FootyChatter.com

By BEN WILLCOCKS, ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR and LUKE POWER, SPORTS REPORTER Published: 04: 19 AEDT, 22 January 2026 | Updated: 05: 34 AEDT, 22 January 2026 86 View comments James Mc Clean bid farewell to English football in a typically controversial fashion by sticking his middle finger up at rival fans during Wrexham's 1-1 draw with Leicester City on Tuesday. The former Republic of Ireland star, who has agreed to return to hometown club Derry City this month after 15 years in English football, was in attendance at the Racecourse Ground as he marked his final appearance in front of the Wrexham crowd. While enjoying a lap of honour at full-time, the 36-year-old footballer, who has been no stranger to controversy during his career, gave a parting shot to rival fans by showing them his middle finger. After footage of the incident quickly went viral on social media, Mc Clean posted a photograph of him performing the offensive gesture on Instagram, with the caption:  'To all the away fans of [sic] the years, f*** you and good riddance. Its [sic] been a laugh. ' Throughout his career, Mc Clean has been targeted by fans over his refusal to wear a poppy on Remembrance Sunday, and it would appear his gesture towards Leicester City fans, who represent the rival supporters in England who have abused him as a result, is directly linked. His hometown, known to Republicans as Derry, was the scene for the infamous 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre, in which British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a protest march, with 14 killed.   WARNING: Graphic images TOP tier James Mc Clean moment ? ?#Wxm AFC pic. twitter. com/0QZx DCDrfp James Mc Clean gave Leicester fans the middle finger as he took to the pitch ahead of Wrexham's game against the Foxes in the Championship Mc Clean's wife says it is a 'huge relief' for their family to finally be leaving England, with the couple moving back to Ireland Mc Clean thus refuses to wear the poppy because he believes it commemorates all British military activity, not just the soldiers of the World Wars. His stance over the years has led to numerous death threats and anti-Irish abuse.   The Irishman, who moved to England when he joined Sunderland in 2011, now hopes to finish his career at Derry City after stepping away from the controversy. Mc Clean's wife, Erin, revealed that the couple felt a 'huge sense of relief' about uprooting their family from their Cheshire home and returning to Northern Ireland, saying the move would allow them to 'close the door' on the abuse they had faced in England.   She told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme: 'It's a mixture of emotions, we are so excited to get home. 'It's something we always wanted to do is settle back. It's just happened a bit quicker than we anticipated. 'We have built a life here for 15 years and made great friends, so we are sad but also excited. 'Pulling the Derry top on again and listening to him in the press conference and stuff, like after, we went out for food and were just walking along the quay and I just couldn't stop smiling. 'I said: "Oh my God, this is it, this is going to be our normal again doing things like this. " Mc Clean has faced regular abuse, and even death threats, for his refusal to wear a poppy and take part in Remembrance Day activities They are leaving their Cheshire home after Mc Clean's move from Wrexham to Derry City 'You miss out on so much being away, weddings and family get-togethers and stuff, knowing now going forward that we'll not have to miss out on anything like that, that's the stuff that means the world to us. ' The duo married in 2016 and they have four children. They have remained living in Cheshire while he has been at Wrexham.   Mc Clean made almost 500 appearances in the English league and cup system, spending five of his seasons in the Premier League with Sunderland and West Brom. His stint with Wrexham was highly successful, as he helped the side climb from League Two and into the Championship, where Phil Parkinson's side are now pushing for a play-off place.   But ever since he first refused to wear the poppy at Sunderland, he has been subjected to abuse.   Last year, he revealed he was making and throwing petrol bombs at the age of 11 and feared he would be shot after refusing to wear a Remembrance Day poppy. In an interview on Living with Lucy in Ireland, Mc Clean spoke in detail about his experiences growing up during a time of conflict. He said: 'There would just be riots here nonstop and you'd be involved in the riots yourself. From the age of 11, 12, 13 - I knew how to make petrol bombs and knew how to throw them and you would. ' Erin says the family are 'closing the door' on the torrent of abuse he has suffered for years  He describes the issue of the poppy as 'a pain in my a***' and it first became a controversy when Mc Clean was at Sunderland. The club released a statement telling fans it was the player's choice not to wear one, leading to a public outcry and even threats on his life. He added: 'At that age, I was 23, so I thought "the club is looking after me". You just assume the club is looking after one of their players. They're telling me not to say nothing, like it will blow over. I'm thinking "I believe you, it will". 'It didn't. It went insane. I was getting death threats, people were saying I should be shot. I was getting bullets in the post, bullets sent to the club. 'That night I met up with Ireland, the club had received threats that basically I was going to be shot. The game was on TV, I was going to be shot, this and that. 'She's (Erin, wife) back up in Newcastle, she's panicking, she's s****ing herself. They had to put security outside my hotel room door the whole night. 'Then obviously we're playing the game, Erin's watching the game, she's panicking, she's thinking 'he's going to be shot on TV'. Thankfully nothing happened or nothing ever has happened. ' Clubs typically sell their Remembrance Day shirts and give the proceeds to the Royal British Legion, while Mc Lean has sold his shirts - without the poppy emblem - and given the money to a children's charity in Ireland. Mc Clean insists his stance is not anti-British or anti-religious and would wear a poppy if it was confined to those who served in World War I and II.

Share what you think

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of Mail Online.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual.   Do you want to automatically post your Mail Online comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to Mail Online as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on Mail Online. To do this we will link your Mail Online account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.