James McClean

[screenexile]

McClean comes across as a really good guy.

I've met James on a few different occasions, a nicer, no BS, down to earth fella, you won't meet.

I don't think anybody's really questioning that I'm sure he is a nice guy away from it all. . . the problem is he seems to be buck stupid and courts controversy!

If he doesn't want to stand for GSTQ or wear a poppy that's fine but winding up Rangers fans along with his tirades on Twitter and then with winding up the Sunderland supporters I just don't understand it. He's a professional footballer and these things affect his job so why do it?!!

[general_lee]

McClean comes across as a really good guy.

I've met James on a few different occasions, a nicer, no BS, down to earth fella, you won't meet.

I don't think anybody's really questioning that I'm sure he is a nice guy away from it all. . . the problem is he seems to be buck stupid and courts controversy!

If he doesn't want to stand for GSTQ or wear a poppy that's fine but winding up Rangers fans along with his tirades on Twitter and then with winding up the Sunderland supporters I just don't understand it. He's a professional footballer and these things affect his job so why do it?!!

Seemingly he just likes winding people up too much. I know someone who's a personal friend of his and was told as much back when Martin o Neill barred him from Twitter. There's nothing overly malicious in what he does, football in England has become almost too sanitised, any slight controversy gets grossly exaggerated nowadays.

[screenexile]

McClean comes across as a really good guy.

I've met James on a few different occasions, a nicer, no BS, down to earth fella, you won't meet.

I don't think anybody's really questioning that I'm sure he is a nice guy away from it all. . . the problem is he seems to be buck stupid and courts controversy!

If he doesn't want to stand for GSTQ or wear a poppy that's fine but winding up Rangers fans along with his tirades on Twitter and then with winding up the Sunderland supporters I just don't understand it. He's a professional footballer and these things affect his job so why do it?!!

Seemingly he just likes winding people up too much. I know someone who's a personal friend of his and was told as much back when Martin o Neill barred him from Twitter. There's nothing overly malicious in what he does, football in England has become almost too sanitised, any slight controversy gets grossly exaggerated nowadays.

Exactly!!! For that reason if you were a fairly controversial footballer anyway would you not try and stay away from avoidable controversy?!

If I was his manager I'd be telling him I want to see him in the newspaper for scoring goals not being a twat!! In fairness I think Pulis will only take so much before he fucks him out or he sorts himself out!

[general_lee]

McClean comes across as a really good guy.

I've met James on a few different occasions, a nicer, no BS, down to earth fella, you won't meet.

I don't think anybody's really questioning that I'm sure he is a nice guy away from it all. . . the problem is he seems to be buck stupid and courts controversy!

If he doesn't want to stand for GSTQ or wear a poppy that's fine but winding up Rangers fans along with his tirades on Twitter and then with winding up the Sunderland supporters I just don't understand it. He's a professional footballer and these things affect his job so why do it?!!

Seemingly he just likes winding people up too much. I know someone who's a personal friend of his and was told as much back when Martin o Neill barred him from Twitter. There's nothing overly malicious in what he does, football in England has become almost too sanitised, any slight controversy gets grossly exaggerated nowadays.

Exactly!!! For that reason if you were a fairly controversial footballer anyway would you not try and stay away from avoidable controversy?!

If I was his manager I'd be telling him I want to see him in the newspaper for scoring goals not being a twat!! In fairness I think Pulis will only take so much before he f**ks him out or he sorts himself out!

Vicious circle as he is a bit dopey!
What would Pulis do though? He's obviously gonna stand by his player and clearly he's done very little to deserve all the attention. I'd have done the same lol

[Franko]

Ah feck it, if that's how he wants to behave let him at it.  Football managers want to stamp the character out of lads and turn them into ball playing robots (which is fair enough).  Fair dues to him for being controversial, he's a break from the blandness.

[Kickham csc]

OK, so this is how I see it

McClean comes from an Irish city, which seen 13 of its citizens murdered by the British Army, to play football in Britain

Lad refuses to wear poppy while playing for Sunderland

Sunderland refuse to let the lad issue a letter to explain his actions

Player transferred to Wigan, and refuses to wear poppy while playing for them

Wigan allow McClean to issue a letter, which quite logically states that he supports what the British army did in WWI and WWII, but as it also represents the Northern conflict where 13 of its people were murdered by the army without anyone held accountable, then he can't support wearing it (understandable position)

Mclean plays against Sunderland, is taunted through the entire match by supporters using racial hate filled (anti Irish) chants

McClean reacts with a fist pump in the air

Two Sunderland players physically confront McClean......

And people on here think that McClean is in the wrong!!!!!!!

In my opinion, Sunderland should be walking on eggshells, as they have failed to control both supporters and two players, and McClean didn't physically confront any Sunderland players

[screenexile]

OK, so this is how I see it

McClean comes from an Irish city, which seen 13 of its citizens murdered by the British Army, to play football in Britain

Lad refuses to wear poppy while playing for Sunderland

Sunderland refuse to let the lad issue a letter to explain his actions

Player transferred to Wigan, and refuses to wear poppy while playing for them

Wigan allow McClean to issue a letter, which quite logically states that he supports what the British army did in WWI and WWII, but as it also represents the Northern conflict where 13 of its people were murdered by the army without anyone held accountable, then he can't support wearing it (understandable position)

Mclean plays against Sunderland, is taunted through the entire match by supporters using racial hate filled (anti Irish) chants

McClean reacts with a fist pump in the air

Two Sunderland players physically confront McClean......

And people on here think that McClean is in the wrong!!!!!!!

In my opinion, Sunderland should be walking on eggshells, as they have failed to control both supporters and two players, and McClean didn't physically confront any Sunderland players

Why does he need to leave the rest of his team mates to confront the Sunderland supporters? Can he not fist pump somewhere else?

I'm all for a player having a personality like a Bullard or a Davide Luiz but if your personality is landing you in bother with the FA and affecting how you go about your work then you're expressing yourself in the wrong way!!

Adebayor was a f**king tube when he did it and McClean is no better. Brings it on himself!

[Boycey]

I'd very much subscribe to the 'if you give it out you must be able to take it back' way of thinking, so in isolation I'd see very little wrong with what McClean did on Saturday, but he seems to have gotten an uncanny knack of getting himself talked about more often for things other than his footballing ability.....

  If you're going to be a maverick as such you probably need the talent to back it up for your own sake. Players like Suarez and Cantona were indulged by their clubs beause they were worth it but players like McClean are 10 a penny. If things turned sour for him at WBA would there be a queue of Premier League clubs waiting to take him on? probably not...

[red hander]

Soccer fans think they can abuse a player for 90 minutes and then when same player says "see that boys" they get all insulted .

Sunderland fans should be channeling their anger elsewhere . 

McClean is an alright sort.

+1

What was even more pathetic was the Sunderland players who confronted him ... they'd be better served to do the job they're extremely well paid for and dig their perennially shit team out of the relegation mire rather than trying to impress the travelling support of ignorant mackem gobshites  by showing how much they really 'care' about them and about any perceived 'insult' aimed in their direction. HTF they're relegated and put out of their misery at long last 

[muppet]

He has been given a formal warning by the FA.

To him and his supporters this will be seen as a victory.

To everyone else, it will be seen as process. He will face a real sanction the next time and this is merely boxing off any smart barrister getting him off on a technicality imho.

[Muck Savage]

OK, so this is how I see it

McClean comes from an Irish city, which seen 13 of its citizens murdered by the British Army, to play football in Britain

Lad refuses to wear poppy while playing for Sunderland

Sunderland refuse to let the lad issue a letter to explain his actions

Player transferred to Wigan, and refuses to wear poppy while playing for them

Wigan allow McClean to issue a letter, which quite logically states that he supports what the British army did in WWI and WWII, but as it also represents the Northern conflict where 13 of its people were murdered by the army without anyone held accountable, then he can't support wearing it (understandable position)

Mclean plays against Sunderland, is taunted through the entire match by supporters using racial hate filled (anti Irish) chants

McClean reacts with a fist pump in the air

Two Sunderland players physically confront McClean......

And people on here think that McClean is in the wrong!!!!!!!

In my opinion, Sunderland should be walking on eggshells, as they have failed to control both supporters and two players, and McClean didn't physically confront any Sunderland players

I 100% agree with this. The man has been subjected to all sorts of abuse from his own supporters at Sunderland and had death treats sent to him. Why wouldn't he give a good old FxxK you (he didn't give any sort of finger salute) to those supporters that are allowed to sing abuse all day long at him. There will be some craic when West Brom play Sunderland up north!
Fair play to him I say.

[nrico2006]

OK, so this is how I see it

McClean comes from an Irish city, which seen 13 of its citizens murdered by the British Army, to play football in Britain

Lad refuses to wear poppy while playing for Sunderland

Sunderland refuse to let the lad issue a letter to explain his actions

Player transferred to Wigan, and refuses to wear poppy while playing for them

Wigan allow McClean to issue a letter, which quite logically states that he supports what the British army did in WWI and WWII, but as it also represents the Northern conflict where 13 of its people were murdered by the army without anyone held accountable, then he can't support wearing it (understandable position)

Mclean plays against Sunderland, is taunted through the entire match by supporters using racial hate filled (anti Irish) chants

McClean reacts with a fist pump in the air

Two Sunderland players physically confront McClean......

And people on here think that McClean is in the wrong!!!!!!!

In my opinion, Sunderland should be walking on eggshells, as they have failed to control both supporters and two players, and McClean didn't physically confront any Sunderland players

Why does he need to leave the rest of his team mates to confront the Sunderland supporters? Can he not fist pump somewhere else?

I'm all for a player having a personality like a Bullard or a Davide Luiz but if your personality is landing you in bother with the FA and affecting how you go about your work then you're expressing yourself in the wrong way!!

Adebayor was a f**king tube when he did it and McClean is no better. Brings it on himself!

Good post Kickham. 

As for fist pumping elsewhere, surely it is pointless to do it to your own fans and it seems logical enough that you would do it to the particular section that were abusing you for the entire match.  Hardly rocket science.

[Esmarelda]

Some soccer fans attend matches to continually racially abuse players, mock the Hillsborough & Munich disasters, spend the majority of the game making V and w@nker signs at opposing fans but there is outrage if a player fist pumps at these people. Ridiculous.

Exactly.

I saw a few of the Irish supporters giving it the old w@nker sign against the Germans. Such a crowd of morons. Grown men doing this and they describe it as passion.

Ideally McClean should keep away as many have done before him. But I'm not going to condemn him for it.

Anybody that stands in the safety of the stands abusing another individual is a coward and an idiot. Then you get the "I've paid my money so I'll shout what I want" view.

[screenexile]

Wullie Frazer at it again . . .

[deiseach]

What is the principle at stake here? That players should be allowed wind up away fans? Yes, in an ideal world you should be able to give as good as you get, but anyone who knows their Shakespeare knows you don't hold the mob to the same standard as individuals. The same applies to the apes who confronted him, and I think McClean would be entitled to feel aggrieved that they seem to have gotten away with their behaviour. But with respect to confronting the crowd, he needs to swallow his pride.