Neil Lennon, Martyn O’Neill and Rory McIllroy would disagree I reckon with his sentiments
Bit like McIllroy, McClean should have kept his mouth closed about this shite as he is coming across as quite a mong. No-one forced him to play with Norn Iron underage but play for them he did. He shouldnt try to speak for all Catholics either as many have no problem representing OWC like his club manager. He has had a
whirlwind few months and now is judge and jury on Catholics in Norn Iron. Give it a rest pal.
Eh, why would Neil Lennon disagree? Wasn’t he hounded out and the subject of death threats due to being a Catholic? The majority of players who play for the O6 use the national side as a method of furthering their careers. If O’Neill and Lennon had the choice of playing for the 32 then I’m sure they would have but they couldn’t as rules didn’t allow them back then. McClean pretty much states in the rest of the article that he used the O6 to further his careers, it wasn’t that Catholics shouldn’t play for them, it’s that Catholics shouldn’t enjoy playing for them. Ever since Gibson set the train in motion we’ve had lads turning over at every opportunity.
Lennon et all could have declared for the 26 county team as others have referred to it. Once like Alan Kernaghan…shudder… one of their grandparents was born before partition they could legitimately declare for the ROI. Lennon et al could have said that anthem, the sectarian
fans, Windsor Park etc was too much and playing for NI wasn’t an option. But Lennon and
arguably McClean saw playing for NI as a step up. They were willing to put up with the shit then to get themselves in the shop window. I think it’s extremely disengenous for McClean to be harping on about how bad it was now he has
been given a chance with the A team.
The opportunity was always there for players from NI to play for the ROI. I’m not even sure why Gibson is seen as a landmark cases. I’d much prefer if McClean left religion out of his at best ill advised outbursts. McCourt, McGinn, Baird and Clingan continue to play for NI. Who is he to be telling them who they should or shouldn’t be playing for.
I’d argue though KiB that’s it not so much religion as Republicanism. I doubt very much McClean is a keen mass-goer. I think he’d just prefer if the Brits fucked off back to Britain and left Ireland to the Irish. As Paul McCartney once sang.
Good to see the FAI using the proper BDO-endorsed Winmau board. This is an encouraging pointer that the very best standards of preparation, recreation, accommodation, nutrition and support will be provided for the team, just as they were in 2002.
Let’s hope that on this occasion, there won’t be any disloyal, dishonourable, traitorous PDC-style deserters from the camp.
Since Gibson used the GFA to switch, a fair proportion of high profile young Catholic footballers have followed suit - Wilson, McClean, Duffy, Kearns, George and they will continue to do so. Even Niall McGinn said recently he’s a 32 fan, those who are good enough will play for the 32, those who aren’t may decide to play for the O6 in order to further their careers. McClean said Catholics don’t feel comfortable playing for the O6 and you use Lennon as an example of a man who was - a man who has booed, heckled with sectarian taunts and received death threats while playing for the O6? You will see very few young Catholics choose the O6 over the 32 now, the precedent has been set and it’s an easy choice to make for those who believe they are good enough.
Those in the six county hamlet in the north east of the island would be better off realising that
religion of all forms is a load of bollocks
if London stopped funding overnight, the little hamlet would turn into an economic Albania
The more morons like McClean pontificate the less chance there is of the likes of Evans, Davis etc playing for one side . Imagine the impact of one national sports team would have on cross border relations
I’m not going to lose any sleep over Evans and Davis. It’s up to them if they want to play for the 32 or not, to each their own. McClean gave his take on the matter, something which I think was very true, you seem to be getting your knickers in a twist because you’re a fervent partitionist who is worried about the upcoming Ulster domination of the 32 county select.
Gibson didn’t need any GFA to switch though. Kernaghan is a prime example but Kerr had a load of lads from NI playing for him underage, some Crossley lad from Belfast if I recall correctly. I think, someone can correct me if I’m wrong, that Gibson’s switch was noteworthy only because he did so as an Irish citizen under the terms of the GFA. But he could have switched anyway as countless others before had done
The fervent partitionist on the site is you my friend which is why I find your support of the hated Free State football team hilarious
Other free state/26 county haters like Bandage and Sid well and truly on the bandwagon now too. Although to be fair Bandage did jump on about three games into Trap’s reign.
Religion IS a load of bollocks. But there will never be an all-ireland team until all those Brit cunts who paint their kerbsides blue white and red die out or are driven out. A simple bus-ride to Belfast can tell anyone all they need to know about the divisions, and they’ll be there for too long a time yet. But, personally, I don’t really give a fuck much so long as Republicans aren’t suffering civil rights abuses and Irishmen like McClean and Gibson can come and play for us.
Why do you think football will stay partitioned?The likes of Paddy Barnes and Wayne McCullough won medals for Ireland without issue. Golf is a 32 county sport.
Football is the most tribalistic game in the world. There’s about a million examples of pure hatred between sets of fans with no religion no border no nothing separating them.
The James McClean situation seems to pose a real problem for EPL loving partitionists like KIB man. Ordinarily they’d be creaming themselves over a player making waves in England’s top flight but his Derry background and comments about the O6 team appear to be too much for some. There’s even a thread over on boards.ie where people are saying they don’t like him now because of his recent tweets. :lol: