James McClean M Wrexham b.1989

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/european-championships/i-know-myself-im-no-angel-we-all-make-mistakes-and-i-put-my-hand-up-31101070.html

Hot off the presses.

[Charlie Darwin]

That's really interesting. I love the final quote :)

[DannyInvincible]

James is one of our team's real personalities. I've always been a big fan of the guy and been impressed by his conviction, determination and athletic discipline, but I think he has truly matured over the past few years. Great lad, great character, great spirit. I'm proud he's Irish and to have him in our team. :o

[DeLorean]

Seems like Celtic will be a no brainer for him should they come knocking again.

[tetsujin1979]

Not that I wouldn't like to see him at Celtic Park, and playing in Europe, but you'd have to imagine he'd be subject to the same abuse that Neil Lennon got there, possibly even worse given his views on wearing the poppy, and the ever-growing ostentatious displays on Remembrance Sunday from Rangers fans

[Olé Olé]

The quotes in that article are bloody brilliant. His passion and determination are quite inspirational to anyone in any walk of life. He comes across as eloquent and mature in that article (I'm sure some in this article have questioned his intelligence in this thread). His move to Sunderland and the subsequent combination of success and tribulations are demonstrative of the normal human ups and downs in moving to a new setting and the difficulty in adapting to such a new setting. And he puts that across very, very well.

I think everyone can relate a bit to McClean's story. He has opinions. He has beliefs. He makes and has made mistakes. He loves his football. He's proud of where he has come from. He really is just a normal person but with football ability and an immeasurable work-rate and desire to make the most of his football ability and life. For all this, I wish him the height of success. And I know that if he is picked to start for us, he'll do all he can to fashion a win because it means as much to him as it does for the fans- he's a fan living out his dream.

[GypsyBlackCat]

Hung out to dry?! No James it was your terrible attitude and disrespect to Sunderland fans. The fact that you got yourself into trouble off the pitch and your lack of commintment on it was the reason we took a disliking to you!

No one at SAFC forced you to post pro-IRA slogans and song on your Twitter feed. No one at SAFC made you miss a meet and greet with local school kids. No one at SAFC forced you abuse your coach Giovanni Trappatoni on Twitter. He knew the clubs stance on the Poppy appeal and the club let him do what he feels was right by him. There's a reason you are playing at a team on the way to League One!

[DeLorean]

Sunderland are furious with former player James McClean after he put the boot into the club (http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sunderland-furious-former-player-james-8943671)

[paul_oshea]

They've kinda proven their point(Newcastle and Sunderland I Know) in that article "The Northern Irishman claimed the press office at Sunderland mishandled the situation which led to him receiving death threats."

[Littlest Hobo]

Just watched the poland game again. James was class when he came on second half. His crunching tackle on milik turned things round. After that the crowd got up and there was a lot more intensity in our play.

[paul_oshea]

Anyone got any highlights, i missed the recording on sky sports :(

I've watch the goals but id like a good 15 minute highlights or else the whole second half again.

[Stuttgart88]

Is he a certain starter or an impact sub to shake things up?

[paul_oshea]

the latter but bring him on around 65. I did count some awful messing and time wasting between 70 and 80 minutes so we werent getting his full contribution, some of that was down to how slow we were at our set pieces.

[SkStu]

His crunching tackle on milik turned things round.

Im glad the ref agreed that there was no use crying over split milik.

[DannyInvincible]

Hung out to dry?! No James it was your terrible attitude and disrespect to Sunderland fans. The fact that you got yourself into trouble off the pitch and your lack of commintment on it was the reason we took a disliking to you!

No one at SAFC forced you to post pro-IRA slogans and song on your Twitter feed. No one at SAFC made you miss a meet and greet with local school kids. No one at SAFC forced you abuse your coach Giovanni Trappatoni on Twitter. He knew the clubs stance on the Poppy appeal and the club let him do what he feels was right by him. There's a reason you are playing at a team on the way to League One!

