James McClean and Derry City facing bitter dispute as homecoming unravels

James McClean's return to Derry City was supposed to be the ideal conclusion to his career but it has turned into a disaster. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Derry City’s attempts to sack James McClean could lead to a bitter legal dispute between the Ireland centurion and his hometown club.

A move back from the UK for the 37-year-old, initially floated as the ideal completion of his career, has descended into a disaster.

Derry’s billionaire owner Philip O’Doherty has decided to abort McClean’s two-year contract just 17 games and 1049 minutes into his League of Ireland comeback.

On top of the concerns over his fitness – which the player himself admitted in May could have caused retirement – there’s an uneasiness about his social media activity drawing negativity on the club he started out his professional career at as a teenager.

Despite recently declaring his intention to remove himself from internet platforms, he was seen to have liked a tweet on X confirming the end of Tiernan Lynch’s spell as manager.

Two days later, on the night of Mark Connolly’s first game as caretaker manager against Sligo Rovers, McClean’s latest Instagram post showed him watching Wrexham, the club he left to rejoin Derry.

All eyes will be on the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium on Wednesday morning when the squad reunite for the first time since the win over Sligo Rovers.

Although McClean has been instructed to stay away from club activities while negotiations regarding a severance package are ongoing, it has been reported that he’s determined to show up. The second part of the session, from midday, is scheduled to be open to the public as it coincides with an invite by the Derry Féile participants.

The winger who won 103 caps for Ireland has often been lauded for his outspoken views, especially in response to the flak he shipped for refusing to wear the poppy during his time in England, but this year’s takes haven’t been universally welcomed.

He alluded to broken promises about his comeback when requested to summarise it during World Cup punditry duties for RTÉ in June.

“You have a lot of conversations on the phone (but) then you come home and realise what you hear on the phone is not what you see in reality," he said.

Soon followed was further insinuations about Lynch’s management, asking aloud why the three other League of Ireland qualifiers, plus Larne, had won European ties while Derry lost all four games.

"If you watch the games, the lads aren't losing based on lack of effort, so clearly there is an issue somewhere,” he suggested.

O’Doherty’s sacking of Lynch was perceived as an indication of support for McClean in a power struggle but the club’s issues with their star player were already in train.

Preparations for Derry’s first game at their temporary home of Celtic Park in May were overshadowed by the former Sunderland, Stoke City and Wigan Athletic making public a career-threatening hip injury.

It appears those doubts haven’t receded, in the eyes of his employers anyway, but McClean would want to bow out of his second coming on terms he’s agreeable to.

Where he goes next, and what he’s to say about it, will ensure one of Ireland’s most polarising sportspeople continues to consume public attention.