James McClean M Wrexham b.1989

[Colbert Report]

The commentary team mentioned that there were rumours that McClean was brought in in an attempt to persuade James McCarthy to stay - apparently they are roommates whilst on international duty.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Did not have a good game, but he's only been part of their set-up for a few days I suppose.

[SwanVsDalton]

Didn't think he had a bad game to be fair. Was certainly one of the few Wigan players looking to take the game to Utd. There was some pleased fan comments on his performance noted in the BBC live coverage too.

[Predator]

McClean is still fearless and he gets breaks because he is willing to take a chance (like when he got in behind Smalling) but there are still elements of his game that need to improve. He definitely needs to show more composure. Too often, he snatches at shots or puts in a premature cross. And he also needs to mix his game up a bit. He is still all left foot and at the highest level, if he can't mix it up a bit, the best defenders will always have the measure of him.

[Sullivinho]

McClean is still fearless and he gets breaks because he is willing to take a chance (like when he got in behind Smalling) but there are still elements of his game that need to improve. He definitely needs to show more composure. Too often, he snatches at shots or puts in a premature cross. And he also needs to mix his game up a bit. He is still all left foot and at the highest level, if he can't mix it up a bit, the best defenders will always have the measure of him.

Top priority. He needs a stent in his game that allows for that all-action, furious approach yet provides him a cooler head near/in front of goal. Easier said than done. I've been expecting McGeady's shooting accuracy to improve for years.

[Sullivinho]

Actually, make that secondary priority. I've just seen him interviewed on SSN and I was lucky if I could understand every third word.

[tricky_colour]

Any ratings I saw gave him as 6 same as the rest of the team, I mean basically they are chasing man u most of the time I would imagine, so nobody is gonna look very good.

[OwlsFan]

Substituted after 61 minutes against Doncaster. Injured or just hauled off?

[Charlie Darwin]

Wingers are often the first to be taken off. I wouldn't read too much into it, especially as his attacking game hasn't been great the past year or so and Wigan were looking to go forward in a game they really should be winning.

[DannyInvincible]

McClean started on the bench for Wigan today at home to Middlesborough but has been brought on for the last 25 minutes or so in place of Grant Holt.

Meanwhile, came across this article were he attributes his decision to move in part to Sunderland fan opinion: http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/231303.html

Wigan winger James McClean has revealed his decision to leave Sunderland was down to the club's fans hounding him out of the Stadium of Light.

McClean, 23, moved to the Championship side for £1.5 million earlier in the month after becoming surplus to requirements under Black Cats manager Paolo Di Canio.

Despite earning the club's Young Player of the Year award in his first season after arriving from Derry City in 2011, the Ireland international struggled to recapture the same form last term.

However, McClean, who was involved in a handful of off-field controversies during his time on Wearside, claims that his exit was down to fan opinion, rather than being based on his performances on the pitch.

"Leaving the club was nothing to do with how I was playing," McClean told the Evening Chronicle. "But it was definitely needed. My time was up at Sunderland, that's why I asked to leave.

"It's never nice when your own fans are booing you before you even get on the pitch. The season before I was the best thing since sliced bread."

[OwlsFan]

Many fans are notoriously fickle, especially in the northeast of England when their club is struggling, but were they on his case because he was crap or for other non-footballing issues ? If every player changed club when the fans booed him, it would be an even greater merry-go-round than it already is in England.

[jbyrne]

but were they on his case because he was crap or for other non-footballing issues ?

maybe it came from his refusal to wear the poppy

[OwlsFan]

Doubt it. Fans are prepared to overlook just about any indiscretion if the player does the business on the field.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Have S'land mates who were totally behind James, but read a lot of cr*p from the Mackems about this and DiCanio which doesn't put a lot of them in a very good light.
Ignorant, intolerant and hypocritical are just three words that spring to mind.

[DannyInvincible]

Doubt it. Fans are prepared to overlook just about any indiscretion if the player does the business on the field.

Is opting not to display a poppy to be considered an indiscretion now?

A lot of Sunderland fans were very unforgiving as a result of that. I recall he was subjected to audible booing from his own fans that could be heard through the television upon his entry on to the field of play during a game in the immediate aftermath of that hullabaloo.