Controversial Wrexham captain James McClean aims savage dig at Rotherham supporters and declares they ‘stink of p*ss’ in social media post after 1-0 win

Outspoken Wrexham captain James McClean took a savage dig at Rotherham supporters after his side’s crucial 1-0 victory on Saturday.

Sam Smith’s second-half winner kept the Hollywood-owned club in the race for promotion to the Championship and wrapped up an afternoon to remember for McClean, who started the game on the bench before being brought on.

After the final whistle, the Irishman took to Instagram to have a pop at the travelling contingent. Sharing a photo of himself celebrating, he wrote a brutal caption which read: ‘Rotherham fans stink of p***, came to the racecourse and got dismissed.’

This isn’t the first time he has taken a shot at a rival club this season.

In January, McClean was urged to apologise by former Premier League referee Keith Hackett after he called Shrewsbury a ‘cesspit full of inbreds’. He and his team-mates had been pelted by objects thrown by the crowd during their FA Cup third-round tie.

McClean, 35, has also drawn the ire of a large section of supporters for his refusal to wear a poppy for Remembrance Day. He stirred further controversy after refusing to link arms with his team-mates during a minute’s silence last year. 

Taking to Instagram on Saturday, McClean said the travelling contingent stank ‘of p***’

He also appeared to motion toward the crowd as he made his way off the Racecourse pitch

He has made several attempts to explain his thinking, and most recently said: ‘People say I am being disrespectful, but don’t ask why I choose not to wear it.

‘If the poppy was about World War One and Two victims alone, I’d wear it without a problem. I would wear it every day of the year if that was the thing but it doesn’t.

‘It stands for all the conflicts that Britain has been involved in. Because of the history where I come from in Derry, I cannot wear something that represents that.’

McClean once posed in an IRA-style balaclava in front of his children for a ‘school history lesson’ during the Covid pandemic. He later admitted his regret. 

Other incidents include him turning his back when the British national anthem was played and saluting fans who sang that he ‘hates the King’. 

Born in Northern Ireland, McClean has played in England since signing for Sunderland in 2011. He has had stints at Wigan, West Brom and Stoke, before joining Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham in 2023. 

He also has over 100 caps for the Republic of Ireland national side.

Earlier this season, he said he was ‘blessed and thankful’ to have walked away with only minor injuries after crashing his car on the way to training.

McClean previously labelled Shrewsbury ‘an absolute cesspit full of inbreds’ on social media

He confronted the crowd in the game against Shrewsbury before being stopped by security

McClean admitted his regret over posting a controversial picture of himself in lockdown ‘jokingly’ home schooling his children in a balaclava, interpreted as a reference to the IRA

McClean emerged with minor injuries after crashing his car on his way to training in January

McClean went off road near to Wrexham Golf Club in January and police were quickly on the scene with eyewitnesses reporting significant damage to his black Audi.

Despite being left with cuts and bruises, the veteran started the Welsh side’s crunch League One clash against Birmingham City, a 1-1 draw at the Racecourse.

Following the result, McClean took to Instagram to reveal the full extent of the damage to his vehicle and address the scary episode. 

‘Now that the game’s out of the way, to address yesterday,’ he wrote. ‘An experience I never wish to encounter again, I am blessed and thankful I managed to walk away with minor injuries and return home to my family.

‘Though much to the disappointment of some smelly scruffy pathetic creatures that messaged my wife online, thank you for the messages of support.’