We need to talk about James
There is a possibility James McClean’s honesty could see him banned for Ireland’s next World Cup qualifier. But his frankness should be cherished, he is our most interesting and admirable football figure since Roy Keane.
Referee David Fernández Borbalán blew his final whistle. The Aviva Stadium let out a collective sigh. A vital point had been salvaged, yet victory had eluded the Republic of Ireland. James McClean made his way toward the tunnel, only to be called back onto the pitch to conduct an interview with RTE, the subject of which is now officially under investigation by FIFA.
“Look, I know in this day and age, the slightest thing you say about a referee, you get fined. But you watched the game, you tell me. They had a twelfth man today. That’s all I’ll say on that. I’m really disappointed. We should have come away from that game with three points but we didn’t.”
McClean’s suggestion that the referee was Austia’s twelfth man will likely see fined, at best. Though Shane Duffy’s would-be-winner appears to have been correctly ruled out, the feeling inside the stadium on the day was that the Spanish referee had given little the Republic of Ireland’s way. Perhaps a bias reaction of a disappointed, emotionally invested crowd. But if anyone was going to ram that frustrated bias home, it was McClean, in his forthright, cut-throat manner.
It was an exasperating Sunday afternoon in the Aviva and McClean’s irritation was palatable, even though the ‘twelfth man’ comment was unwise. The RTE interview will likely lead to some form of a punishment from FIFA for the Derry man, yet in a way it encapsulated why he is Ireland’s most intriguing footballer since the days when Roy Keane roamed the Lansdowne Road turf. He is that most unusual thing, a footballer who say’s what he feels, and he should be cherished for that.
That his honesty persists in this manner following some highly publicised controversies in recent years is a testament to McClean’s strength of character. When playing for Sunderland he chose not to wear a Remembrance Day poppy, a symbol used to commemorate British military personal who have died in war. McClean later explained his reasons for this decision in an open letter to the fans of his next club, Wigan Athletic.
‘If the poppy was the symbol only for the lost souls of World War One and Two I would wear one. But the Poppy is used to remember victims of other conflicts since 1945 and that is where the problem lies for me. For the people of Northern Ireland such as myself, and specifically those in Derry, scene of the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre, the poppy has come to mean something different.’
You can disagree with McClean’s stance, and many did, but following such an articulate and thoughtful response, it’s hard to contend that his actions are anti-British or designed to disrespect the war dead, as had been argued. Instead it is apparent that his decision came from a genuine sense of values, loyalty and beliefs. Standing up for such things, especially in the face of such public onslaught, is an admirable and rare example to be set by a footballer, and something McClean should be commended for rather than vilified.
Following the poppy controversy McClean was booed by Sunderland supporters. In a recent interview with BBC’s Juliette Ferrington, he explained how difficult things got for him in England’s North-East.
‘It was one of the last games of the season and like I always do I took my jersey home, because you never know who’ll need one or ask for one. I gave it to a kid outside the stadium and his father took it off him and through it back at me. Then on the way home we pulled up at traffic lights and the guy beside us rolled down his window and spit on my window and drove off. My missus was in the car and she was pregnant at the time and I thought, I’m about to bring a baby into this world, I don’t need this.’
In a bid to escape Sunderland McClean took a pay cut to join Wigan Athletic in the Championship, playing there for two seasons, culminating in relegation to League One, an experience he recently remarked on Jarlath Reegan’s excellent An Irishman Abroad podcast, ‘wasn’t nice.’
McClean then turned down an offer from the New York Red Bulls to return to the Premier League with West Brom, where he has made seventy-seven appearances in two seasons and helped cement Tony Pulis’ side as a constant upper mid-table Premier League team.
Following McClean’s recent contract extension at the Hawthorns, until 2019, Pulis remarked, ‘for what we paid, he’s been a terrific signing for us. He’s a good lad. He’s not been in the team lately but his attitude in training and around the place… he’s just a great kid. He’s scatty but that’s James, he’s a good lad.’
Pulis, you wouldn’t imagine, is a man who doles out such praise on a habitual basis. The essence of McClean’s character, hard work, dedication, humility, has obviously impressed his club manager. The last line, released in an official club statement, alludes to genuine affection and appreciation on Pulis’ part.
Pulis has his fair share of detractors and his methods receive much criticism. However, he has been a constant in the Premier League for almost a decade and is highly respected within the game. His admiration is not easily won, and proves McClean’s worth as a footballer.
Prior to Euro 2016, McClean was by no means an automatic starter in Martin O’Neill’s team. Of the ten qualifiers and two playoff games leading to France, McClean started six. Of the last eight competitive games prior to the tournament, McClean was in the starting eleven on just two occasions.
On the eve of the Euros some commentators questioned his temperament in a tournament atmosphere. McClean picked up three yellow cards in the qualifying campaign, hardly a record comparable with the Sergio Ramos’ of this world.
Indeed McClean found himself on the bench for Ireland’s first two group games against Sweeden and Belgium. Following the disheartening performance against the latter however, he started the remaining two games of the tournament, against Italy and France, bringing an energy and quality to each game in what was a high point of the O’Neill era so far.
We’ve always known McClean to bring such excitement and sense of purpose, but last season that was complimented with a degree of quality that has made him Ireland’s most important player in the World Cup qualifiers so far.
Against Austria in Vienna, he showed a combination of composure and quality not often seen in a green Jersey, to sink the Austrian’s on their own patch. He scored an identical goal against Uruguay earlier this summer. This time twelve months ago he was not in most Irish fans starting eleven. One year on he is arguably our most important player.
In March, McClean started for Ireland against Wales in Dublin, five days following the sudden death of his friend, Derry City Captain, Ryan McBride. In doing so, he unknowingly set an example of strength to anyone who is dealing with grief, and displayed a touch of class often absent in football when he requested to wear the number five shirt, in Ryan’s honour.
Speaking of the night of the Wales game on the Irishman Abroad podcast, McClean said, ‘Ryan was a leader, he was a fighter. We had a huge game on the Friday against Wales. I wanted to go out and put in a performance that did him proud, did justice to the kind of player and man he was.’
In April, the Irish Women’s football team announced at a press conference that they would strike if the FAI did not agree to negotiate with their chosen representatives in relation to a host of seemingly basic requests and issues, including individual tracksuits, gym membership and minimal match fees.
Once the women’s team went public with their grievances the FAI predictably enough came to a swift agreement with the players’ representatives.
James McClean was the only senior men’s player to voice his public support for the women’s team, writing in a Facebook post, ‘I think personally this treatment is wrong. They are not outrageous demands, it’s the standard and bare minimum of what should be included anyway at international level. Playing for your country is the pinnacle in football terms; you shouldn’t be made to feel like this.’
McClean showed once again that he was not afraid to speak his mind, standing up for what he believed was right in public and calling out an injustice for what it was, regardless of how it might affect him.
If James McClean is banned for the Georgia game in September, his ability, goal threat, leadership and passion will be greatly missed. However it’s a trade off worth bearing, to have the most honest, interesting and admirable Irish footballer in a generation.
