View Full Version : James McClean M Wrexham b.1989
DannyInvincible
05/04/2015, 11:59 PM
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.
In that case, I know neither what he means nor what you mean. :p
Gather round
09/04/2015, 9:29 AM
Derry City are an integral and successful member of the League of Ireland
Given that they joined only in 2010, isn't it a bit early to say? ;)
The FAI and League of Ireland community have always welcomed Derry's participation, ever since Finn Harps helped them gain membership in 1985
Wouldn't 'were desperate for' be more accurate? The club were expelled, bankrupt and dissolved yet effectively relegated only one division before being allowed to reform immediately.
PS I've seen McClean and McKay play together (for NI u-21, not Wigan). They had four touches each, kicking off after each German goal and at half time...
OwlsFan
10/04/2015, 8:54 AM
So where will McClean go when Wigan are relegated or will we have a player plying his trade (is that phrase ever used outside of football) in the third level of English football? Trying to think of a few others who did this? Miah Dennehy perhaps or Mick Kearns? Probably missing some more obvious recent ones ?
DeLorean
10/04/2015, 9:07 AM
Kevin Kilbane and Kevin Doyle would have briefly.
Olé Olé
10/04/2015, 10:56 AM
So where will McClean go when Wigan are relegated or will we have a player plying his trade (is that phrase ever used outside of football) in the third level of English football? Trying to think of a few others who did this? Miah Dennehy perhaps or Mick Kearns? Probably missing some more obvious recent ones ?
I think he won't be going down there anyway. Doyle's contract was probably too expensive for many Championship sides when he went down, given that he had cost Wolves £6m. McClean is probably on a more modest wage packet (maybe not that modest, in comparison) and cost a lot less and is a lot younger. Doyle isn't a prolific goalscorer either so it would have been a less obvious transfer to justify for many Championship sides. An effective Championship striker probably has to register more goals than, say, a PL striker. That wouldn't be Doyle's game. Many Championship sides will view McClean as a very effective, if not incredibly skillful, Championship winger. Lower-lying PL teams might even remember the goals he scored at Sunderland.
Hopefully he's presented with the same options he was in January (or similar). I think he'll end up at a Championship side with decent promotion aspirations and there is likely to be a lot of them.
TheOneWhoKnocks
20/04/2015, 2:11 AM
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/sunderland-afc/transfer-talk-ex-sunderland-man-james-mcclean-a-4million-target-for-newcastle-1-7217418
Linked with Newcastle.
That should endear him to Sunderland's tolerant fans.
Charlie Darwin
20/04/2015, 8:58 AM
But they gave Colback such a warm reception?
GypsyBlackCat
20/04/2015, 9:48 AM
http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/sunderland-afc/transfer-talk-ex-sunderland-man-james-mcclean-a-4million-target-for-newcastle-1-7217418
Linked with Newcastle.
That should endear him to Sunderland's tolerant fans.
I imagine the Toon Army will be flocking back in their thousands if they splash £4m on a Sunderland reject.;)
It's a joke story started in the Daily Star.
Olé Olé
20/04/2015, 10:12 AM
I imagine the Toon Army will be flocking back in their thousands if they splash £4m on a Sunderland reject.;)
It's a joke story started in the Daily Star.
The same way that Sunderland fans flocked in their thousands to the Stadium of Light when Di Canio sold McClean and replaced him with Charis Marias and El Hadji Ba?
Charlie Darwin
20/04/2015, 10:38 AM
It'll be great craic seeing the Sunderland reject playing at a higher level than Sunderland next year.
GypsyBlackCat
20/04/2015, 10:51 AM
The same way that Sunderland fans flocked in their thousands to the Stadium of Light when Di Canio sold McClean and replaced him with Charis Marias and El Hadji Ba?
Well, his last game at home v Southampton the gate was 42,000 and the next home match the gate was 44,000 so 2,000 extra people turned up:p
I know a couple of Newcastle fans and if this story is true then, in their words there will be 'Hell On'. This the type of thing that they are protesting about. If McClean isn't good enough for Sunderland then, in their words again, he isn't good enough for NUFC. McClean hasn't gone to prove himself in the last two seasons at Wigan. He wouldn't get into the SAFC team atm so why would Newcastle want him?!
