James McClean branded Shrewsbury a “cesspool full of inbreds” after being abused by the club's fans during Wrexham's League One clash with the team this week.
Ireland's McClean has been in the news for several years for his refusal to wear a poppy around Remembrance Day, while he also refused to link arms with his team-mates during a minute's silence last year.
He has made several attempts to try to explain the logic behind his reasoning, most recently saying: “People say I'm being disrespectful, but don't ask why I choose not to use it.”
'If the poppy was simply about the victims of the First and Second World Wars, I would use it without a problem. I would wear it every day of the year if that were the question, but it isn't. It represents all the conflicts in which Britain has been involved. Because of the history of where I come from in Derry, I can't wear something that represents that.”
As a result, he is often targeted by rival fans when playing for Wrexham in the English pyramid, and things seemed to boil over on Thursday during his team's defeat to Shrewsbury.
A video of him being abused during the match, which is a rivalry of sorts, sometimes billed as the “cross-border derby” because the two venues are less than an hour's drive away on either side of the Welsh border. and England. went viral and the 35-year-old took to social media to hit back in brutal fashion.
Wrexham Irish star James McClean has branded Shrewsbury “an absolute cesspool full of inbreds” on social media.
McClean is often attacked by fans for his stance on a number of things relating to England, including his refusal to wear a poppy.
The Wrexham star stood apart from his team-mates observing a moment of silence ahead of Remembrance Day last year.
“To be fair, if I'd been born and raised in Shrewsbury I'd probably be this angry too because it's an absolute cesspool full of inbreds,” he wrote on his Instagram Story.
McClean's hometown was the site of the infamous 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre and the controversial Wrexham star believes the poppy is disrespectful to the memory of those who died in the incident.
In September, he clashed with Birmingham City fans when he was substituted and then called a fan at the match a “fat, smelly gammon” after catching a cup of Bovril that had been thrown at him.
The aftermath of the game also saw McClean honor a former IRA fighter in an Instagram post saying: “They have nothing in their entire imperial arsenal that can break the spirit of an Irishman who does not want to be broken.”
He also once posed IRA style in a balaclava in front of his children for a 'school history lesson' during Covid. He later admitted his regret.
Other incidents include the player turning his back when the British national anthem was played and waving at fans who chanted that he “hates the King”.
Born in Northern Ireland, McClean has played in England since joining Sunderland in 2011.
He has spells at Wigan, West Brom and Stoke, before joining Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham in 2023. He also has over 100 caps for the Republic of Ireland national team, having played for Northern Ireland at youth level. .
McClean faced the crowd in the clash with Shrewsbury before being detained by security.
McClean admitted he regrets posting a controversial photo of himself in lockdown, “jokingly” homeschooling his children in a balaclava, interpreted as a reference to the IRA.
McClean has occasionally been known to mock fans in response to their booing, but there were reports of objects being thrown at the player during the midweek derby.
A video of him receiving a strong tackle from Toto Nsiala also went viral, with McClean facing the crowd before security intervened.
After the game, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said: “It's fine.” James is used to it wherever he goes.
“The fans are with him at home and away and sometimes it can be difficult and overflow, but he is used to it.”