Originally Posted by
EalingGreen
It is a matter of opinion whether McCourt merits a place on footballing grounds in the NI squad or not.
However, your clear assertion that NW is ignoring McCourt due to anti-Catholic prejudice, or is anti-LOI, is disgraceful, false, ignorant and almost certainly actionable.
In fact, it's so much so that it's difficult to know where to start, such is the amount of bile, misinformation and downright lies you've crammed into your post.
You refer to NW losing players to the ROI. Maybe so, but it's hardly down to his personal approach; on the contrary, it was he who persuaded Tony Kane and Michael O'Connor to return to NI (both Catholics, btw). Moreover, he has included Kane in his senior squad and awarded O'Connor all his 9 NI caps. Further, NW's latest young protege is Jonny Gorman, whom he persuaded to switch to NI from the ROI! (And seeing as Gorman qualified for the ROI via ancestry, his background may well be Catholic/Nationalist, not that anyone cares)
Now let's take James McClean (or ""McLean" as you insist on calling him) specifically. McClean has never played outside Derry City, yet NI picked him for their U-21's, when players with English/Scottish clubs etc were overlooked. Indeed, he was selected by Steve Beaglehole, appointed to the NI set-up by Nigel Worthington, who relies very heavily on his judgement.
You complain that fellow Milk Cup players have been capped before him. Let's make the comparison. Corry (not "Corey") Evans is Captain of MU Reserves and whilst that does not equate to their "second" team, it denotes a hell of a sight more potential than McClean. Moreover, he has been given a 1st team Squad Number, went on their pre-season tour to the USA (and played) and has been on the bench a couple of times in the EPL. Moreover, he can play several positions in defence or midfield. He is also a year younger than McClean.
As for Craig Cathcart, he has played a season and a half on loan in the Championship (Plymouth and Watford), before signing this season for Blackpool in the EPL, where he has played all their games to date. Despite that, he has yet to make his International debut, so you haven't even got that right.
And as for Josh Magennis (not "McGuines"), he has just signed for Aberdeen, where he has started the season in their 1st team. This follows on from having played a handful of games for Cardiff whilst still a teenager. He, too, is a year younger than McClean. As for his two NI caps, both of these were gained on a US Tour where, for contractual reasons, they were billed as "A" Internationals. NW, however, described it as a "development tour". Moreover, although I care not a jot otherwise, I suspect Magennis may actually be Catholic, considering his middle name is Brendan and I've seen him cross himself after scoring (for NI, btw). These are hardly conclusive, but I've never known any Prod called Brendan, nor any to cross himself.
Next up is your claim that because McClean is playing LOI, NW won't look at him. How do you square that with the fact of NW giving Niall McGinn his international debut whilst still with, ahem, Derry City? Or the fact that he wanted Alan Mannus (LOI) to join the US Tour in preference to Alan Blayney (IL), before Mannus turned him down? The simple fact is, there are only a handful of LOI players who qualify for NI, as opposed to dozens/hundreds in the IL. Also, the USA Tour to which you refer was slap bang in the middle of the LOI season, whereas it was end-of-season for IL players. Moreover, he wouldn't even have taken any of the IL players he did (bar one or two?), had he not suffered well over a dozen withdrawals from players in England/Scotland.
As for your disgraceful slur that NW is only interested in "Protestant" players, this is utter garbage - and offensive garbage at that. For just looking at the IL players NW has called up and capped alone, these have included nearly as many RC's as Prods eg Marty Donnelly, Rory Patterson and Michael Gault.
Finally, it was NW who took another look at Paddy McCourt, six years after his debut, during which time he was discarded by McIlroy and ignored by Sanchez (a Catholic former LOI manager btw). Of course, as I have alluded above, it is open to question whether Paddy should be in the present NI squad. But I would point out that the three players who have kept him out of the side in his preferred position were first Keith Gillespie and Damien Johnson (a Catholic, btw), then Niall McGinn of Derry City and Glasgow Celtic, a former GAA=playing Catholic from Donaghmore.
Of course ignorance of the facts is one thing, but for you to "fill in the gaps" with malicious insinuations and accusations of your own imagination, only betrays who the real bigot is. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, but I don't for one moment believe that that that will even register with you.