David James (footballer)
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David James (born 1 August 1970 in Welwyn Garden City, England) is an English football goalkeeper.
James signed as a trainee with Watford, winning the FA Youth Cup and making 98 first-team appearances. In 1992 he was signed by the then English champions Liverpool, but after conceding 20 goals in 11 games he was dropped by Liverpool boss Graeme Souness.
James found favour under Souness' successor Roy Evans, and became a regular in Liverpool's team of the mid-1990s. Despite winning the League Cup in 1995, Liverpool's side at the time were seen as underachievers compared to rivals Manchester United, with the club's poor defensive record, and James's occasional high-profile mistakes, often highlighted. With the arrival of American Brad Friedel, his place at Liverpool became less assured, and in 1999 he was sold to Aston Villa.
At Villa, James' inconsistency continued; he proved to be the hero in saving penalties against Bolton Wanderers in a 2000 FA Cup semi-final, but then being to blame for Chelsea's winning goal in the ensuing final.
James moved to West Ham United in summer 2001, where his consistency improved, but he was unable to help the club avert relegation from the Premiership in 2003. In January 2004, he returned to the Premiership, signing for Manchester City. James helped the club stay up that season with two crucial penalty saves towards the end of the season.
James has played 30 times for England, making his debut in a friendly against Mexico in 1997. For several years, however, he had to play understudy to England's regular keeper, David Seaman. When Seaman was dropped after making a mistake against Macedonia in 2003, James became the new England No. 1, and played in all England's matches in Euro 2004. However, James has not played since an error in a 2-2 draw against Austria in September 2004, his place being taken by Paul Robinson.
His reputation for making mistakes has inspired his nickname Calamity James, based on Calamity Jane.
During the 2004 off-season, James was a guest at the training camp of American football team the Miami Dolphins where he worked out with the team and studied their training and conditioning methods, which has led some to suggest he is keen on a coaching role once retired from playing.
External links
- Career details (http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/searchresults.asp?ButtonLeap=0&countryLinkDescription=+matching+search+results&FootballHeroName=David+James&FootballHeroClubCountry=&FootballHeroDecade=Select+One&SearchButton=Search)de:David James