James McClean has been the victim of sectarian abuse for several years now. The abuse initially started after he refused to wear a poppy for remembrance day, however other Premier League footballers such as Nemanja Matić have done the same but not received half the amount of abuse that James McClean has been subjected to.

During this time, public support from many of his international teammates has been minimal.

McClean was subject to further abuse yesterday, posting a series of abusive messages he received on Instagram from a particular user.

Within the series of messages the user included personal threats to both McClean and his family among a litany of sectarian/xenophobic abuse.

Current Irish international goalkeeper Darren Randolph and former Irish international David Meyler have today come out in support of their compatriot. Irish boxer Tyrone McKenna and senior Ireland women’s international Leanne Kiernan have also offered their support among others.

David Meyler sent a tweet denouncing the abuse directed at James McClean, also questioning the silence of various media outlets on the issue.

I’m actually lost for words looking at James McClean’s Instagram. The amount of death threats & abuse he receives daily is shocking & yet it’s never mentioned anywhere by any media outlet. When will it stop? And when will these people be held responsible? This isn’t acceptable!

— DM (@DavidMeyler) FEBRUARY 15, 2021

Darren Randolph, opted for a more direct approach, tagging a particular British media outlet and adding “Anybody gonna act or look into this!?”.

The abuse comes just days after McClean posted on Instagram regarding the lack of support he’s received over the years.

“So much coverage this past couple weeks about discrimination and the condemnation of it across media outlets, players, ex players etc. which is great to see because it’s wrong and idiots should be held responsible for their actions and words as nobody should be subjected to that,” he wrote.

“Make no mistake about it or to take anything away from that but just to pose the question really, racism, gender, ethnic.. the list of discrimination that goes on is unacceptable right, my question is here… does being abused for being Irish and anti-Irish abuse acceptable?

“I have highlighted the abuse publicly on social media recently and the silence from everyone is deafening!”

The FAI have also offered support to McClean over the continued abuse.

“The FAI remains committed to safeguarding all of our players against any form of abuse on any social media platform. To abuse or threaten James or any player because of his nationality should not be tolerated by society. Unfortunately, such behaviour is all too common now on social media,” they commented in a statement.

“The latest incident involving James and his family highlights how important this work is and why football needs to take action.

“In recent times many of our players have been victims of social media abuse, hate speech and threats including Jonathan Afolabi, Cyrus Christie and James. It is not acceptable and I will assure James of our full support as he deals with this.”

A number of professional footballers have since offered their support including Robbie Keane, Paul McGrath, Katie McCabe and Conor Hourihane.

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The FAI have confirmed that Matt Doherty and James McClean have tested positive for Covid-19. This comes just one day after they started against Wales. “The rest and the staff and squad tested negative ahead of the flight back to Dublin this morning”, the FAI announced earlier today.

The exclusion of Doherty and McClean only adds to the growing list of Ireland absentees. There’s now an unprecedented number of players unavailable for Wednesday’s fixture and relegation decider against Bulgaria.

Jeff Hendrick and Jayson Molumby are suspended for the match as a result of their bookings on Tuesday. Alan Browne and Callum Robinson previously tested positive for Covid-19, meaning they’ll miss out. Injuries have also ruled a handful of players out including; Enda Stevens, Aaron Connolly, Séamus Coleman, John Egan, Adam Idah and Harry Arter. James McCarthy also withdrew from the squad due to personal issues.

Stephen Kenny will now have to work with an even more depleted squad as he looks to gather his first win as Ireland boss.

Ireland squad against Bulgaria:

Goalkeepers: Darren Randolph (West Ham United), Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (AFC Bournemouth)

Defenders: Kevin Long (Burnley), Shane Duffy (Celtic, on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion), Dara O’Shea (West Bromwich Albion), Cyrus Christie (Nottingham Forest, on loan from Fulham), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle United), Darragh Lenihan (Blackburn Rovers), Ryan Manning (Swansea City).

Midfielders: Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), Robbie Brady (Burnley), Jack Byrne (Shamrock Rovers), Jason Knight (Derby County), Josh Cullen (Anderlecht), Aaron McEneff (Shamrock Rovers), Jack Taylor (Peterborough United).