Did he actually leave all Sunderland fans feeling this way and in what way did he disrespect the club and its fans exactly? I'm not necessarily disputing what you've said as I didn't follow the minute details of his time at Sunderland, but in what way do you feel he lacked commitment? He always struck me as committed and dedicated; certainly athletically-speaking anyway. Why did he miss the meet-and-greet?

Isn't it true though that the club brought unnecessary attention to his opting out of the poppy circus and then muzzled him from explaining his position after the reactionary media went ape-sh*t?

[GypsyBlackCat]

Did he actually leave all Sunderland fans feeling this way and in what way did he disrespect the club and its fans exactly? I'm not necessarily disputing what you've said as I didn't follow the minute details of his time at Sunderland, but in what way do you feel he lacked commitment? He always struck me as committed and dedicated; certainly athletically-speaking anyway. Why did he miss the meet-and-greet?

Isn't it true though that the club brought unnecessary attention to his opting out of the poppy circus and then muzzled him from explaining his position after the reactionary media went ape-sh*t?

Ask any Sunderland and they'll tell you the same. There is a thread about McClean on Ready To Go in which no one has a good word to say about him. He missed the meet and greet to go and see Man Utd v Real Madrid. The senior plays in the squad felt MON was too soft on him and he got away not put in the effort in (that was when MON turned up to training). The club did preotect him during all his off field troubles like all the pro-IRA stuff on Twitter which resulted in the backlash from fans over the Poppy. SAFC are masters at PR blunders and they might have been wrong to put out a statement AFTER the Everton. That was to cool the heated responses on social media and the PR dept where wrong to think it would blow over but McClean brought most of it on himself with his Tweets. The club were always supportive of him. He hung himself out to dry!

The whole Poppy thing is a red herring. We were sick of hearing about McClean in the papers and having to hire bodyguards (the club provided them btw) and the fact that he was found out at the top level and his attitude towards training. Also his antics around Sunderland and Newcastle night spots.

SAFC were nothing but supportive of McClean, even PDC was! This whole thing is spitting in the face of the club. Yes we made a pig's ear of the Poppy thing but McClean has to take the lions share of the blame and put his hands up that his exit was down to his poor performences and attitude.

[DannyInvincible]

Also his antics around Sunderland and Newcastle night spots.

James wouldn't even touch a single drink, to the best of my knowledge. What is he supposed to have gotten up to there and you sure it's not just unsubstantiated gossip about someone who had become an unpopular villain in the local area?

[Stuttgart88]

Yep, regardless of his social media excursions and his firm political beliefs, I was under the impression that he is a clean living guy whose attitude to training is exemplary. That's what I always heard.

[nigel-harps1954]

Always heard the story of how McClean used to ask Eugene Ferry to stay behind with him after training for an hour so he could practice shooting.

Also, heard many times how he doesn't drink and lives a very clean lifestyle too.

[GypsyBlackCat]

James wouldn't even touch a single drink, to the best of my knowledge. What is he supposed to have gotten up to there and you sure it's not just unsubstantiated gossip about someone who had become an unpopular villain in the local area?

As I said his Twitters about the IRA and Bobby Sands etc, the fact that he was seen as MON golden boy and the rumours that he got special treatment. His attitude in training and how he looked after himself off the pitch. He seemed to only my an effort in when he wanted. The negative press he brought to the club. Even his own team mates where compaining about him. He went from a £8million player linked with Arsenal and Man Utd to being £1.3million player sold to Wigan in the space of 9 months. He became an unpopular villian on his own back. Most of us didn't care about the Poppy but surely you must see that his pro-IRA stance and refusel to wear the made things worse for himself? If he put the effort in he would have won the fans over just look at Phil Bardsley. He was a villian at the start of last season but managed to win the fans over by the end.

[Charlie Darwin]

My memory may be acting up, but the "pro-IRA tweets" amounted to him singing a rebel song?

[DannyInvincible]

As I said his Twitters about the IRA and Bobby Sands etc, the fact that he was seen as MON golden boy and the rumours that he got special treatment. His attitude in training and how he looked after himself off the pitch. He seemed to only my an effort in when he wanted. The negative press he brought to the club. Even his own team mates where compaining about him. He went from a £8million player linked with Arsenal and Man Utd to being £1.3million player sold to Wigan in the space of 9 months. He became an unpopular villian on his own back. Most of us didn't care about the Poppy but surely you must see that his pro-IRA stance and refusel to wear the made things worse for himself? If he put the effort in he would have won the fans over just look at Phil Bardsley. He was a villian at the start of last season but managed to win the fans over by the end.

