James McClean M Wrexham b.1989

[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

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

[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]

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.

[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.