James McClean refuses to wear poppy

[Bjornebye]

Was he in the IRA up till the age of 7?

Obviously not.

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

I find McClean refreshing and it does not leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

I find McClean refreshing and it does not leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

Does he turn his back on you afterwards though?

[RobbieOR]

Exactly, plus why is a professional footballer making such an immature, confused and pointless political statement in public anyway while, let's not forget, representing his employer? The guy has a right to believe what he wants and I'm sure he's got his reasons for his beliefs (even though he was 9 when the Good Friday Agreement was signed) but this just makes him look like a tit.

 

It's hardly immature, he knew people who were screwed over by the establishment that he's not respecting. If he wants to air his views, he's entitled to.  

[A Red]

Good luck to the lad doing what he did, but he doesnt really mean it, he doesnt really feel that strongly about it. 

 

He might not like it but he is British but I guess considers himself and the area he was born in as Irish. Being from the background he is from, to make it as a professional footballer, he will probably eventually have had to come over to England. He wont have had many choices.

 

Having cracked it he did have choices and could have chosen any country in europe to ply his trade rather than England. He is playing in England because of the money. The money is more important to him than his beliefs. Ok he wont wear a poppy or recognise the national anthem, but that is just for show. He is plastic. 

[Jarvinja Ilnow]

Never heard of the cunt.

He's heard of you. And so have his mates.

[Bjornebye]

Good luck to the lad doing what he did, but he doesnt really mean it, he doesnt really feel that strongly about it.

 

He might not like it but he is British but I guess considers himself and the area he was born in as Irish. Being from the background he is from, to make it as a professional footballer, he will probably eventually have had to come over to England. He wont have had many choices.

 

Having cracked it he did have choices and could have chosen any country in europe to ply his trade rather than England. He is playing in England because of the money. The money is more important to him than his beliefs. Ok he wont wear a poppy or recognise the national anthem, but that is just for show. He is plastic.

Utter shite.

[Section_31]

Since when has everyone got so precious about the anthem anyway? Half the England side don't sing it.

[A Red]

Utter shite.

Ok,why?

[Jairzinho]

Why does him taking money from England mean that he doesn't really care about what he's professing here?

 

I would happily take every single fucking penny Rupert Murdoch has. I fundamentally disagree with various aspects of our society, am I therefore obliged to leave?

[Bjornebye]

Ok,why?

On my phone so cant be arsed typing out why but Jairz has pretty much summed it up.

[A Red]

Why does him taking money from England mean that he doesn't really care about what he's professing here?

 

I would happily take every single fucking penny Rupert Murdoch has. I fundamentally disagree with various aspects of our society, am I therefore obliged to leave?

Ok, if you were a journalist you would work for the Sun? Even if they were paying double or treble any other paper? Nope, i guess you wouldnt.

 

I'm not saying that anyone who professes to be a republican or have issues with our society should fuck off home or not come here in the first place. People would sneer at republicans "they're quite happy to take our dole money" but what else could they do? 

 

Mclean has plenty of choices his antics arent out of a strong burning hatred of everything british but to look good in front of his mates and family back home. I bet plenty of republicans think that he is plastic.

[Chairman Meow]

Since when has everyone got so precious about the anthem anyway? Half the England side don't sing it.

 

To be fair the words are beyond the vocabulary of most English footballers.

[VladimirIlyich]

Good luck to the lad doing what he did, but he doesnt really mean it, he doesnt really feel that strongly about it.

 

He might not like it but he is British but I guess considers himself and the area he was born in as Irish. Being from the background he is from, to make it as a professional footballer, he will probably eventually have had to come over to England. He wont have had many choices.

 

Having cracked it he did have choices and could have chosen any country in europe to ply his trade rather than England. He is playing in England because of the money. The money is more important to him than his beliefs. Ok he wont wear a poppy or recognise the national anthem, but that is just for show. He is plastic.

Dont get this 'taking our money' angle at all.

He was born in,and has lived in the UK all his life so whose money is he taking if not the money of his own citizens? Pounds are used N.Ireland as well,I assume?

He is not disrespecting anybody other than a bunch of half German Nazi sympathisers who actually get paid to live an opulent life simply by being born into a particular family.

I have done,and will continue to do,the same sort of thing.

Fuckin ridiculous playing national anthems before a non event friendly and I wish they'd also shove all those pieces of cloth from all around the world up their arses too.

Flags and national anthems are just as plastic.

[Sugar Ape]

Ok, if you were a journalist you would work for the Sun? Even if they were paying double or treble any other paper? Nope, i guess you wouldnt.

