James McClean Says Poppy Row Made Him a Bit of a Recluse

James McClean says the fallout from refusing to wear the poppy "completely changed me as a person" and left him "a bit of a recluse".

The former Republic of Ireland winger last played for Derry City in July and describes the dispute as "player against owner".

McClean says he has been in contact with Misfits Boxing and wants to fight once his Derry contract expires.

Fourteen Years in England and One Decision That Followed Him Everywhere

James McClean knows how he is seen. "The perception of me is that, basically, I am a madman," he told the Guardian's Donald McRae. "The reality is quite the opposite. I'm pretty boring. I go training, go home and switch off."

The 37-year-old spent 14 years in English football and is now locked in a dispute with his own club, Derry City. He is the fifth-most-capped player in Republic of Ireland history with 103 appearances, and says he is the only footballer from the north of Ireland to win more than 100 caps for Ireland. He played 150 Premier League games over five seasons and about 800 professional matches. "I count that as success and don't look back with regrets," he said.

There is sadness in the story too. McClean says his refusal to wear the poppy when playing around Remembrance Sunday in England scarred his career. He said it had made him "a bit of a recluse" and that "I've been stung bad."

A Club Statement That Put All Eyes on Him

McClean was born in Derry in 1989 and grew up in Creggan, the estate that lost more people than any other on Bloody Sunday in 1972, when 14 unarmed civilians were killed by the British army. Six of the dead were from Creggan. "I grew up in a very Republican community still dealing with the effects of the Troubles," he said. "You would see gunmen on the street."

Steve Bruce signed him for Sunderland in August 2011 when he was 22. He made his Premier League debut that December after Martin O'Neill replaced Bruce, and his first season in England was full of joy and praise. "I never experienced any bother" up until November 2012, he said, when the poppy row began.

McClean told Sunderland he would not wear the poppy as it also represented the British army that had occupied Derry for so long. "Wearing the poppy was just never going to happen," he said. He recalled that the club issued a statement before the game saying it was his personal decision but that the club "wholeheartedly support the poppy appeal". He wanted to make his own statement, he said, but was told the row would die down. "I felt they hung me out to dry."

The next game was at Fulham, live on Sky. McClean said a threat was made that he would be shot if he came on to the pitch, and the night before the game two police officers were assigned to stand outside his door. "The Met police took it seriously and that made it more real," he said. O'Neill brought him on in the second half and every touch was booed by the Fulham and Sunderland supporters.

McClean moved on to Wigan, then West Brom, then Stoke, where he played 111 games between 2018 and 2021, and finally Wrexham from 2023 until earlier this year. The abuse followed him through each poppy season. "My reaction was always to fight fire with fire," he said, and he admits it affected how he played. "There were days where I went looking for the conflict," he said.

Did people understand his stance better by the time he reached Wrexham? "A wee bit, aye," he said. Explaining it to teammates and individuals opened their eyes. "But the overall British population? I don't think so."

McClean rejoined Derry City in January. "I was meant to be coming home for the fairytale ending," he said. His last appearance for the club came in July. "It's not good. It's a player against owner and there's only one winner," he said. "You never think you'll be betrayed by your own so it's painful."

A Derry City spokesman told the Guardian: "The club cannot speak to, or comment on, how James feels." He rejected the suggestion that the club had failed to fulfil any promises made to McClean. Earlier this month McClean said he could not "understand or accept" how he was being treated and that he was fit to play but had been left out of the squad by interim manager Mark Connolly. The club said it had sought to resolve the internal matter privately.

McClean has a plan if his football career is over. He has boxed off and on for 10 years and threw himself into it over the past 18 months. He has been in contact with Misfits Boxing, set up by KSI and the Sauerland brothers, and says they want him to fight. He does not see a professional career in the ring at his age, but three or four fights a year would suit him. "Boxing is giving me that purpose to wake up and train hard," he said. Asked how he feels about a possible end to his football career, he smiled. "It could end up a blessing in disguise." His autobiography, The Walls, is published by Sandycove.