James McClean: 'Does being abused for being Irish and anti Irish abuse acceptable?'
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The Irish have been historically Britain's most hated immigrant group, has only changed in the last 15-20 or so years with other immigrant groups now taking over obviously.
But make no mistake about it, anti-Irish sentiment is still quite rife in Britain if you scratch the surface, and it goes much beyond just James McClean.
But make no mistake about it, anti-Irish sentiment is still quite rife in Britain if you scratch the surface, and it goes much beyond just James McClean.
Protesting about murderers while celebrating murderers?
''The Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal caused some controversy, with some—including British army veterans—who argued that the symbol was being used excessively to marshal support for British military campaigns and that public figures were pressured to wear the poppies.''
Yeah sorry bud, posting at 2am, replying to wrong peeps
A lot of players and managers who work with him say he's a great honest lad who is simply as thick as pigshit.
Like Balotteli, as dumb as dirt. Someone who has got his heart in the right place but who is otherwise just a complete bonehead halfwit, who can never figure out why there's so much controversy everytime they open their gobs.
The type of blokes who would struggle to hold down a job as a petrol pump attendant, if they hadn't been blessed with some limited football talent.
Like Balotteli, as dumb as dirt. Someone who has got his heart in the right place but who is otherwise just a complete bonehead halfwit, who can never figure out why there's so much controversy everytime they open their gobs.
The type of blokes who would struggle to hold down a job as a petrol pump attendant, if they hadn't been blessed with some limited football talent.
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Spot on bud. Don’t understand why people leap to his defence, he’s clearly got a strong underlying partisan view towards the IRA.
He just likes to cook up a storm in a teacup to garner attention for his political views.
He’s a clown who’s more famous for refusing to wear a poppy than he is for the sport he plays.
If it weren’t for this annual drama he creates nobody would remember he exists.
quotes on that or are you just speculating?
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...an-tony-pulis-west-bromwich-albion-sunderland
https://www.joe.ie/sport/in-case-yo...mes-mcclean-to-the-euros-wonder-no-more-34064
There's just two I could find for now. He's also known to donate regularly to causes close to his heart.
No worries mate, we've all been thereYeah sorry bud, posting at 2am, replying to wrong peeps
He does seem to like going on the wind up sometimes.
But to be fair there would be no drama every year if everyone just accepted his decision not to wear a poppy.
still cant see where you get your thick as pigshit conclusion from - that's why I asked you to clarify- your post is a bit shit and comes across as ignorant to me in fairness.
Was Cantona thick as pigshit when he kicked the Palace fan? He did that in reaction to abuse he was taking. In that link you sent Pulis was describing McClean as not the sharpest tool for a more controlled reaction. Over the years McClean has shown tremendous restraint in the face of mindless hate from moron football fans who wouldn't have the first clue about life in Derry.
Players who have lost it like Cantona or Evra in France havent had a fraction of the abuse McClean has taken for taking a political and moral stance - one most Nationalists or Republicans do in Northern Ireland.
on the subject of intelligence would you be able to describe why you think McClean might feel the way he does?
None of it would have happened if the English hadn't come over here to steal our spuds and land. So we all know who's to blame... lizard people.
Does anyone ever get punished for the abuse aimed at him? It seems to go on all the time. He doesn't help himself, but does the abuse not still count as a hate crime? Not just the yearly poppy crusade, but he seems to get it at most matches.
A quick google tells me Barnsley were charged after their fans abused him.
No idea if any individuals have ever been warned over it though.
Really think that people getting angry at James McClean says more about them than him.
Whenever I've seen him quoted, his views seem well considered and understandable given the context in which he grew up. I respect the lad for having opinions and the balls to stand by them publicly.
Football would be much richer if more people had views on important topics. All power to him.
Whenever I've seen him quoted, his views seem well considered and understandable given the context in which he grew up. I respect the lad for having opinions and the balls to stand by them publicly.
Football would be much richer if more people had views on important topics. All power to him.
The poppy represents whatever people think it represents.
To a lot of people it represents the British army generally, British military actions, British imperialism, British identity, British (or more specifically English) nationalism and/or right-wing politics. Things a lot of people have very good reason to have problems with.
Nobody gets to dictate what symbols mean to other people, because that's fundamentally not how symbolism works. Whatever you associate it with is what you associate it with. For you it might be a universal mark of respect for the dead but that evidently isn't the case for a lot of other people.
This is only relevant to McClean in that other people make a drama out of it every year because they expect others to fall into line with their prescriptive take on what the poppy means and how it should be treated. Which says more about them than it does about McClean and feeds directly into the narratives around the poppy that cause people to view it in a less positive light.
All of that can be true irrespective of any comment we might make of McClean himself.
Evra was told in no uncertain terms not to come back to Marseille by Marseille fans. Evra would have been slaughtered by his own fans had he played again for Marseille. And yes his kung Fu kick on one of his own fans on live TV during a game, would make you question his character and intelligence.
Rooney also has proven to be a total imbecile on many an occasion. He's clearly not the sharpest boy either.
Footballers are often not the brightest people, despite being wizards with a ball.
McClean wearing a balaclava on his Instagram, after complaining so robustly all the time of what it's like to be the victim, just shows he fits into that group of utterly brainless footballers, despite probably being a lovely person in real life.
Cantona is the very opposite of these guys. Could Wayne Rooney become a successful film actor? F*+@ing no chance. Could you see James Mcclean staring in a West End production and directing his own movies?
what a ridiculous suggestion - some of the most intelligent people you meet could have anger management issues ranging from absolute nutter to only reacting on occasion.
Rooney's aggression on the pitch was one of his strengths and I love him for it. He was a winner.
By your crazy crazy rationale Fergie wasnt intelligent because he lost his temper, arguee with players and officials and kicked a boot at Beckham.
