McClean says Remembrance week hate turned him inward, and now even his home club feels like a fight

The story

James McClean has 103 caps for the Republic of Ireland and more than a decade in English football behind him. What he wants people to hear now is how the yearly Remembrance row reshaped him, and why a supposed fairytale return to Derry City has soured so fast. In a long interview tied to his book The Walls, McClean says refusing the poppy was never a debate for him. He grew up in Creggan, where Bloody Sunday still sits close to family memory, and he says he can honour war dead without wearing a symbol he links to the British army in his city. The backlash, he says, brought death threats, police outside his hotel room, and years of online poison that left him less trusting and more withdrawn. He is 37, out of the Derry first team since July, and openly at odds with the club ownership over how he has been treated. He still talks about boxing for Misfits once his contract ends, calling it a fresh reason to train. The club says it has tried to keep a medical dispute private and rejects any claim that promises to him were broken.