McClean poppy snub angers fans (From The Northern Echo)
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McClean poppy snub angers fans
8:00am Monday 12th November 2012 in Sport
PERSONAL CHOICE: James McClean wore a shirt that did not feature a poppy on Saturday
JAMES McCLEAN'S decision not to wear a Sunderland shirt bearing a commemorative poppy on the eve of Remembrance Sunday was entirely his own, his club have said.
Winger McClean, 23, opted not to wear a specially-made shirt with the emblem for Sunderland's 2-1 defeat at Everton, which drew a furious reaction from fans on Twitter over the weekend.
And the club, who have taken the lead in commemorative shirts over the years, said: "As a club, SAFC wholeheartedly supports the Remembrance commemorations.
"It was James' personal choice not to wear a shirt on this occasion."
Derry-born McClean, who opted to play for the Republic of Ireland last year, was brought up on the Creggan estate of the city, which lost six of its number in the Bloody Sunday massacre in 1972.
But Sunderland fans were not happy with any defence of a poppy boycott, with one fan tweeting: "Like the rest of us, Mr McClean is fortunate that others ensured that he has the ability to express his views without concern."
Another said: "Nothing short of a disgrace. He's happy to pick his pay packet up here, he should respect our dead."
However, one commentator said: "He'd be pilloried at home if he wore it. Is that freedom?"
Manager Martin O'Neill, himself a native of Derry, wore a poppy in post-match interviews.
A Premier League spokesperson said: "We have great support from the clubs. It is a matter of choice whether people wore the poppy."
n John O'Shea, who captained Sunderland on Saturday, wore a poppy for the first half at Goodison Park, but changed at half-time into a standard shirt.
Comments(27)
doonhamer
says...
4:36pm Mon 12 Nov 12
jabdc5, the land that's still trying to recover from the last tory government. wrote:Why mention Catholics ? Why not Protestants, Jews, Arabs, Muslims, Hindus etc ? Also Mclean is IRISH not British and even you seem bright enough to acknowledge that the British Army is hated in a so called part of their own country. That fact alone, because no other civilised country tends to hate its own army, should be enough for you to realise that McLean is entitled to his views and does not have to recognise or respect rememberance days from a "foreign" army occupying their country, as most Irish people view the six counties
for some reason McLean seems to have a "self-destruct" button and makes some poor choices. MON needs to remind him of his responsibilities.
Although I do realise there is still a lot of hate for the British Army in the area where he's from and he could have met with problems back home, he should also realise that the poppy is for War dead of every nation and that there were many Irish catholics from both the North and the South who fought and died for Britain during those wars so he could have his freedom of choice he's so badly used today.
Ricardo Wensleydale
says...
8:10pm Mon 12 Nov 12
The rememberence poppy as I'm sure you know, dates back to the first world war. 200,000 Irishmen, both nationalist and unionist fought and 30,000 died side by side. Can you not bring yourself to honour their sacrifice. To use this occasion to make a cheap political point is offensive to their memory. I know it was only in 2006 that the Irish State held an official commemoration for the Irish war dead. They have grown up and moved on. Can you not?
Arty111
says...
1:19am Tue 13 Nov 12
EnlightenedEnglishman
says...
3:42am Tue 13 Nov 12
doonhamer
says...
10:00am Tue 13 Nov 12
EnlightenedEnglishmaWell said. The same murderers who gunned down Mairead Farrell, Sean Savage and Daniel McCann in Gibraltar. No doubt Ricardo from Wensleydale will think that is ok, but he should stop looking through rose tinted glasses. The British Government have sent troops to The Falklands, Ireland, Afganistan, Iraq and several other countries trying to defend the undefensible, following the lead from their "allies" across the pond who are just warmongerers. Let every country rule itself, should be the law, but with the English/British you have no chance, just look at the palpitations they are having because Scotland are attempting to break away from the union. If the Scots do, what happens to England then, do the six then become thirty two and one nation again as they should be and the Celtic nations would then pull all the strings. Panic indeed in the corridors of Westminster.
n wrote:
He comes from a city where the British army murdered innocent civilians by shooting them in the back in cold blood. Not one of those soldiers has ever been charged. Why the f*** should he wear a symbol associated with that same army? F******morons.
MSG
says...
12:19pm Tue 13 Nov 12
MSG
says...