Olé Olé
20/04/2015, 11:31 AM
Well, his last game at home v Southampton the gate was 42,000 and the next home match the gate was 44,000 so 2,000 extra people turned up:p
I know a couple of Newcastle fans and if this story is true then, in their words there will be 'Hell On'. This the type of thing that they are protesting about. If McClean isn't good enough for Sunderland then, in their words again, he isn't good enough for NUFC. McClean hasn't gone to prove himself in the last two seasons at Wigan. He wouldn't get into the SAFC team atm so why would Newcastle want him?!
I didn't make any reference to fluctuations in attendances or flocking "back" or even forwards. I said "flocking."
Why would Newcastle want him? This report could be codswallop but maybe Newcastle could appreciate that McClean happens to give a f*ck. The floundering and lack of application they've shown recently seemed to infer a conviction that they would ride out the season in the middle of the table. As a result of this complacency, they're being dragged down towards the relegation battle.
I don't necessarily think McClean is a fantastic winger who belongs in the PL. I do think that he has earned the right to play for a decent Championship side or be the subject of a calculated risk by a lower PL side.
GypsyBlackCat
20/04/2015, 11:55 AM
I didn't make any reference to fluctuations in attendances or flocking "back" or even forwards. I said "flocking."
Why would Newcastle want him? This report could be codswallop but maybe Newcastle could appreciate that McClean happens to give a f*ck. The floundering and lack of application they've shown recently seemed to infer a conviction that they would ride out the season in the middle of the table. As a result of this complacency, they're being dragged down towards the relegation battle.
I don't necessarily think McClean is a fantastic winger who belongs in the PL. I do think that he has earned the right to play for a decent Championship side or be the subject of a calculated risk by a lower PL side.
Maybe the Mags think they should be aiming higher than a bog standard Championship player. They had £34million in the last summer and Ashley wouldn't invest it in the team. He just let it sit in the bank. Sunderland are doing the same by selling their top players for big money and replacing them with average Championship players and that's why this time next year SAFC will be an average Championship side. Newcastle wont see it as a player giving 100%, they'll see it as a the club saving money and lacking ambition.
I was pointing out that this story was in the Daily Star which is on the same level as the Sunday Sun. It's nothing more than to throw fuel on the fire at SJP.
Olé Olé
20/04/2015, 12:05 PM
I think it bears remembering that McClean managed 9 goals in 23 PL games in 2011/2012. He was a regular starter the following season for Sunderland. I'm not sure if he's a "bog-standard Championship player" or that since 2011/12 he's been found out. Why wasn't he found out after the first of those 9 goals?
Newcastle normally buy cheaper players from the French or Dutch leagues. It might be time to reassess this policy. Not that I'm saying McClean is the answer for them but he might be worth a look at by lower PL sides.
I actually think that McClean working under McClaren would be brilliant for McClean. McClaren is known to be an excellent coach and maybe excellent coaching is what McClean needs. It probably is because fitness and motivation are not lacking.
GypsyBlackCat
20/04/2015, 12:18 PM
I think it bears remembering that McClean managed 9 goals in 23 PL games in 2011/2012. He was a regular starter the following season for Sunderland. I'm not sure if he's a "bog-standard Championship player" or that since 2011/12 he's been found out. Why wasn't he found out after the first of those 9 goals?
Newcastle normally buy cheaper players from the French or Dutch leagues. It might be time to reassess this policy. Not that I'm saying McClean is the answer for them but he might be worth a look at by lower PL sides.
I actually think that McClean working under McClaren would be brilliant for McClean. McClaren is known to be an excellent coach and maybe excellent coaching is what McClean needs. It probably is because fitness and motivation are not lacking.
