Mike Jenkins - Welsh Poet & Author
  • Mike's Blog
  • New Book!
  • About Mike
  • Contact
  • What's the point?
  • The Climbing Tree
  • The Fugitive Three
  • Publications
  • Red Poets

BOOING  JAMES McCLEAN

10/15/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
   Last Monday Wales were knocked out of the World Cup qualifiers by a single winning goal from the right boot of left-footer James McClean, of the Republic of Ireland.
   McClean's a left-footer in every sense : born and raised in Derry City, he chose to play for the Republic not the North.
   When he scored a few Welsh fans rose and gesticulated wildly.....I even thought for a second there were Irish among us.
   Then I realised their venom was directed at goalscorer McClean of West Brom. During the game a small number of our fans booed him every time he touched the ball.
   He's well used to this and gets it from all visiting fans, though Baggies' ones have made up their own chant about him to the tune of the English anthem!
   It all began when he was playing for Sunderland and carried on at Wigan, when he refused to wear a poppy to commemorate Remembrance Sunday.
   In a letter to Wigan chairman Dave Whelan, McClean said he had total respect for those who fought and died in two World Wars, but his problem was the 'honouring' of soldiers who'd fought in n. Ireland.
   'For me to wear a poppy would be as much a gesture of disrespect for the innocent people who lost their lives in the Troubles...'
   McClean stands alone, and brave, in taking this stand.
   Many innocents were murdered by the British army in that war : mere suspects by SAS in shoot-to-kill, joyriders who'd driven through check-points and many totally uninvolved like Seamus 'Kidso' Reilly, a well-known roadie who worked for the likes of Bananarama.
    Bloody Sunday is certainly the best-known, where civil rights protesters were brutally killed on the streets of Derry.
   If I were a footballer (not likely to happen, I concur) I'd do the same. Not just out of solidarity with the oppressed republican people of the six counties, but also as a statement about the nature of 'honouring' victims of war.
   The many innocent people - and freedom-fighters in colonial wars - who've died as a result of conflicts are not even acknowledged by a symbol ( the red poppy) inextricably linked to the British military.
   It's odd that the poppy-wearing controversy has become so contentious as many sports give it no prominence and even football has adopted it with such vigour only in recent years.
   Both England and Scotland were notoriously fined large amounts by FIFA for wearing and displaying poppies last year and the media were generally horrified at that body calling them 'political'.
   Ironically, the self-same media ready to castigate McClean's refusal as a blatantly political stance!
   Now FIFA's set to lift its ban, so England's up-coming friendly with Germany will see their players ( with  necessary German approval) sporting them. Will they, I wonder, be honouring the dead of Dresden during the 2nd World War?
   It seems likely they'll be an integral part of the kit , which would leave McClean with no choice in the matter.
   I fully agree with the Quakers, who argue that it should be up to individual players whether they wear red poppies, white ones, or none at all.  
   Another element to this came when McClean's club played an American team in a friendly and, for some strange reason, the 'Queen' was played. McClean turned away and bowed his head in what was seen as a gesture of disrespect.
   It provoked DUP's Gregory Campbell into claiming that McClean should quit English football.
   Now, I've many English friends and quite a few are avid republicans who believe that their anthem should be changed. Campbell should realise it's not just the Irish who are against that iniquitous system.
   After Wales' defeat I spoke to one friend, whose only comment was -
' Why did it have to be that idiot who scored?'  
   If anyone's a working-class hero, McClean is; boy from the Creggan who cares enough about the history of his people to stand up and take regular abuse.
   I had a moment after Ireland scored much like I did when Justin Fashanu scored the winner against my beloved Bluebirds, after he'd been the first professional footballer to come out as gay. 
   Against all my affiliations , I sided with the opposition, who had risen above bitter bile from the terraces from those too ignorant to care or find out.


                                     BOOING  McCLEAN


James McClean from Derry City,
at every stadium subject to boo-boys.

Vilified for not wearing a poppy,
not afraid to enter the fray.

Chose the South not six counties,
Irish not British he would say.

Knows the suffering of people of Derry,
knows of the slaughter on Bloody Sunday ;

knows the occupation by a foreign army,
how civil rights protesters were treated so badly.

Allegiance to his own family,
allegiance to his own country.

Irish blood-shed over many centuries,
as Christy Moore would sing defiantly.

When some Welsh booed him that Monday
I thought of Risings, our shared history.

       
    
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.



    Archives

    November 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from johnharveypegg, Dai Lygad, joncandy, victoriapeckham, David Holt London, aeneastudio, fromthevalleys-, Metro Centric, andymag, David Bergin Photography, villunderlondon, @markheybo, joncandy, Martin Pettitt, Between the Shadows, joncandy, johnkell, olivia.barrie, villunderlondon, Lake Worth, MittenStatePhototog, frankieleon, robynejay, joncandy, mcaretaker, Thomas Leuthard, Knight Foundation, joncandy, Joybot, brownpau, Iburiedpaul, villunderlondon, amit_gaur, abegum, simonw92, beeveephoto, Aislinn Ritchie, Shannon Green Photography, joncandy, Nick J Webb, Vish Menon, AberCJ, gcoldironjr2003, joncandy, World Can't Wait, jonl1973, Watt_Dabney, petejam70, Kerndav, MJ Klaver, joncandy, Daquella manera, spratt504, joncandy, ashleigh290, Glyn Lowe Photoworks., afanatochka, r.nial.bradshaw, themendingnews, rikkis_refuge, Matthew Straubmuller, joncandy, onnola, final gather, funktionhouse, marioanima, joncandy, Dai Lygad, joncandy, Guttorm Flatabø, brittreints, garryknight, villunderlondon, wonker, Martin Pettitt, joncandy, tnarik, AJC1, simonw92, wardyboy400, joncandy, Bombardier, joncandy, Cargo Cult, joncandy, joncandy, SeanOConnor2010, Feral78, comedy_nose, Abode of Chaos, mkairishstudies, joncandy, avail, Jörg Weingrill, Gwydion M. Williams, Leshaines123, KiltBear, eisenbahner, Capt' Gorgeous, Francis Storr, New Chemical History, Matthew Black, jc.winkler, Gwenael Kere, Karen Roe