Not a huge deal of substance in this. Is it all rumour? What was he supposed to have been getting up to at popular local night-spots? The guy didn't touch alcohol as a matter of principle when he was at Derry and I don't imagine he ever started after moving to Sunderland.

And what was the "pro-IRA stance" exactly? Let's have some perspective before assuming what he was doing was automatically transgressive just because you've stated it. Bobby Sands was an elected MP and remains a widely-respected figure of revolt and disobedience around the world. As Charlie says, James listened to rebel songs and had a photo (or was it a model or something) of Free Derry Corner on his Twitter account? That's nothing too unusual for a young fella from Derry, never mind Creggan or the Bogside. Free Derry Corner is a local historical landmark, and, similarly, was representative of a community in action and defiance. The Derry City Council maintained it before handing it over to the Department of the Environment's Heritage Service a few years ago with the full support of Sinn Féin and the SDLP on the city council (http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/oct/01/northernireland.theobserver). Sight-seeing groups run tours featuring it. It's a symbol of tremendous local pride.

I fully supported his refusal to wear the poppy. I still do. There's no obligation upon anyone to do so and I think the real problem is the social expectation in Britain that public figures, no matter what their background, ought to conform and wear it. His opting out didn't have to be perceived as an act of disrespect at all. He was simply doing nothing - carrying on as usual - like so many millions of others around the UK weren't wearing a poppy at the same time. Were you wearing a poppy? It was Sunderland, or whoever tries to force this thing annually, who imposed an uncomfortable/unreasonable situation and decision upon him. For James, wearing the poppy would be disrespecting his community and spitting on the graves of those killed by the British Army in Ireland. I greatly admired him for having the guts to do what so many in the public spotlight don't round that time of the year.

[geysir]

Best move James ever made was getting out that black hole.

I mean Sunderland not Creggan :)

[DeLorean]

Ask any Sunderland and they'll tell you the same. There is a thread about McClean on Ready To Go in which no one has a good word to say about him.

This is the same mob that used ridicule Kevin Kilbane for not living up to their high expectations. :rolleyes:

[nigel-harps1954]

Best move James ever made was getting out that black hole.

I mean Sunderland not Creggan :)


I was about to agree with you until I read the second part.

[DeLorean]

Im glad the ref agreed that there was no use crying over split milik.

He's out for a month. (http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/european-championships/pic-polish-star-arkadiusz-milik-tweets-a-photo-of-his-knee-following-james-mcclean-tackle-31110505.html) And I thought he was miliking it at the time :o

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBcteb0WwAAW8Db.jpg
"What doesn't kill me makes me stronger!!!" - Arkadiusz Milik Twitter (https://twitter.com/arekmilik9/status/582984679432830976/photo/1)


Despite the reference in the article, Milik has actually signed for Ajax permanently. (http://www.ajax.nl/Ajax-Nieuws/Ajax-Nieuws/Ajax-nieuws-artikel/201158/Ajax-signs-Arek-Milik.htm)

[geysir]

And the polish press are milking the brutal Irish tag for all it's worth.

McClean is .....Hunt with horns.

other brutality against Milik related image doing the rounds
http://ocdn.eu/images/pulscms/MTE7MDQsMCwxMyw4ZGUsNGZjOzA2LDMxNCwxYmM7MGMsMTQwYj FjZmU3ZjBhYzUyZWRjMDEwZDcwOTc4ZTg0YmUsMSwxLDYsMA__/882f96a42d36e0e6c9bd38ff4c94c8ce.jpg

[Charlie Darwin]

Good god, and I thought we were bitter about Henry.

[GypsyBlackCat]

This is the same mob that used ridicule Kevin Kilbane for not living up to their high expectations. :rolleyes:

The same mob who call Charlie Hurley 'The King' and is loved by supporters young and old.