How many young players break on the scene and fade away. McClean's just another. In his second season defenders figured him out and the problem was he couldn't change his game. Wigan fans have said similar that he runs and runs but has no end product. I doubt NUFC will change their transfer policy. Going down the routine of the French and Dutch leagues is a better, cheaper way to get talent. That's probably when they'll go for McClaren. If you think about it, they paid £4.5m for Cabaye and sold him for £18m to PSG. You'll get better value for £4m on the continent.
McClean signs for Newcastle.
Plot Twist - Mike Ashley loans him to Rangers.
I know a couple of Newcastle fans and if this story is true then, in their words there will be 'Hell On'. This the type of thing that they are protesting about. If McClean isn't good enough for Sunderland then, in their words again, he isn't good enough for NUFC. McClean hasn't gone to prove himself in the last two seasons at Wigan. He wouldn't get into the SAFC team atm so why would Newcastle want him?!
Yeah, because that is how football works. Imbeciles.
GypsyBlackCat
20/04/2015, 3:17 PM
Yeah, because that is how football works. Imbeciles.
They got it spot on about Pardew!;)
TheOneWhoKnocks
25/04/2015, 4:01 PM
McClean sent off.
DeLorean
29/04/2015, 11:58 AM
Daniel McDonnell - Aviva Soccer Writer (https://stadium.aviva.ie/aviva-stadium-experiences/fan-blog/6038/)
JAMES McClean turned 26 last week, the stage of a career where a footballer can no longer really be classed as a youngster or a player for the future.
He didn’t really have much cause for celebration from a work perspective seeing as his weekend dismissal in Wigan’s defeat to Wolves will end his contribution to a season where the 2013 FA Cup winners have fought an unsuccessful battle with relegation to League One.
It’s a staggering fall from grace for The Latics and, clearly, McClean backed the wrong horse when he jumped from Sunderland three months after Wigan’s Wembley glory, still struggling under the cloud from his understandable yet controversial stance on wearing the poppy.
But this bad news could actually be the catalyst for the player to put right his poor judgement on that occasion and pick the right move in the summer. He should have no shortage of suitors.
On a recent trip to London, this writer took in Wigan’s defeat to a Millwall side that has also spent the season sliding down the slippery slope towards the third tier.
McClean endured frustration and a fair bit of abuse from the natives, yet he stood out in a poor team as a player with a genuine desire to embrace the fight. He was deployed in a variety of positions on a rough evening and always looked as though he was capable of making something happen.
The childhood Hoops fan was keen to join Celtic in January when it temporarily appeared to be an option and it’s easy to see how he could fit into their plans; his underdog spirit in the Irish shirt came to the fore in Euro qualifiers with Germany and Poland in the last six months and the Scottish champions will have continental tests where they are a cast in a similar role.
Derby boss Steve McClaren is another admirer although he could be bound for Newcastle which might bring about the construction of a different shopping list. Either way, the Derry lad has enough supporters who can rescue him from his current plight.
Martin O’Neill certainly had no concerns when he was asked about McClean a fortnight ago, a confidence which might suggest he knows something we don’t or else a strong self-belief that his reputation has survived through his club’s difficulties.
Three years ago the winger was the biggest news story in Irish football as he took the Premier League by storm, leading to a rapturous Aviva reception on his Aviva debut which then manager Giovanni Trapattoni compared to a reception he would expect for Messi or Pele. He was even linked with Manchester United in the midst of a dream run that had to come to an end sometime.
Indeed, he experienced the other extreme when impetuous behaviour off the pitch, generally with a phone in his hands, landed him in trouble. In a recent interview with the Irish Independent, he came across as a much more grounded and mature character as he revealed just how unprepared he was for the attention which came his way.
It left the impression that he’s been grounded by his disappointment and it may well be that he looks back on his stint with Wigan as a character building exercise. His next chapter could prove to be the most interesting.
paul_oshea
29/04/2015, 3:20 PM
Why or where is all this talk coming from about McClean getting a move to the premiership? I don't see it myself.
DannyInvincible
29/04/2015, 4:12 PM
Why or where is all this talk coming from about McClean getting a move to the premiership? I don't see it myself.
