwin]

It seems O'Shea and Fletcher came out for the second half without poppies. Maybe McClean had a word...

[SwanVsDalton]

Also have read on Twitter (so far from confirmed) that O'Shea started the game with a poppy shirt and then came out second half with no poppy shirt. Could be balls, could be nothing - but more for the grinder anyhow.

EDIT - CD just beat me to it. Fletcher too is an interesting one. Be fascinating to see if many footballers opt out in the future.

[Sullivinho]

I'm somewhat sheepishly relieved by this turn of events. I don't wear one either and James is the perfect fall guy to take the heat off me!

[Charlie Darwin]

Was McClean getting any abuse during the game for it, does anyone know? Might have prompted a couple of other players to take theirs off in sympathy. Or maybe they just changed shirts, or the poppy was hanging off, or they weren't really that comfortable with it to begin with.

Either way, I'd be stunned if McClean made the decision himself. I'm sure his "mates" from Derry made sure he was in the dark about the real meaning and made it a simple "don't support the brits" situation. He's not the brightest is our James.

[SwanVsDalton]

Either way, I'd be stunned if McClean made the decision himself. I'm sure his "mates" from Derry made sure he was in the dark about the real meaning and made it a simple "don't support the brits" situation. He's not the brightest is our James.

McClean might not be the brightest but growing up in Creggan means his feelings on poppies would be fairly well established without much prompting from anyone. He's also headstrong enough just to insist. If anything I could see friends such as Eugene Ferry trying to talk him down...

[Charlie Darwin]

Perhaps but do you think he knows it's to honour conscripted soldiers who had no choice in the matter and were sent to be slaughtered in vain to keep rich Englishmen happy? I really don't think he's the type who does nuance very well.

I'm not saying he was wrong to choose not to wear it, I just don't think he understands why.

[SkStu]

It seems O'Shea and Fletcher came out for the second half without poppies. Maybe McClean had a word...

I know youre probably being a bit tongue in cheek but If that's the type of stuff they're discussing at half-time, it's really no wonder they lost.

[SkStu]

Can't agree. Any player should have the right to choose to wear one or not whether their form is good, bad or indifferent.

AFAIK O'Neill did wear one in his post match suit but just not on his pitchside training gear.

I thought it was a brave thing to do, considering he's breaking rank completely. If it gets seized upon by morons well so be it.

There's a fine line between bravery and foolishness. I know what side of the line this falls on for me. Sorry, no offence intended. But know your audience and pick your battles, James...

[Grafter]

It seems O'Shea and Fletcher came out for the second half without poppies. Maybe McClean had a word...
This poppy nonsense was going to get to a critical level eventually - sorry to say but the UK PC brigade are disappearing up their own hole inch by inch year on year in this regard and others.
Soon we'll be living in a Demolition Man society if we continue to follow these pencil pushers - RANT OVER:devil::devil::devil:

[geysir]

Perhaps but do you think he knows it's to honour conscripted soldiers who had no choice in the matter and were sent to be slaughtered in vain to keep rich Englishmen happy? I really don't think he's the type who does nuance very well.

I'm not saying he was wrong to choose not to wear it, I just don't think he understands why.
He might not understand your reasons but I'm sure he has his own.
Anyway, why should anybody have to explain why they don't wear a Poppy, or Easter Lily, or not support St,V de P or Oxfam.

[born2bwild]

Perhaps but do you think he knows it's to honour conscripted soldiers who had no choice in the matter and were sent to be slaughtered in vain to keep rich Englishmen happy? I really don't think he's the type who does nuance very well.

I'm not saying he was wrong to choose not to wear it, I just don't think he understands why.
He doesn't seem the brightest chap going but I'm sure he knows what the British army did in his neighbourhood on bloody Sunday.
But, nuance, no, that doesn't seem to be in his game this year.

[SwanVsDalton]

Perhaps but do you think he knows it's to honour conscripted soldiers who had no choice in the matter and were sent to be slaughtered in vain to keep rich Englishmen happy? I really don't think he's the type who does nuance very well.

I'm not saying he was wrong to choose not to wear it, I just don't think he understands why.

I understand what you're saying, but James wouldn't need prompting to come to that conclusion. That reasoning would be the general feeling in Creggan and large parts of Derry.

Whether he understands fully or not the origin, I think he understands the stigma surrounding it and, for me, that's enough given how abstract the poppy's become.

[born2bwild]

There's a fine line between bravery and foolishness. I know what side of the line this falls on for me. Sorry, no offence intended. But know your audience and pick your battles, James...
Maybe he's looking to go into politics in a few years, it's only a matter of time before the Shinners are in government and they'll need pin up candidates.

