Wrexham manager James McLean criticized Shrewsbury, calling it a “cesspit full of inbreds” after facing verbal abuse from fans during a League One match. McLean, known for his refusal to wear a poppy on Memorial Day due to its associations with British conflicts, has been a controversial figure, previously locking arms for a moment of silence and expressing that he cannot wear symbols representing his birthplace’s history. The incident reflects ongoing tensions in the rivalry, with video evidence showing McLean confronted by the crowd, leading to security intervention. Wrexham’s manager stated that McLean is accustomed to such hostility.
Manager James McLean has accused Shrewsbury of being a “sewage trench full of like-minded people” after he was the target of verbal abuse from fans during Wrexham’s League One game against Shrewsbury this week.
Irishman McLean has made headlines for years for refusing to wear a poppy on Memorial Day, but he also locked arms with teammates during a moment of silence last year. He also refused to join.
He has repeatedly attempted to explain the logic behind his reasoning, recently stating:
“If the poppy simply depicted the victims of World War I and II, I would have no problem wearing it. If that were true, I would wear it every day of the year.” But I don’t. It represents all the conflicts that Britain has been involved in. I can’t wear anything that represents that because of the history that I was born in Derry.”
As a result, he was often targeted by opposing fans when playing for Wrexham in England’s Pyramids, and things appeared to boil over during the team’s loss to Shrewsbury on Thursday.
A video showing him being the target of verbal abuse during a match suggests a rivalry of sorts, as Wales and England are less than an hour’s drive from each other on either side of the border. It is also sometimes called the “ta derby”. The remarks went viral and the 35-year-old hit back in brutal fashion on social media.
Ireland’s Wrexham star James McLean called Shrewsbury an “absolute cesspit full of inbreds” on social media
MacLean is often targeted by fans for his stance on various England-related matters, including refusing to wear poppies.
The Wrexham star stood apart from his team-mates to observe a moment of silence ahead of Remembrance Day last year.
“To be fair, if I was born and raised in Shrewsbury, I’d probably be just as angry because it’s an absolute sewage swamp of inbreeding,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories. Ta.
MacLean’s home town was the scene of the infamous Bloody Sunday massacre in 1972 and the controversial Wrexham star believes poppies are disrespectful to the memory of those who died in the incident. .
In September, he clashed with a Birmingham City supporter during a substitute, then called a fan who caught a Bovril cup thrown at him a “stinky fatgammon”.
In the aftermath of the match, MacLean paid tribute to the former IRA fighter in an Instagram post, saying: “They have nothing in the Imperial arsenal that can crush the Irish spirit, which does not want to be broken. None,” he said.
He also once posed in an IRA style wearing a balaclava in front of children during a “school history lesson” during the coronavirus pandemic. He later admitted regret.
Other incidents included players turning their backs during the British national anthem and saluting fans who sang “I hate the King.”
MacLean, who was born in Northern Ireland, has played in England since signing for Sunderland in 2011.
He joined Rob McElhenny and Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham in 2023 after spells at Wigan, West Brom and Stoke. He also represented Northern Ireland at youth level and has over 100 caps for the Republic of Ireland national team.
McLean confronted the crowd at the match against Shrewsbury and was then stopped by security.
Mr MacLean said he regretted “jokingly” posting a controversial photo of himself homeschooling his children in balaclavas during lockdown, which was interpreted as a reference to the IRA. admitted that there is
McLean has been known to sometimes respond to fan jeers by taunting him back, and there were reports that objects were thrown at him during the midweek derby game.
A video of MacLean on the receiving end of a powerful tackle from Toto Nsiala also went viral, showing MacLean confronting the crowd before security intervened.
After the game, Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said: “He’s fine.” James is used to it wherever he goes.
“The fans get on his back, home and away, and sometimes it’s tough and spills over, but he’s used to it.”