Hull were interested in him in January, along with Celtic and Derby.
Charlie Darwin
30/04/2015, 11:40 AM
Awarded player of the year. A big MLS club looking at him too, apparently.
DannyInvincible
30/04/2015, 11:50 AM
The relegation will have been a disappointment, but at least the award will have been some consolation. He'll get an upward move no problem.
Correct me if I'm wrong here, but MLS doesn't really have any historical stand-out clubs, does it? LA Galaxy have perhaps been an exception, more recently, and DC United before them, but you don't really have dynasties or power-houses (like, say, Manchester United in England, Real Madrid in Spain or Bayern Munich in Germany) due to the enforced even footing on which the league is based.
DeLorean
30/04/2015, 11:53 AM
Fair play to him. Of the clubs mentioned I think Celtic might be the best fit. I wouldn't be overly concerned with the strength of the league as a whole, he'd be playing with decent players and involved in some big, high pressure games. He's bit different to Derby's usual wingers which could be a good thing, but it could also mean that he's another option when Plan A isn't working. He'd be in direct competition with Robbie Brady at Hull for their preferred spot so that wouldn't be great I don't think. The Newcastle link, I wouldn't believe for a second as it was based on two extremely loose assumptions i.e. that Newcastle are actually going to get McClaren and that McClaren would still want him for Newcastle just because he was linked with him at Derby.
James McClean wins Player of the Year Award (http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/news/article/james-mcclean-wigan-athletic-player-of-the-year-2015-2431170.aspx)
I wish I could be accepting this award in better circumstances for the club but it’s still an honour to be recognised by the fans.
I hope they can see that every time I put on the Wigan Athletic shirt I give 100% and I’d like to thank them for giving me this award. I hope they have something to really cheer about next season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=76&v=oGe_TStVLtk
Stuttgart88
30/04/2015, 12:18 PM
Hull were interested in him in January, along with Celtic and Derby.
I'd wager a bet that at least one of those won't be in the EPL next year! Possibly all three.
tricky_colour
01/05/2015, 5:14 AM
Awarded player of the year. A big MLS club looking at him too, apparently.
He's not that bad!!
TheOneWhoKnocks
02/05/2015, 3:05 PM
McClean donates £1,000 to Mark Farren's treatment fund.
http://www.goal.com/en-ie/news/3942/ireland/2015/05/01/11319682/james-mcclean-pledges-1000-to-mark-farren-treatment-fund
TheOneWhoKnocks
05/05/2015, 9:11 PM
McClean linked with Orlando City.
http://otowns11.com/2015/05/05/orlando-city-reportedly-looking-at-wigan-athletics-james-mcclean/
TheOneWhoKnocks
07/05/2015, 3:10 PM
http://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/soccer-news/james-mcclean-hold-talks-over-5651378
Shocking waste of talent and lack of ambition if he goes to the MLS.
seanfhear
07/05/2015, 3:16 PM
For well documented reasons James has had more than his fair share of hassle (for the want of a better word) in England .
Who could blame him if he wanted to try some place new.
TheOneWhoKnocks
07/05/2015, 3:23 PM
I would be extremely surprised if continental teams weren't interested in McClean.
It's a lifestyle choice and if that's what he wants, grand, but he's a first team player for us and if he goes there it is going to affect us.
Sick of the fact that the world revolves around English speaking countries or holiday destinations for Irish footballers TBH. It's very myopic.
There are 17 year old Irish boys and girls going to college and emigrating to places anywhere you'd point to on a map. Yet our footballers are so hesitant to countenance moving to a country where English isn't #1 language and everything isn't an easy ride for them.
There are good English speaking schools and montessori's in every modern country.
DannyInvincible
07/05/2015, 3:59 PM
A player can only consider a move if there's an offer there. Which Irish players do you know to have turned down an offer from continental Europe?
Besides David Forde having rejected Bayern Munich's invitation to replace Neuer.
Charlie Darwin
07/05/2015, 4:24 PM
Stephen Hunt rejected an offer from Valenciennes and I believe said later on that he regretted it.
