I MASK-ED FOR AID ON GOOGLE
Mcclean clicks with a bumper hospital order
JAMES MCCLEAN claims the Government should stop attacking footballers and give more help to the
NHS.
The Stoke winger is riled by Health Secretary
Matt Hancock’s claim footballers should help the nation’s fight against coronavirus by taking a pay cut.
Mcclean secretly answered an online plea for protective equipment to donate 400 pairs of gloves, 100 face masks, protective visors, more than 100 gowns and 10 hand sanitisers to the hospital in his home city of Derry – and says this should be ministers’ priority.
The Republic of Ireland international said: “I was going through Facebook and saw a post asking for help. I just typed into Google to see what I could get and was fortunate to find equipment.
“It’s not going to solve all the problems, but hopefully it can tide them over. It begs the question if
I’m able to go online, why can’t the authorities supply enough equipment?
“It’s ridiculous. You’ve got Matt Hancock (left) saying we should take a pay cut. “No one seems to like footballers. We’ve got livelihoods too and people might take this the wrong way, but we do work hard for our money. “Think about what players pay towards the Government in tax. Football is a short career and we’ve got to look after our families once it’s over.
“I’ve seen players do great deeds from their own pocket.”
Mcclean also revealed he and his family have received death threats after he posted a picture on social media of him wearing a paramilitary balaclava (below), sitting in front of his kids with the caption ‘today’s school lesson – history’.
Mcclean, 30, from Derry’s Republican Bogside, has also caused controversy because of his refusal to wear a poppy – and was fined a fortnight’s wages by Stoke for his poorly-judged gag.
“I’ve received things like ‘I hope your kids get coronavirus and die’ or ‘it would be a laugh if your house burned down with your kids inside’,” he said.
“There was someone online, who looked over 40, abusing my kids.
“Footballers are a free hit.
“It’s like it’s viewed as we earn this amount of money, so we should just take it.”