The same mob who called worship the ground Sir Niall Quinn walks on. Who even want to name a stand after and want a statue of him in the city centre.

Damn those anti-Irish Mackems for refusing to adore the silky skills of Kevin Kilbane.:rolleyes:

[DeLorean]

I wasn't inferring that they are anti-Irish, far from it.

The point I was making is that they don't exactly need measured reasoning to turn on a player. Kilbane is about as honest a player as you can get and they still treated him like sh!t. We didn't adore his silky skills either, but we appreciated that he was doing his best, as did the Everton fans amongst others.

[geysir]

I couldn't give a shíte about the sensitivities of the rabble that support sunderland and I doubt anyone else does around here. It's worthless, slightly amusing dribble.

[GypsyBlackCat]

I couldn't give a shíte about the sensitivities of the rabble that support sunderland and I doubt anyone else does around here. It's worthless, slightly amusing dribble.

I'm just trying to make the point that there is two sides to every story. Or at least try because the mods are blocking some of my post.:rolleyes:

But anyway I won't change peoples minds because some wont accept SAFC's side or even entertain it. Now that is petty.

[Charlie Darwin]

Those pesky mods blocking parts of posts as usual.

[tetsujin1979]

No we're not, post away

[GypsyBlackCat]

No we're not, post away

Ok. I was replying @DannyInvincible post the Poppy.

If you agree with he was right not to wear the Poppy then you have to understand that people will get annoyed over someone who refuses to. To them it's spitting on the graves of their fallen heroes. Plus he didn't help himself by posting The Board Black Brimmer on his Twitter account a week later, a song about a member of the IRA. And people we view Bobby Sands as a terrorist. He was told stay off Twitter for his only safety but refused. He has to take some of the blame for his own actions. Our PR was naïve to think it would just blow over but in hindsight it was an nothing story. So he wasn't hung out to dry. Surely people can understand when SAFC are furious with him?

As I said, there's two sides to every story. McCleans isn't fact.

[Charlie Darwin]

If you read back through this thread lots of us have said he hasn't helped himself at times. You're going further than that and questioning his commitment, his effort and his professionalism on the football field, and citing lads on a message board to back it up.

[GypsyBlackCat]

I wasn't inferring that they are anti-Irish, far from it.

The point I was making is that they don't exactly need measured reasoning to turn on a player. Kilbane is about as honest a player as you can get and they still treated him like sh!t. We didn't adore his silky skills either, but we appreciated that he was doing his best, as did the Everton fans amongst others.

I always thought it was harsh on Kilbane. Sometimes players infuriate fans. Kilbane was a trier but he wasn't very good. He'd run at a play and lose or if he did beat him he'd cross it into the North Stand. That can get on fans nervous. McClean was the same in his second season. He'd do the same thing over and over again. Plus we were getting a picture of him of having a bad attitude with rumours of his mates coming over and acting up. Everyday there was some story about him. Plus his diet was poor. So it looked like he wasn't putting the effort in. That was the main reason.

[GypsyBlackCat]

If you read back through this thread lots of us have said he hasn't helped himself at times. You're going further than that and questioning his commitment, his effort and his professionalism on the football field, and citing lads on a message board to back it up.

I was pointing out that people who live in Sunderland and watch them every week would have a better opinion of him. Yes I am questioning his commitment, effort and professionalism because I seen a player who looked like the next big thing ending up looking hopeless and lazy. His off field problems are well documented.

[Charlie Darwin]

I was pointing out that people who live in Sunderland and watch them every week would have a better opinion of him. Yes I am questioning his commitment, effort and professionalism because I seen a player who looked like the next big thing ending up looking hopeless and lazy. His off field problems are well documented.
Well maybe your problem then is thinking he was the next big thing, because he wasn't. If Sunderland fans are upset that a decent player didn't magically become a great player just because they wished him to, it's hardly anyone's problem but their own. I've been on the Sunderland message boards a couple of times over the years and there seems to be a large concentration of dimwits. Perhaps they're right about McClean but I'd be more inclined to believe the guy who's never come across as anything other than an honest professional who's thankful for the opportunities he's been given to make a living from his ability.