GypsyBlackCat
08/05/2015, 8:47 AM
A move away from England could be the making of the lad. Plus the standard between the MLS and the SPL isn't that much different. I'd go as far to say he'd be playing in a harder competition in America. Orlando City has a good set-up.
nigel-harps1954
08/05/2015, 9:08 AM
A move away from England could be the making of the lad. Plus the standard between the MLS and the SPL isn't that much different. I'd go as far to say he'd be playing in a harder competition in America. Orlando City has a good set-up.
You log into the wrong account doc?
Crosby87
08/05/2015, 11:29 AM
I think he's referring to Disney World.
GypsyBlackCat
08/05/2015, 1:39 PM
You log into the wrong account doc?
:D
No I've the right one.
TheOneWhoKnocks
13/05/2015, 2:41 PM
Jesus wept..
http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/transfer-window/james-mcclean-flies-to-new-york-to-finalise-mls-switch-31218502.html
They have some of the finest tattoo parlours in the world anyways, so he should feel right at home.
TheOneWhoKnocks
13/05/2015, 2:45 PM
Our entire player pool is restricted to playing in the United Kingdom and America and we wonder why the national team is in the shape it's in.
TheOneWhoKnocks
13/05/2015, 2:46 PM
Stephen Hunt rejected an offer from Valenciennes and I believe said later on that he regretted it.
Roy Keane spoke of his regret turning down a move to Real Madrid to play for the mighty Celtic. He also spoke of his regret not moving to Juventus and Bayern Munich earlier in his career.
Stuttgart88
13/05/2015, 3:20 PM
Our entire player pool is restricted to playing in the United Kingdom and America and we wonder why the national team is in the shape it's in.you forgot Ireland!
nigel-harps1954
13/05/2015, 3:31 PM
you forgot Ireland!
I don't think he did in all fairness.
I really don't mind this move. Its not a move to a PL team (which would be most desirable from an Irish fans perspective obviously) but looking at it from James' perspective, I can see why this looks attractive. Plus I think he will do very well over there (there are no players in the MLS that play like he does) and I think that his confidence will carry over into an Irish shirt.
DannyInvincible
13/05/2015, 4:28 PM
So, James decides to try something different (which, in fairness, isn't that much of a step down from the lower-Championship level he was playing at with Wigan), yet he's getting a hard time for the lack of Irish players on the continent... I don't get it. Which continental offers did James reject? :confused:
US internationals play in the MLS. He'll do well there and it'll do his confidence wonders. Best of luck to him if he agrees on a move.
TheOneWhoKnocks
13/05/2015, 5:50 PM
Internet forum posters wouldn't be privy to the offers James is getting, but I would be extremely surprised if there weren't offers from continental teams playing at a much better standard to be completely honest.
If Darren O'Dea has offers from teams all over Europe, then I am sure James would have offers lining up that we aren't privy to. There are teams like Derby & Newcastle linked with him. He has the entire summer to - worst case scenario - sign for a promotion contending Championship team.
As I said, it's a lifestyle choice and a financial choice, but it is an embarrassing lack of professional ambition.
It is not a good league and the fact that one of our best players is going there at what should be his peak age is astounding.
tetsujin1979
13/05/2015, 6:24 PM
That's all they are at the moment - links. there's very few major leagues in Europe with their season completed at the moment, and even less teams that start their summer transfer business before their league is completed. Celtic isn't going to happen because of his wages. He could wait around for the phone to ring with a call from Derby or Newcastle - who aren't going to call until their season is over anyway - or he can follow up on the interest from the States, which is what he's doing.
ForzaHoop
13/05/2015, 6:58 PM
It's a lucrative move to an ever emerging league, he will be a big fish in the league and his earning potential is
huge in the US. I guarantee more players from English leagues will move over.
TheOneWhoKnocks
13/05/2015, 7:28 PM
Who would be the best/highest profile foreign player in that league who is under the age of 30?
Sebastian Giovinco is probably the only one. And he has effectively ended his Intl. career with Italy, to put that into perspective.
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