{This is my entry for off-topic post of the year}

[SwanVsDalton]

Soon we'll be living in a Demolition Man society if we continue to follow these pencil pushers - RANT OVER:devil::devil::devil:

Demolition Man is hilarious. I'll be rooting for plucky underdogs Supermacs when the Franchise Wars hit.

[SwanVsDalton]

There's a fine line between bravery and foolishness. I know what side of the line this falls on for me. Sorry, no offence intended. But know your audience and pick your battles, James...

Fair point but we'll respectively disagree on it.

Again Twitter talk, but apparently McClean wore a poppy on his post match suit. That matches him up with O'Neill so.

[Charlie Darwin]

I understand what you're saying, but James wouldn't need prompting to come to that conclusion. That reasoning would be the general feeling in Creggan and large parts of Derry.

Whether he understands fully or not the origin, I think he understands the stigma surrounding it and, for me, that's enough given how abstract the poppy's become.
If he was smart he'd go on twitter and say that he'd planned to remember the war dead on National Day of Commemoration in July :)

[paul_oshea]

anybody who draws a conclusion that what the poppy stood for and where the money goes and someone from derry wearing a poppy is more than a little naive and ignorant.

he chose to play in the premier league, he didnt join the marines.

[Murfinator]

Why would a foreigner wear something in commemoration of a foreign army which in the past fought against his country? Perhaps some wish to out of respect for the country they're playing in but there should be no pressure on them to do so, the british are really strange about this poppy business.

[paul_oshea]

btw odriscoll didnt wear one in the rugby coverage and wood did?

any ideas why that was?i have one.

[tricky_colour]

All very interesting this poppy wearing lark, wil be interesting to see if MOTD notices a non-poppy wears.

I notice Sir Alex had a rather ambiguous mini-poppy.

[Charlie Darwin]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2231071/James-McClean-refuses-wear-poppy.html?ito=feeds-newsxml


Sorry we are unable to accept comments for legal reasons.

;)

[boovidge]

McClean still getting dog's abuse on the Sunderland forum, much of it explicitly anti-Irish in tone.

[boovidge]

All very interesting this poppy wearing lark, wil be interesting to see if MOTD notices a non-poppy wears.

I notice Sir Alex had a rather ambiguous mini-poppy.

That doesn't mean anything. They sell the poppy lapel badges in the same boxes as the normal ones. Also, SIR Alex is a proud Brit.

[paul_oshea]

he needs some big performances quickly.he is very lucky oneill is his manager.

maith an fear james.

[bennocelt]

One of the worst things when I was living in Britain was this poppy fascism, its mad. I could travel around large parts of west London and not see a poppy at all (Hounslow, West Drayton, and southhall) yet on the box everyone has to wear a poppy. Who cares, jeez

[tricky_colour]

That doesn't mean anything. They sell the poppy lapel badges in the same boxes as the normal ones. Also, SIR Alex is a proud Brit.

The UEFA site have him down as Scottish.

[geysir]

btw odriscoll didnt wear one in the rugby coverage and wood did?

any ideas why that was?i have one.
O'Driscoll and one of the other pundits (Rob Kearney?) didn't wear the poppy. Considering it appears that every other BBC presenter and guest wears the poppy, that it's (almost) official BBC policy to wear the poppy, was there any rumpus raised about that action? Did anybody ask them for their reasons? Is it assumed that because they can articulate themselves that we allow them the respect of their privacy?

I see the Roker Report carries a sane article on the issue.
The Only "PoppyCock" Is Those Who Abuse The Freedom To Choose (http://www.rokerreport.com/2012/11/11/3630132/james-mcclean-poppy-shirt-everton)

[paul_oshea]

wood is contracted they are not. Unfortunately i find no co-relation between those sunderland fans and the irish rugby commentators on bbc for a match that took place in Dublin. I dount those fans even knew about the Irish game...

[geysir]

I wasn't remotely suggesting that Sunderland fans would take note of what happens on the BBC rugby show.

Why is it that certain players are targeted for abuse?
Today there's an article in the Guardian about Neil Lennon "he has been regularly caricatured in the Scottish press as an immature hothead and a loose cannon who was somehow partly responsible for the vicissitudes he has encountered. One former Scotland international, writing in a Sunday newspaper, even suggested Lennon had brought the death threats upon himself because of his edgy demeanor. As they flock to praise him now they adopt a supercilious tone in the manner of a headmaster handing over the best-pupil prize to a classroom miscreant who has changed his ways."

Here we have similar opinions expressed about McClean not just from the press but from Irish fans as well.
More or less that he should shut up, he should wear the poppy, he hasn't the brains to have an conscious rational objection to not wearing the poppy, he brings all this vicissitude upon himself, he is a moron.

[boovidge]

The UEFA site have him down as Scottish.

In the same way that every Brit's profile has the flag of their constituent part of the UK?