McClean has been abused by fans up and down the country, been torn apart by the British media and has shown incredible restraint when you factor it all in. I cant think of a footballer since Beckham after WC 98 who got more abuse but at least Beckham was loved by his own fans and it only last months not years.
Starring in West End production now I think you might be taking the piss - to use your words.... McClean is 'thick as pigshit' ... he couldn't even direct his own movies
seriously mate - wise up!
We appear to have got a bit of tangent here and are overlooking him sitting in front of 2 young kids in a balaclava...
The humanity! Someone should get on the blower to social services
Seriously though I think some of you lot should finally shoot your shot and shag that box of poppies you've been eyeing up all these years. For Queen and country etc.
This bump has nothing to do with poppiesThe humanity! Someone should get on the blower to social services
Seriously though I think some of you lot should finally shoot your shot and shag that box of poppies you've been eyeing up all these years. For Queen and country etc.
I love our annual British English vs Irish threads.
Edit: ah feck it, they all look the same.
Edit: ah feck it, they all look the same.
In what way? I hate celebrities who get political.
Not aiming this at McLean but so many celebrities use their platform to spout about things they know nothing about.
Not saying you’re wrong but how will this enrich football?
I agree, fecking stupid thing to do, we should be raising our kids to have respect for each other and step away from the ways of the past.
Mc Clean obviously isn’t the brightest of people.
Surely children should be taught history especially their own .
I just learned that being an actor is apparently the pinnacle of intelligence.
With a balaclava on? I personally wouldn’t be teaching kids that age about the troubles, at a proper age yes, programmes like ‘pop goes Northern Ireland’ are great and really show the brutality of the troubles not romanticise it.
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Everyone, celebrity, footballer or otherwise, has a right to talk about the politics of their own country, or the world which they inhabit. Their opinions are amplified by the media and that's unfortunate but if you want to direct your scorn somewhere it shouldn't be at people just having an opinion on stuff. They've got as much right as anybody else.
The implication from some that McLean shouldn't talk about or doesn't understand the history of Northern Ireland and the consequences of the troubles, given his background, is about as clearly ignorant as any of these other examples you hate so much. His real crime here is just being daft enough to use Instagram. But imagine saying an Iraqi footballer has no right to talk about wars in his country just because he kicks a ball about. Imagine insisting that an Iraqi footballer wears a poppy! The level of English arrogance on show by some when discussing McLean is embarrassing.
The implication from some that McLean shouldn't talk about or doesn't understand the history of Northern Ireland and the consequences of the troubles, given his background, is about as clearly ignorant as any of these other examples you hate so much. His real crime here is just being daft enough to use Instagram. But imagine saying an Iraqi footballer has no right to talk about wars in his country just because he kicks a ball about. Imagine insisting that an Iraqi footballer wears a poppy! The level of English arrogance on show by some when discussing McLean is embarrassing.
We get taught a curated version of the history of our nations, so dissenting voices should be heard too, I think.
Yep. It goes all ways, for all religions. We need to move on, without forgetting and just try to live in peace.
But from the picture alone you know his kids will grow up to be bigoted and have hatred.
Not with a balaclava on. Its painting them with a hatred that this country needs to try and move past.
Surely it's just being used as a prop though? If he's genuinely trying to teach them, then props tend to bring a subject to life for those being educated.
Whats he showing them? How to cover their faces when they commit crimes?
If im telling my kids about the trouble im not going to bring out my camo gear.
Id also try to keep it double sided (not sure thats the correct phrase) as possible as to not bigot them one way or the other. Id like them not to grow up hating anyone.
Just for clarity im from omagh so ive seen it from the other side mclean has
I'm trying my best to be objective, honestly.
If, for example, someone with opposing views to McClean's was teaching children & wore an English military beret for effect, what that be wrong? Or would it be 'fine'...because that beret is viewed as not only legitimate (in a way that a balaclava isn't, in this context) but, by association, it represents a history of (supposed) military glory? Would it be viewed as 'ok' because it apparently represents bravery, manliness, comradeship, selflessness, sacrifice, patriotism etc etc? Y'know...all the things we're taught to associate with the legitimate armed forces, from when we're practically knee-high...
Im Irish and im not in agreement with his approach.
The history is not about the troubles and sectarian terrorists. Thats recent history and its certainly not for the innocent minds of little kids.
He's being immature and irresponsible as far as his kids are concerned.
Used to be that the poppy was nothing more than a show of respect for service personnel who lost their lives in conflict, but that's no longer all it represents. It's sold by the Royal British Legion to raise money for active and retired service personnel and their families, so it shouldn't be too hard to grasp why a lad from Derry might not be a fan, or want to be seen wearing one.
Id imagine for some itd be ok, for me itd be the same answer. Teaching them hatred if they're teaching them about the troubles.
There's only one reason youd wear a beret or balaclava
He is quite obviously making a joke of the situation. It's amazing how people immediately jump on him. Can tell he is living rent free in so many folks heads. Is the joke in poor taste? Absolutely. He 100% deserves the punishment Stoke gave him IMO. But if anyone genuinely believes hes teaching his incredibly young kids about the Troubles with a fecking balaclava needs their head checked.
Steve you're not being serious about that are you?
For someone like myself who has lost family friends to the IRA and myself very close to getting blown up twice I cant think of any reason he would even think about doing this apart from being so bigoted it's not even funny.
I dont care one bit he doesn't wear a poppy or dosent respects the National Anthem ( although I do think people should respect National Anthems of any country especially when they work there), but to do that in front of innocent children is not on and should be ashamed of himself.
I am sorry to read that, mate. In contrast, it's glibly easy for me (to strive to) be objective, having lost no-one.
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