[GypsyBlackCat]

Well maybe your problem then is thinking he was the next big thing, because he wasn't. If Sunderland fans are upset that a decent player didn't magically become a great player just because they wished him to, it's hardly anyone's problem but their own. I've been on the Sunderland message boards a couple of times over the years and there seems to be a large concentration of dimwits. Perhaps they're right about McClean but I'd be more inclined to believe the guy who's never come across as anything other than an honest professional who's thankful for the opportunities he's been given to make a living from his ability.
Dimwits?;) Why is that?

Believe what you want but I'm just giving another side of the story. As I said, we didn't hang him out to dry and that's the true.

[DeLorean]

I always thought it was harsh on Kilbane. Sometimes players infuriate fans. Kilbane was a trier but he wasn't very good. He'd run at a play and lose or if he did beat him he'd cross it into the North Stand. That can get on fans nervous.

Of course, and there'll be groans every now and again. That doesn't explain how every other set of supporters Kilbane togged our for, in the main, appreciated his efforts, yet all he got at Sunderland was abuse. Let's face it, there were plenty far worse players to wear the Sunderland jersey than Kilbane, both in terms of ability and attitude. Fair enough you accept it was harsh, but my point was that, for me, it brings the credibility of these so called fans into question.

[GypsyBlackCat]

Of course, and there'll be groans every now and again. That doesn't explain how every other set of supporters Kilbane togged our for, in the main, appreciated his efforts, yet all he got at Sunderland was abuse. Let's face it, there were plenty far worse players to wear the Sunderland jersey than Kilbane, both in terms of ability and attitude. Fair enough you accept it was harsh, but my point was that, for me, it brings the credibility of these so called fans into question.

Why questioned our credibility? They seen these players week in week out. So all SAFC fans are wrong and you should believe a word we say?

[tetsujin1979]

Ok. I was replying @DannyInvincible post the Poppy.

If you agree with he was right not to wear the Poppy then you have to understand that people will get annoyed over someone who refuses to. To them it's spitting on the graves of their fallen heroes.Agreed, but I think that the poppy itself has been twisted from wearing it representing a show of support to not wearing it as an insult to veterans. It's getting to the stage where if you don't have a massive show of support (bigger than last year's) then it's treated as the same insult, see Rangers' demonstration as an example


Plus he didn't help himself by posting The Board Black Brimmer on his Twitter account a week later, a song about a member of the IRA.Technically it's about the son of an IRA member getting married in his father's uniform, but fair enough, it's going to cause friction. You'd have to admit there are far more inflammatory songs from the Wolfe Tones - who actually experienced a minor surge in popularity because of the controversy. What I had a problem with at the time was that other Irish players on twitter said they also liked the song - David Meyler was one - but weren't subject to the same abuse. Added to that there's any number of footballers in England on twitter supporting acts with history of alcohol, drugs and violence, without the same abuse


And people we view Bobby Sands as a terrorist.One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, but again I see your point. In England he was seen as the latter.


He was told stay off Twitter for his only safety but refused. He has to take some of the blame for his own actions.This is true, he should have dropped his account permanently far earlier than he did.


Our PR was naïve to think it would just blow over but in hindsight it was an nothing story. So he wasn't hung out to dry. Surely people can understand when SAFC are furious with him?It was a nothing story that was blown out of all proportion by people looking to make a name for themselves started by Gregory Campbell, and eventually led to him leaving the club.

[GypsyBlackCat]

Agreed, but I think that the poppy itself has been twisted from wearing it representing a show of support to not wearing it as an insult to veterans. It's getting to the stage where if you don't have a massive show of support (bigger than last year's) then it's treated as the same insult, see Rangers' demonstration as an example

Technically it's about the son of an IRA member getting married in his father's uniform, but fair enough, it's going to cause friction. You'd have to admit there are far more inflammatory songs from the Wolfe Tones - who actually experienced a minor surge in popularity because of the controversy. What I had a problem with at the time was that other Irish players on twitter said they also liked the song - David Meyler was one - but weren't subject to the same abuse. Added to that there's any number of footballers in England on twitter supporting acts with history of alcohol, drugs and violence, without the same abuse

One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, but again I see your point. In England he was seen as the latter.

