RSS
ATOM
advertisement
David James Says His Move To Bristol City Is For Family Reasons
Goalkeeper knows little about his new club.
Jul 31, 2010 8:33:00 AM
By Chris Davie
David James has admitted he knows little about his new club Bristol City but insists his motivation to move to the Championship club was family orientated.
The England goalkeeper turned down several opportunities to stay in top-flight football but, according to James, his personal happiness has been prioritized over playing at the highest level.
“I've played in the Premiership for 18-19 years but I genuinely don't know much about football. My knowledge of football is limited, even though I know most of the players.” James told Sky Sports News.
"I had an opportunity to go to Scotland and to other Premier League clubs but the last four years, especially at Portsmouth where I lived half the time away from home was a bad period for me.
“At one point when I was injured and I couldn't leave Southampton it was an especially bad environment for me.
“My decision to leave the top-flight is predominately that I want to play in a happy environment and that was no longer achievable playing in the Premiership.”
James is also thinking further ahead, since he turns 40 on Sunday, the former Portsmouth stopper is ready to dedicate part of his time towards coaching, which could potentially lead to a managerial role in the future. He also claims that money was not a factor when making his decision to move to City.
“I still want to become a coach and a manager but not here. There will be a need for me to explore that at a later date. Last season there was so much turmoil at Portsmouth, but now I've got an opportunity to be grounded at home and at work and coaching is something I aim to pursue.”
“I've gone around the staff here and it reminds me a lot of what I had at Watford and Portsmouth. They are tight-knit communities. This move is about doing the right things and not about money.
James did concede that he was tempted to stay in the Premier League to maintain and set records, however, he reiterated his new ambition – guiding his new club into England’s top flight.
"There are a few records, some less desirable than others, that I wanted to reach in the Premier League and a few I wanted to extend. The first one was something I think only Sol Campbell and Ryan Giggs have - being the only players that have played in every Premier League campaign.”
“There is so much to be done here in the south west and hopefully there will be a few more achievements while I'm here that I can look forward to. Our first, although it might seem overly ambitious, is to get in the Premiership, and that's the achievement in the long term.
“Once I got myself home things improved but the decision to come here is about me being giving an opportunity to do my best as a footballer, and the reality is there's an opportunity to achieve Premiership representation and we're going to do what we can to achieve that.”
“My contract is for a year and providing I'm doing all the right things, and we are knocking on the door of the Premiership, then why not extend it further?”
For more news on England, visit Goal.com's England section and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
The England goalkeeper turned down several opportunities to stay in top-flight football but, according to James, his personal happiness has been prioritized over playing at the highest level.
“I've played in the Premiership for 18-19 years but I genuinely don't know much about football. My knowledge of football is limited, even though I know most of the players.” James told Sky Sports News.
"I had an opportunity to go to Scotland and to other Premier League clubs but the last four years, especially at Portsmouth where I lived half the time away from home was a bad period for me.
“At one point when I was injured and I couldn't leave Southampton it was an especially bad environment for me.
“My decision to leave the top-flight is predominately that I want to play in a happy environment and that was no longer achievable playing in the Premiership.”
James is also thinking further ahead, since he turns 40 on Sunday, the former Portsmouth stopper is ready to dedicate part of his time towards coaching, which could potentially lead to a managerial role in the future. He also claims that money was not a factor when making his decision to move to City.
“I still want to become a coach and a manager but not here. There will be a need for me to explore that at a later date. Last season there was so much turmoil at Portsmouth, but now I've got an opportunity to be grounded at home and at work and coaching is something I aim to pursue.”
“I've gone around the staff here and it reminds me a lot of what I had at Watford and Portsmouth. They are tight-knit communities. This move is about doing the right things and not about money.
James did concede that he was tempted to stay in the Premier League to maintain and set records, however, he reiterated his new ambition – guiding his new club into England’s top flight.
"There are a few records, some less desirable than others, that I wanted to reach in the Premier League and a few I wanted to extend. The first one was something I think only Sol Campbell and Ryan Giggs have - being the only players that have played in every Premier League campaign.”
“There is so much to be done here in the south west and hopefully there will be a few more achievements while I'm here that I can look forward to. Our first, although it might seem overly ambitious, is to get in the Premiership, and that's the achievement in the long term.
“Once I got myself home things improved but the decision to come here is about me being giving an opportunity to do my best as a footballer, and the reality is there's an opportunity to achieve Premiership representation and we're going to do what we can to achieve that.”
“My contract is for a year and providing I'm doing all the right things, and we are knocking on the door of the Premiership, then why not extend it further?”
For more news on England, visit Goal.com's England section and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
Advertisement
Inside Goal.Com
-
LABIDOU: Is MLS falling behind? The league's new younger direction
With high-profile players like Nicolas Anelka and Luca Toni rejecting MLS for other developing leagues, is the league falling behind its competition?
-
ROSANO: Mexican soccer needs to address referee treatment
Nick Rosano argues that Mexico's continued officiating problems may have less to do with referees themselves and more to do with how they are treated by the federation.
-
VERTELNEY: MLS owners take to Twitter to spread their team's word
"Any time you tweet, it's a mini press conference," says Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson.
-
ISOLA: Roma's De Rossi smart to remain with one club for career
De Rossi has a chance to build a lasting legacy at Roma similar to NBA veterans Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant, who have never switched teams.
-
RANKINGS: Torres breaks into the top 10 as Altidore drops out
The Pachuca midfielder is back on form, and with many of the USA's top players struggling, he breaks into the top 10.
Advertisement
Advertisement