Attackers: Graham Burke (Shamrock Rovers, on loan from Preston North End), James Collins (Luton Town), Ronan Curtis (Portsmouth), Callum O’Dowda (Bristol City), Daryl Horgan (Wycombe Wanderers), Sean Maguire (Preston North End), Troy Parrott (Millwall, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur).

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Another quiet weekend for the Irish lads in the Premier League. Enda Stevens, John Egan, Kevin Long, Jeff Hendrick and Matt Doherty all started for their respective clubs. Ciaran Clark returned from injury to take a seat on Newcastle’s bench whilst Aaron Connolly didn’t make the cut for Brighton as Graham Potter left him out of the match day squad.

Championship

James McClean bagged his second goal in three games as Stoke City beat Rotherham United by one goal to nil. McClean raced through on goal and cleverly dinked the ball over the keeper to give his team the lead.  The Derryman is doing no harm to his chances of occupying the left wing spot in Stephen Kenny’s 4-3-3 formation. Especially with Aaron Connolly struggling for game time at Brighton in recent weeks.

Daryl Horgan started on the right wing as Wycombe Wanderers got their first win of the season, overcoming bottom of the table Sheffield Wednesday.

Millwall continue without Troy Parrott, and struggled for goals as they lost 3-0 to Huddersfield Town. After the defeat Millwall boss Gary Rowett provided an update on Parrott’s injury, stating “he’s not far off being back” whilst also expressing his reluctance with the idea of the young Irish striker heading away with the national team for November’s fixtures. Stephen Kenny is set to announce his squad this Thursday, November 5^th.

League 1

Here's your EFL TOTW!

Powered by @WhoScored ratings.#EFL pic.twitter.com/Xi8Bp9NGJZ

— EFL (@EFL) November 1, 2020

Down in League 1, Ireland’s representatives are setting the division alight. Midfielder Jack Taylor made the EFL team of the week after he scored in Peterborough’s 5-1 hammering of Shrewsbury Town. Taylor won’t be a new name on Stephen Kenny’s radar. The former Chelsea academy player made his debut for Ireland U-21’s under Kenny in 2019 at the Toulon Tournament. Peterborough are joint top of the league with Ipswich Town and Lincoln City. Alan Judge set up the winning goal as Ipswich beat Crewe Alexandra.

Meanwhile, former Bohemians defender Warren O’Hora has impressed at MK Dons having made a loan move to the League 1 side from his parent club Brighton.

Defender @HoraWarren completed every one of his 72 passes in Saturday’s draw with AFC Wimbledon.

He leads League One players with a 95.13% pass accuracy, among those who have attempted more than 200 passes. pic.twitter.com/VaBcPBNkpx

— MK Dons (@MKDonsFC) November 2, 2020

In Scotland, Shane Duffy started and played his part in keeping a clean sheet as Celtic progressed to the Scottish Cup final, defeating Aberdeen 2-0 in the semi-final.

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Firstly to Anfield where John Egan and co failed, despite their best efforts, to hang onto the draw as Sheffield United narrowly lost to champions Liverpool. Egan and fellow international Enda Stevens had a front four of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah to contest with. After taking an early lead, the Blades went home with nothing to show for in spite of Egan’s best efforts.

A captain's performance.

Some vital interceptions from John Egan last night pic.twitter.com/UaG50PfOOl

— Sheffield United (@SheffieldUnited) October 25, 2020

At the Amex Stadium on Monday night, West Bromwich Albion grabbed a late equaliser against Brighton Hove Albion. Callum Robinson came off the bench to set up Karlan Grant for his first goal for the Baggies. Dara O’Shea missed the game with a suspected ankle injury.

Championship

Here's your #SkyBetChampionship Team of the Week, powered by @WhoScored ratings!#EFL pic.twitter.com/RqZQyPS9xl

— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) October 26, 2020

Both James McClean and Alan Browne made the Whoscored.com ‘Team of the Week’. Michael O’Neill’s Stoke City team gained all three points after an impressive performance against Brentford. James McClean put in a man of the match display with a goal and assist as his team won 3-2. At the back, Nathan Collins continued his run in the team. He will have one eye on the Irish senior squad as we head towards the World Cup qualifiers next year.

Preston North End also enjoyed a successful Saturday afternoon thanks to an Alan Browne brace. Browne’s performance against Slovakia in Ireland’s play-off game drew some criticism after he missed a couple of crucial chances. Two goals for the Irishman was the perfect way to respond to the critics. His first goal was a well-placed finish into the corner of the net, his second a cheeky dink over the keeper with his back to goal.

