Please name specific footballers/countries of origin you think have equal cause to be disdainful of the English flag as Derry-born and raised James McClean in the context of the 1972 "Bloody Sunday" where British soldiers shot more than 2 dozen unarmed Northern Irish protestors

e.g.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody...1972)#The_dead

I have never worn a poppy in my life. I must be some sort of idiot.

If you dont want to observe the anthem thats fine, lol anyone getting nickers in a twist about it.

Exactly.

The looks I get when I suggest the Royal family are an embarrassing archaic institution that anyone in a modern democracy should be fully ashamed of though.

"Then why do you live here?".....

Thanks, exactly what I was looking for.

Yep, a straight google or youtube search brought a daunting number of sources obviously. I think with something so contentious there was a decent chance that picking one at random would result in getting something bad/biased/propaganda-y.

Didn't mean to derail or anything but seemed like some here could point me in the right direction (as bandit did).

Thanks...

Punking a 79 year old man for publicity is pretty pathetic IMO.

I really hate his stand up but can't deny he is brilliant at this kind of thing.


Edit: find it a little less funny hearing the audio and the North Korea 2026 stuff.

No-selling the anthem is fine. Turning your back is pretty much going out of your way to be disrespectful. "Amma move to England, then make a conspicuous display of anti-Englishness in front of thousands of English people." What an attention seeking tube. Send him to London Tower for a few nights of solitary confinement, force him to listen to Bucks Fizz greatest hits on repeat, then sell him to Celtic where he can be hero worshipped by the Green brigades whilst playing against pub teams week in week out.

James McLean showing complete lack of respect - skip to :22

I was referring to everyone, regardless of their country when another countries national anthem is on as a professional athlete you stand there you don't turn your back on it. It happens in all sports, not just football. Even if you hate the **** that's just beat you and his country you still stand there.

Not what I was referring too. He's refused to wear the football shirts with poppys on them before.

Usually I'd agree with you but this isn't any old 79 year old man we're talking about here. The fact that there now exists a photo of Blatter with cash raining down on him is fantastic.

Anthem related bad things - i

0) I much prefer you all when you are making loveable idiots of yourselves about your sad football allegiances than when you are unloveable politarding idiots

1) lol-USA and their #1-incredible-gaucheness in needing to have their national anthem played before every single club game

2) leading, presumably, to US teams playing the Canadian anthem whenever the Raptors/Blue Jays/NHL teams/... play

3) leading, the Canucks being polite and playing the lol-USA anthem before intra-continental club games

4) leading to 2nd div US football clubs thinking it is 'honoring' their overseas visitors to play an associated national anthem before a friendly

5) but being ignorant american not understanding the fact that if you wanted to 'honor' WBA you'ld play 'The Liquidator' [and yeah, wulfs and ghwchelskis can take an argument about whose grandad first skinhead moonstompted to some other thread] instead

6) the horrific trash that the UK national anthem is - lyrically - you have to be a really bizarre person to think that symbolizes your country well

6a) in spades for those of us who are republicans

7) the abuse of England teams in using the (piss-poor) UK anthem as an 'England' anthem

so I should feel sorry for Blatter for being....punked? LOL

I'd imagine it'll be anti British before anti English and the Celtic heirarchy are as conservative as they come so they wouldn't touch James with a barge pole.

Only Irish attention seekers that deserve the Tower?

Dick

Anthem related bad things - ii

1) I think people in general are relatively sympathetic to McLean's sticking to his views over poppies - even if many don't agree with the views themselves

2) Poppies are increasingly used, on the ground, as part the army's recruitment drives and PR efforts in favour of the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.

3) Which are equivocations

4) I defend anyone's right to not sing, respect, w/e, an anthem they don't want to.

5) However, because of his anthem-actions and the club he is now playing for, at some point - and I imagine in the near future - McLean is going to be faced with questions about his attitude to the IRA and the Birmingham Pub Bombings.

6) If Pulis is smart he will ban McLean from speaking to the media in any context.

Blatter prank and ensuing vines/pics are the best. Don't see how anyone could possibly think otherwise

Lol wtf has the Birmingham bombing got to do with McClean? He'll laugh that off straight away and maybe mention the Birmingham 6 then the reporter will stfu.

No chance he gets asked about that specific incident.

Russian?

I'm sorry, Marty, I disagree. He's heading straight for that question/confrontation.

~200 people being bombed does not equate to 6 people being unjustly imprisoned - and even if it did it's all in the minds of the perceivers - in the West Midlands that's not something he can laugh off.

[edit] Anyway - that's too much skirting-around-politarding for me for one day so I'm out.

the 12yo son of one of my parents' close friends was blown to pieces by an IRA bomb in a shopping centre, so I'm less sympathetic than most to Irish politarding. But if I got a well-paid job in Ireland (or any other country, for that matter) that had the occasional consequence of my being required to stand in silence as their national anthem were played, I'd suck it up pretty easily.

Don't mean to belittle the bombing at all.

Sad if that's what you think is next for him.

LO my friend was shot in the back by two British soldiers, the two ****ers got life imprisonment only to be released after 6 years back into the British army. My community is littered with stories like this and I'm sure it's the same for McClean.

Yeah I'm not sure what response you are expecting tbh