 

I'm not saying that anyone who professes to be a republican or have issues with our society should fuck off home or not come here in the first place. People would sneer at republicans "they're quite happy to take our dole money" but what else could they do? 

 

Mclean has plenty of choices his antics arent out of a strong burning hatred of everything british but to look good in front of his mates and family back home. I bet plenty of republicans think that he is plastic.

 

It's not really like that though, it's like saying if you had a problem with the Sun would you boycott every area of journalism? Of course you wouldn't.

 

The fact he has a problem with the Royal family/the English state does not mean he has a problem with England or the people here. It's perfectly reasonable for him to hate the royal family and the establishment but have no problem with English people in general, or indeed with taking money off an English employer.

[xerxes]

Obviously not.

Quite.

 

Myself, and most Reds, would not disrespect the Irish national anthem because of Warrington, Birmingham Bullring or Manchester Arndale.

 

If he wants to live in the past- his call. A hero with CIRA? Fine by me.

[The Golden Eel]

If he wants to live in the past- his call. 

 

This is kind of where I was going when I mentioned his age last night, just to clarify that one point. 

[SasaS]

But isn't this all bout context, making a stand against his employer’s national anthem at a pre-season friendly sounds a bit childish, in times when Gerry Adams and Martin McGuiness have no problem shaking hands with the Queen, and they actually fought the crown, like, even if one of them was, ahm,  never in the IRA?  He has every right to a political protest, if he feels that Northern Ireland is still being occupied by Britain and should be part of Ireland, but there is time and place, otherwise you trivialize your own beliefs.

 

If he won a gold medal for Britain at the Olympics and did this to show that the flag and the anthem does not represent him have been imposed on him by the fact of being born in an occupied part of the country, this would deserve respect.  As those two American sprinters in Mexico in 1968. Or sectarian Celtic fans, I get that, their songs are what they think is part of their club’s heritage, so it’s worth defending, at least in their view.

Refusing to wear a poppy I see as different, this is about the army and if you are from Derry you may not sympathize with the ideology behind the poppy wearing.  But employer’s national anthem is for me something neutral, it doesn’t represent him, he already opted for the Republic, so he was standing there as any other international player playing for WBA.

[Scooby Dudek]

I don't see the big deal. I applaud a footballer for apparently having opinions.

I would never stand for the national anthem, either at an Olympic finals or in somebodies house. I am offended every time I hear it. The time or place is irrelevant.

[Mook]

I don't see the big deal. I applaud a footballer for apparently having opinions.

I would never stand for the national anthem, either at an Olympic finals or in somebodies house. I am offended every time I hear it. The time or place is irrelevant.

 

I always make a point of insisting that people stand up for the national anthem when it comes on in my house.

 

Thankfully my national anthem is Jive Talkin' by The Bee Gees & you have to fucking dance as well.

[SasaS]

I don't see the big deal. I applaud a footballer for apparently having opinions.

I would never stand for the national anthem, either at an Olympic finals or in somebodies house. I am offended every time I hear it. The time or place is irrelevant.

But it's your national anthem. You are refusing to be represented by this anthem and have a right to express this opinion. It's different.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

I always make a point of insisting that people stand up for the national anthem when it comes on in my house.

 

Thankfully my national anthem is Jive Talkin' by The Bee Gees & you have to fucking dance as well.

 

Them's fighting words.

 

As we all know, the greatest national anthem is the Russian one, as played on the intro to the Gameboy version of Hunt For Red October.

 

Second only to the Commodore 64's version of the Ghostbusters theme tune.

[Bjornebye]

But it's your national anthem. You are refusing to be represented by this anthem and have a right to express this opinion. It's different.

How does he have any more of a right to refuse his own anthem over someone else's???? Anyone has a god given right to refuse anything they don't believe in.

[Boss]

Them's fighting words.

 

As we all know, the greatest national anthem is the Russian one, as played on the intro to the Gameboy version of Hunt For Red October.

 

Second only to the Commodore 64's version of the Ghostbusters theme tune.

 

And now rise for your countries national anthem ♫

 

 

[SasaS]

How does he have any more of a right to refuse his own anthem over someone else's???? Anyone has a god given right to refuse anything they don't believe in.

You lost me there a bit, how do you "not believe" in someone elses anthem? You may have a right to refuse anything which you are asked to accept, you cannot turn down an invitation you haven't recieved. You cannot go to France and start arguing they should drop their anthem because it's is a bit gory. I mean you can, but....