Every angle of the goal that sparked the comeback yesterday!

What a finish from @Alan__Browne!

Highlights will be available later today. https://t.co/TrIjTrEoIW#pnefc pic.twitter.com/0WdPte4DzB

— Preston North End FC (@pnefc) October 25, 2020

Elsewhere in the Championship, Adam Idah saw red in Norwich City’s 2-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers. Blackburn Rovers thrashed Coventry City 4-0 as Irish pair Darragh Lenihan and Derrick Williams claimed a clean sheet. Williams in particular has impressed his manager Tony Mowbray so far this season.

Boss impressed with Williams' fine form#Rovers

— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) October 26, 2020

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Stephen Kenny’s reign had not gone to plan prior to facing Wales. Having failed to pick up a win against Finland, Bulgaria and Slovakia, some Irish fans had begun doubting his credentials already.  Kenny was afforded no favours after no less than 5 players were sidelined due to a positive test in the Irish camp. Combine this with the other 4 players out of contention and Ireland would have a matchday squad of just 18 players. The circumstances surrounding the Ireland camp and Aaron Ramsey’s return meant that Wales were the firm bookies favourite. Despite this, Ireland produced an impressive performance in which they controlled possession and produced some tidy attacking moves.

Although it was 0-0, it wasn’t a drab affair. Both teams played good football at times without creating too many chances. Stephen Kenny will no doubt be pleased by the performance, especially given the circumstances surrounding the match.

As things stand, Kenny’s men are currently third in the Nations League table, but a win for Bulgaria against Finland would push Ireland to the bottom of the table. The campaign is far from over with three further games still yet to be played, though. It looks like Wales will finish as group winners, but Ireland could still finish in a respectable position given results go their way. They will be hoping to close out the international break with a win against Finland on Wednesday.

Here are our player ratings from tonight’s performance:

IRISH PLAYER RATINGS

DARREN RANDOLPH – 7

Randolph produced a solid display as usual. He was stagnant for the most part as Ireland contained Wales and kept possession comfortably, but when he was needed, he delivered.

He produced a good save on 26 minutes to keep the score at 0-0 but otherwise had very little to do in the first half. He had Irish fans holding their breath at one stage as he dropped the ball after collecting from a corner. Fortunately though, he received a free kick after a collision with Ethan Ampadu. He had little to do in the second half as Ireland continued to control the flow of the game, only making one save from a David Brooks attempt.

MATT DOHERTY – 8

Doherty slotted in at right back to start the game, but just after 20 minutes he would assume the unfamiliar role of centre back. He made a couple positive runs without reward before he was forced into changing position.

He led by example at centre back despite not being natural in the position. He made some important challenges to regain possession and his positional play was up to the mark as he held a good line with the rest of the back four. He swept up several opposition passes and disrupted Welsh attacking moves with ease.

This was arguably Doherty’s best performance in an Ireland shirt and he will have certainly impressed Stephen Kenny after a poor showing against Slovakia.

SHANE DUFFY – 7

Duffy produced another good display at the back which has become the norm over recent years. He consistently provided a problem at set pieces in the first half as he looked to latch onto Robbie Brady’s deliveries.

He was reassured defensively throughout. He made a crucial defensive header towards the end of the match after a quality Welsh cross. Other than a few misplaced passes, Duffy was once again colossal at the back.

KEVIN LONG – 6

It was over a year since Long had played a match for Ireland before today, but his appearance was to be short lived. He was taken off 24 minutes into the game as he sustained a nasty swell above his left eye after an accidental elbow from Welsh target man, Kieffer Moore. Long will be disappointed to have been forced off early but he certainly made an impression while on the pitch. He proved to be very comfortable on the ball and won all of his 50/50s before his unfortunate injury.

ENDA STEVENS – 7

Stevens had a quiet game for the most part. He was good defensively but didn’t provide much in terms of going forward for the majority of the match.

He did however create the best chance of the game with a looping cross into Shane Long, which the latter unfortunately missed.

CONOR HOURIHANE – 6

Hourihane put in a solid performance in the middle of the park without being outstanding. He was accurate in his passing and switched play well at times, but he assumed a deeper role in the absence of James McCarthy. He often collected the ball in his own half instead of operating further up the pitch.

