James McClean reveals one regret from poppy saga and why he will never forgive Sunderland

James McClean has a few things he would like to set straight. The Ireland international sat down with talkSPORT’s Jim White to reflect on his long-standing refusal to wear the poppy and the backlash he faced in English football because of it. McClean has maintained that he would wear the poppy if it only represented victims of World War One and World War Two. But as a man from Derry, where 14 unarmed civilians were killed on ‘Bloody Sunday’ in 1972, he does not support the Royal British Legion’s broader and more universal appeal. Six of the victims were specifically from Creggan, where McClean grew up surrounded by the Troubles in the nineties. The Royal British Legion has historically backed McClean, as it did when ex-Manchester United, Chelsea and Serbia midfielder Nemanja Matic opted against wearing the poppy in 2018 . However, a large number of English football fans have always seen it differently, with McClean subjected to widespread abuse throughout his career in the Premier League and the EFL. The hostility peaked in 2020 when McClean, then at Stoke City, posted a photo of what he described as a ‘history lesson’ with his kids while dressed in a balaclava – a not-so-subtle nod to Irish Republican Army violence. He told talkSPORT: “Would I put it on social media [today]? Absolutely not. That’s the only regret. “I knew there would have been certain elements of backlash. Did I know it was going to be as big as it was? Naively, no. “I thought it would have been taken for what it was. It was a joke. It was supposed to be a joke. “And I get the insensitivity in thinking that. But for people to genuinely believe that I sat there and actually educated my children on politics is insane. “I captured it as a history lesson because of the whole homeschooling [during the pandemic]. So I thought it was funny. “Quite clearly, to a lot of people, it wasn’t funny. And putting it on social media wasn’t funny. “And I took the blows from it. And rightly so.” Sunderland criticised by McClean McClean holds Sunderland responsible for exacerbating the issue surrounding his decision on the poppy and failing to protect him. The Black Cats published a statement explaining McClean’s stance in November 2012, while insisting it did not represent the club’s values. It read: “As a club, SAFC wholeheartedly supports the Remembrance commemorations. It was James’ personal choice not to wear a shirt on this occasion.” A threat was made on his life days later before a trip to face Fulham at Craven Cottage. “They just completely distanced themselves,” McClean said. “I just turned 23. So my belief was that Sunderland had a duty to care and they would look after me. There was no reason for me not to think that. “My view to this day is that statement made it a much bigger story than it was – because straight away it just put all eyes on the game and put all eyes on me. “We wore red and white. Realistically, if that statement doesn’t go out, who’s going to be looking? “Not a lot of people would have noticed. Why couldn’t that have been an in-house thing?” When asked about Sunderland fans booing him, McClean responded: “This is what I mean when I say Sunderland hung me out to dry. “I was 23, so I was still young and naive. Even to this day, I don’t know anything. “For them not to protect me and put that statement out… then when I wanted to address the situation like I eventually got to at Wigan – they wouldn’t let me. “They kept telling me it would blow over. Don’t say anything. That made it 10 times worse. “Looking back, would I have pushed more to make a statement? 100 per cent. But I thought they had my best interests at heart. They didn’t. They had their best interests at heart.” When asked whether he forgives Sunderland for the statement, McClean said: “No I don’t. That year was hell. It was just me and my wife, we were bringing a young baby into the world, that was not a good year. “But I’m a lot more resilient for it.” Why does McClean not wear a poppy? The 37-year-old, who recently left Derry City by mutual consent , reaffirmed his position on the poppy during the interview. He said: “The Royal British Legion states quite clearly [the poppy] is for all the fallen and all conflicts. Now, the conflict that happened in the north of Ireland… there was a lot of bloodshed by the British Army. “As did the IRA, by the way, I’m not sitting here and saying they were angels, but there was no IRA without the British Army. Let’s make that very clear. “So the atrocities that the British Army carried out in my hometown and through the north of Ireland.. you’re basically asking me to wear a symbol to basically commemorate them. “Any sane person over here wouldn’t wear a symbol to commemorate the patriotic dead of Ireland. It just wouldn’t happen. “So when you put it in black and white like that, I don’t understand why there was such an uproar and why there is to this day.”