12:21pm Tue 13 Nov 12
frankyboy
says...
2:31pm Tue 13 Nov 12
doonhamer wrote:Were Farrell, Savage and McCann just innocent holidaymakers in Gibraltar then? Perhaps they could have been taken alive, but who cares?
EnlightenedEnglishma n wrote: He comes from a city where the British army murdered innocent civilians by shooting them in the back in cold blood. Not one of those soldiers has ever been charged. Why the f*** should he wear a symbol associated with that same army? F******morons.Well said. The same murderers who gunned down Mairead Farrell, Sean Savage and Daniel McCann in Gibraltar. No doubt Ricardo from Wensleydale will think that is ok, but he should stop looking through rose tinted glasses. The British Government have sent troops to The Falklands, Ireland, Afganistan, Iraq and several other countries trying to defend the undefensible, following the lead from their "allies" across the pond who are just warmongerers. Let every country rule itself, should be the law, but with the English/British you have no chance, just look at the palpitations they are having because Scotland are attempting to break away from the union. If the Scots do, what happens to England then, do the six then become thirty two and one nation again as they should be and the Celtic nations would then pull all the strings. Panic indeed in the corridors of Westminster.
'become thirty two and one nation again' Again? When was that? There has never been a united Ireland under one democratic Irish government.
However, I agree with McClean on this one. His choice and given his upbringing in Republican Derry, it's not difficult to understand his resentment of anything associated with the British Army.
MSG
says...
7:04pm Tue 13 Nov 12
DaveMurphy
says...
12:40am Wed 14 Nov 12
EnlightenedEnglishman
says...
4:56am Wed 14 Nov 12
frankyboy
says...
1:26pm Wed 14 Nov 12
I think we'd all be doing nothing except 'pausing'.
I'm not suggesting tit-for-tat killings are okay, but I notice you don't mention the fact that these killings occurred in Dublin in the afternoon of 21 Nov, following the murder in Dublin in the morning of 14 British people, by the IRA. I trust you'll 'pause' for these British victims too?
Thought not.
DaveMurphy
says...
3:33pm Wed 14 Nov 12
The point I wished to make is that those Sunderland supporters who are now vilifying James McClean are probably not aware that in wearing a poppy they are commemorating (among others of course) British soldiers who opened fired on a crowd attending a football match just like they do at the Stadium of Light. The also commemorate(again among others) British soldiers who murdered innocent civilians on the streets of James McClean's home city.
Frankboy is also incorrect in saying that there was never a united Ireland under a democratic government.(earlier post) In 1918 Sinn Fein won a landslide victory in Ireland in the election and in January 1919 established Dail Eireann as the Irish parliament.Those who fought as the IRA in the Irish war of independence did so as a legitimate army.
It is right and proper that those who fought and died in the world wars should be remembered and honored. My own grandfather fought in the British army. But do you honor those brave souls who fought against fascism by the present outburst of 'poppy fascism'? I think not.
frankyboy
says...
4:29pm Wed 14 Nov 12
Dave, you're coming at this from an Irish Republican standpoint, which is fair enough, but a couple of things you state are just wrong. People wear the poppy to commemorate those who have given their lives in wars and conflicts over the years. It is not in any way a commemoration of events such as those you are highlighting.
There has never been a 32-county Ireland governed by a democratic Irish government. Never. So you can't go back to what has never been. The 1918 election was part of the UK General Election. Sinn Fein did well in what is now the Republic, but they did not do well in Ulster. So whether legally or morally, there has never been a united Irish vote for a united Ireland.
frankyboy
says...
4:47pm Wed 14 Nov 12
doonhamer
says...
11:03pm Wed 14 Nov 12
frankyboy wrote:Gentlemen, admire your stance and beliefs, but was it not Lloyd George, who in 1916, after the Easter uprising said, "Home rule for Ireland and we'll wash our hands clean", but the "Home Rule" only applied to 26 counties. Also if you are born in Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Galway, Castleblayney, Coleraine, Athlone or Belfast you are IRISH long before you become British, European or anything else. FACT.
So are you saying that the 14 British people murdered in the morning by the IRA was okay, but the shooting of the 14 people in the afternoon was not okay? The two events are clearly linked.
Dave, you're coming at this from an Irish Republican standpoint, which is fair enough, but a couple of things you state are just wrong. People wear the poppy to commemorate those who have given their lives in wars and conflicts over the years. It is not in any way a commemoration of events such as those you are highlighting.
There has never been a 32-county Ireland governed by a democratic Irish government. Never. So you can't go back to what has never been. The 1918 election was part of the UK General Election. Sinn Fein did well in what is now the Republic, but they did not do well in Ulster. So whether legally or morally, there has never been a united Irish vote for a united Ireland.
Duke of Aycliffe
says...
11:13pm Wed 14 Nov 12
Also MSG, McClean is Irish & not British also, Ulster (correct Irish name Ulaidh) it's self is not totally under UK control only six counties. The other 3 counties, Donegal, Cavan & Monaghan are within the Irish Free State.
My grandfather was a Catholic & he was killed in WW2 in Dunkirk. However, during The Troubles that didn't stop a Protestant mob burning my grandmother's house down.
My late father served in the Royal Navy but, because he was Catholic, he couldn't get a job in Harland & Wolf. I served in the British Army in the past, but still I've had to put up with Irish jibes by annoying little Johnny English types.
I can understand why James McClean doesn't wear a poppy. Just in the same way that although I'm a Catholic & ex British Army, I wouldn't wear an Easter Lilly badge.
Duke of Aycliffe
says...
11:15pm Wed 14 Nov 12
Don Hughes
says...
10:04am Thu 15 Nov 12
e that is MY choice.
I think a lot of people are not giving McClean HIS choice.
For those of you having difficulty understanding what freedom of choice is:
IT IS HAVING THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE.
frankyboy
says...
2:14pm Thu 15 Nov 12
Also, Home Rule applied to only 26 counties because the other 6 wanted none of it, and were prepared to fight against it. I believe the Germans, just before WW1, supplied the UVF with weapons to help them fight against integration. Such irony, the Germans helping a part of Britain to remain a part of Britain, against the will of the British government!
Anyway, if the lad doesn't want to wear a poppy, fair enough.
Porca miseria
says...
2:44pm Thu 15 Nov 12
gavshaw62
says...
3:03pm Thu 15 Nov 12
DaveMurphy
says...
5:51pm Thu 15 Nov 12
Also, Home Rule applied to only 26 counties because the other 6 wanted none of it, and were prepared to fight against it.'
I must point out that there are 9 counties in Ulster and that there is a NATIONALIST majority in Ulster. The border was drawn around only 6 of them so that there would be a Unionist 'majority'. In fact 43% of the land mass of Ulster is actually in the republic and not Northern Ireland. Of the 6 counties in Northern Ireland at least 2 Fermanagh and Omagh have nationalist majorities.I think Derry also has a nationalist majority. When is a majority not a majority?
It reminds me of the infamous words of Ali G when Sammy Wilson the then Lord Mayor of Belfast upon being asked was he Irish or British proudly replied that he was British. Ali G then asked. 'So iz you on holidaze den?
I must congratulate Frankboy, however, on his efforts to understand the 'Irish situation'
Duke of Aycliffe
says...
6:15pm Thu 15 Nov 12
frankyboy
says...
11:56am Fri 16 Nov 12
There is a nationalist majority in the whole island of Ireland, but that doesn't mean the people of Northern Ireland should be forced to join a State that they do not wish to join. There are more Germans than Belgians, but that doesn't mean Hitler has the right to annex Belgium, even if a minority of Belgians want him to.
There is a legal provision I believe for a unification of Ireland to occur if the majority of people in Northern Ireland vote for it. This may or may not ever happen - we'll see!
I don't think there is any legal provision covering the wearing of a poppy - freedom of choice!
MSG
says...
5:52pm Fri 16 Nov 12
Ireland now owes the UK so much money that it will now remain so, as no right minded Irish catholic would want to be re-united with Eire and be burdoned with this massive debt.
God Save the Queen !!
jabdc5, the land that's still trying to recover from the last tory government. says...
3:52pm Mon 12 Nov 12
Although I do realise there is still a lot of hate for the British Army in the area where he's from and he could have met with problems back home, he should also realise that the poppy is for War dead of every nation and that there were many Irish catholics from both the North and the South who fought and died for Britain during those wars so he could have his freedom of choice he's so badly used today.