He delivered an excellent ball into the box from a set piece towards the end of the first half but failed to provide a threat in the second 45.

JAYSON MOLUMBY – 7

Jayson Molumby came in for James McCarthy in what was his second senior international appearance. He took his opportunity well in what was a tireless display before he was subbed off towards the end of the match.

He carried the ball well on several occasions and recycled the ball with efficiency. Although he wasn’t as involved in the second half, but still managed to provide much needed energy in midfield. He often dropped deep when defending and provided reliable cover for Cyrus Christie at right back. He’s certainly one for the future.

JEFF HENDRICK – 7

Jeff Hendrick started the match in an advanced midfield position, leaving Molumby and Hourihane to drop deep and do the dirty work.

He had a quiet first half and failed to influence proceeding, often playing sideways or backwards passes. He was more positive in the second half, playing a more progressive game by carrying the ball and looking for forward passes. He was involved in some impressive attacking sequences and can be happy with his second half performance, even if his attempts didn’t always come off.

ROBBIE BRADY – 7

Brady appears to be back to his best for Ireland after a frustrating few years with injuries. He came in on the right wing after Callum Robinson had been sidelined and he has every reason to be happy with his performance.

He was particularly excellent in the first half, consistently threatening the Welsh defence in open play and dead ball situations. He had one of Ireland’s best chances of the game after being gifted the ball from a misplaced pass before striking wide with inches separating the ball and the net.

After his brilliant first half display, Brady was quiet in the second half and was subbed off with 73 minutes played.

JAMES MCCLEAN – 5

James McClean started his second Ireland game in a row on the left after Aaron Connolly remained out of action.

He had a relatively quiet game before being sent off in the 82^nd minute for a rash challenge which earned him a second yellow card.

SHANE LONG – 5

Shane Long received a rare start for Ireland after David McGoldrick was sidelined.

Always a willing runner, Long was impressive at times in his pressing of the Welsh backline. He failed to impress in front of goal, however, missing the best chance of the game after a precise cross from Enda Stevens.

He was very quiet before being replaced by Sean Maguire on 73 minutes.

SUBS

CYRUS CHRISTIE – 7

A third choice right back for the national team these days, Christie made a rare appearance after being subbed on for the injured Kevin Long.

He gradually got better as the game progressed. After an unimpressive first half, Christie played well in the second. He was assured defensively without providing much threat going forward. He made one brilliant interception which would eventually lead to an Ireland chance. Overall, it was solid performance from the man on loan at Nottingham Forest.

DARYL HORGAN – 6

After coming on for Robbie Brady in the 73^rd minute, Horgan had one of the best chances of the game. He met a James McClean cross with his head which bounced off a Welsh defender into Horgan’s feet, but he blasted over the crossbar at the second opportunity. He carried the ball fairly well at times but failed to create any chances.

SEAN MAGUIRE – 6

Maguire came on for Shane Long in the 73^rd minute to try and make his mark on the game. He showed a series of tidy touches towards the end of the match and produced a line breaking pass into Daryl Horgan’s feet, but the latter failed to capitalize. Otherwise, it was a quiet cameo by the Preston man.

JOSH CULLEN – N/A

Cullen didn’t have enough time on the pitch to make an impact.

MAN OF THE MATCH – MATT DOHERTY

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Stoke, nicknamed the Potters had a poor enough season in the Championship this season failing to build the previous season. The Potters finished 15th this season. They were well clear of the relegation zone. The Derry native had a good campaign in Staffordshire, scoring 7 goals in 36 league appearances.

Macca’s numbers for the season.

A deserving winner #SCFC pic.twitter.com/5GCkRKwSnh

— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) August 5, 2020

He released a statement confirming the news on the clubs website. He said, “I just want to say firstly how proud I am to pick up the club’s Player of the Year award,”. He went on to thank the fans for their support throughout the whole season. He said, “I would like to thank the fans for their support throughout the whole season and their votes. I will work extremely hard to try to emulate and better myself next season.” The form of McClean is sure to be a boost for the Republic of Ireland who are in Nations League action next month. Stephen Kenny will be thrilled that’s for sure.

The man himself has a message for you, Potters #SCFC pic.twitter.com/fbQ0u538af

— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) August 5, 2020

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