This is true, he should have dropped his account permanently far earlier than he did.

It was a nothing story that was blown out of all proportion by people looking to make a name for themselves started by Gregory Campbell, and eventually led to him leaving the club.

What led to him leaving was his bad form and I think both needed a clean break. The club is terrible at PR ever since Quinn left, you just have to look at the di Canio fiasco. So it's not surprising the Poppy thing came back to bite us. Maybe I'm been a little to harsh on McClean because the squad professionalism was called into questioned that season. He could have been going along with the crowd and it was him who notice the most. He might he been the one who caught the most flak (just like Kilbane during the 19pts season) He could have just been a victim of the sinking ship that we are now but it does grind me that he said he was hung out to dry! But the relationship between the fans and the players is at a low. It has been for awhile.

[DannyInvincible]

If you agree with he was right not to wear the Poppy then you have to understand that people will get annoyed over someone who refuses to.

Sure, why they'd want to get all hot and bothered about the personal choices others make that have nothing to do with them, I'm not sure, but I suppose they do have a right. They absolutely don't have a right, however, to try and impose the wearing of a poppy upon another person, or are you trying to suggest they do? The unreasonable, intolerant and overbearing position of the two here is expecting or trying to force someone else to do something you want them to do that they don't want to, and then getting annoyed with them when they fail to conform to your demands. That's exactly what Jon Snow famously called "poppy fascism" and it's wrong; bang out of order. Let people do what they want and let them have their freedom of conscience, so long as they're not harming anyone else. And James McClean certainly wasn't harming anyone else by carrying on as normal and declining to wear a poppy, just like the many other millions in Britain on that day, including Britons themselves, who didn't have one on them. Were you wearing one yourself?


To them it's spitting on the graves of their fallen heroes.

Well, then they're, for some inexplicable reason, assuming a particular positive or active statement from James' silence and absence of action. I don't know why they would make a logical leap to such a conclusion from ignorance and lack of knowledge of James' perspective. It's none of their business whether other people wear a poppy or not. Even if it was their business, the reasonable thing would have been to wait until becoming aware of the facts and reasons before jumping in to judge. Were they all wearing poppies themselves? Fat chance! The difference is that James was making a decision himself - a personal choice - to carry on as normal in silence, you could say, supported by his club (supposedly) and manager based on his own conscience and the fact he would have felt guilty wearing one due to the connotations it had for him and the community into which he was born, whereas these side-line authoritarians try to dictate to others and impose obligations or guilt based on what they've decided is right for others. James wasn't trying to impose anything on anyone else. Nobody has to respect their "fallen heroes". James wasn't even disrespecting them. It's they who were unreasonable in their failure to appreciate that their perspective might not be the only valid perspective on the matter.

Millions of people don't don poppies at that time of year. Is that one big mass insult to Britain's war dead? If James had been allowed to express his reasons, there'd be absolutely no reason for anyone to be jumping to daft conclusions that he was intent on insulting those killed at war. Can you not appreciate the exceptionally uncomfortable position into which James was forced? I'm not sure what you expected of him here. Did you think he should have "just gotten over himself" and worn it? Surely you must be able to recognise that James will view those British soldiers who murdered 13 innocent civilians on Bloody Sunday (with another dying of his wounds later) as anything but heroes. Just to give you some further perspective of where I'm coming from here, this is the British Army that was also engaged in collusion with loyalist paramilitary groups throughout the Troubles. A relative of mine was gunned down by loyalists in west Tyrone in 1991 with extremely strong and compelling indications of state forces/army collusion (http://republican-news.org/archive/2000/April06/06shan.html). He was no more than a Sinn Féin electoral worker (as was proven by the absence of an IRA guard of honour, as was customary for dead volunteers, at his funeral). The British government has never properly investigated the matter nor dispensed justice despite being strongly criticised by the European Court of Human Rights in 2001 (http://www.irishtimes.com/news/uk-reminded-that-it-must-act-within-the-law-1.306202) in a case (http://www.patfinucanecentre.org/cases/shanagha.pdf) brought by the family. Pat Finucane was another non-paramilitary gunned down as a result of collusion. There are still outstanding and residual issues that haven't been resolved and these incidents are real examples of what the poppy represents for most nationalists and republicans in the north of Ireland. The British Army might be heroes for a large section of Sunderland fans, but they must surely be able to recognise that that simply won't and can't be a universal perspective? I mean, how would you feel if it was demanded that you support a cause (say, the remembrance of dead IRA volunteers through the wearing of an Easter lily) that put you in an extremely uncomfortable position, and then to be further told that your refusal was tantamount to spitting on people's graves? You'd rightly think you were subject to a wildly unreasonable request and accusation.


Our PR was naïve to think it would just blow over but in hindsight it was an nothing story. So he wasn't hung out to dry.

You're right, it was a nothing story; nobody else's business whether he wore a poppy or not. So why did Sunderland make a public deal about it?


Plus we were getting a picture of him of having a bad attitude with rumours of his mates coming over and acting up.

Oh, so it was rumours of his mates now and not actually James getting up to no good at these popular local night-spots? C'mon, back yourself up, man. You're coming out with all sorts of wishy-washy accusations here, but there's very little substance to them.


Everyday there was some story about him.

That's called the rumour-mill of gossip.


Plus his diet was poor. So it looked like he wasn't putting the effort in. That was the main reason.

You keep saying vague, unsubstantiated stuff like this. You make him sound like a cartoon villain who could do no right, no mater what he did. In what way was his diet poor in order to make it look like he wasn't putting in the effort?

[DeLorean]

Why questioned our credibility? They seen these players week in week out. So all SAFC fans are wrong and you should believe a word we say?

It would be unfair to generalise to that degree, but the totally unnecessary treatment of Kilbane would make me question their character (as a fanbase) to some degree. I think some club's supporters (as a whole) are just more classy than others. I'd be very reluctant to scroll online forums for character references of guys the majority probably know f*** all about anyway. As for McClean, we all know he's no angel and has made many a difficult situation for himself... all by himself.

[Charlie Darwin]

Dimwits?;) Why is that?

Believe what you want but I'm just giving another side of the story. As I said, we didn't hang him out to dry and that's the true.
Just generally being dimwits. When Meyler broke in it was universal plaudits, predicting him to be the dominating midfielder for years to come, then saying good riddance when he was sold two years later after two horrendous seasons. The personal abuse of McClean and the complete ignorance of conflicting views on the poppy issue. Those are the two examples that stick in my mind, but any time I've been there I've been struck by how prominent the thickos are.

[DannyInvincible]

GypsyBlackCat; I had a look of the Sunderland message board as you gave the impression that not one Sunderland fan has a positive or supportive word to say about James. That's not quite true at all, is it? In fact, it seems you've been really holding back here, for you actually appear to be one of the most vitriolic on there! Why didn't you tell us what you really think?: http://www.readytogo.net/smb/threads/james-mcclean-and-the-poppy-incident.1055788/page-3#post-20071602


Derry City is a horrible football club. They always like to mouth off down here but cry when the opposition sing "What's it like to have a Queen?". I wish they'd **** off back to their OWN league. So no surprise McClean is a bellend!

Derry City are an integral and successful member of the League of Ireland. The FAI and League of Ireland community have always welcomed Derry's participation, ever since Finn Harps helped them gain membership in 1985. And just to clarify for you, James wouldn't have an issue with anyone, say, refusing to wear an Easter lily, as you suggest he might. He's been pretty clear that he respects the views of other people and their right to hold opposing ones to his.

[Charlie Darwin]

Ahh, this changes everything. Funny thing is that singing "what's it like to have a queen?" is the sort of *cringe* "banter" that we can have because they actually are welcome in the league (and it's as much their league as it is anybody else's down here, and it's certainly more theirs than it is a Sunderland fan's).

[paul_oshea]

Danny you can say one thing and mean the complete opposite. I wouldn't suggest he does or doesn't but I wouldn't say that just because he came out with that statement that he actually does.