RSS
ATOM
advertisement
David James Says His Move To Bristol City Is For Family Reasons
Goalkeeper knows little about his new club
|
Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
Jul 31, 2010 1:33:00 PM
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 prioritised 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?”
The England goalkeeper turned down several opportunities to stay in top-flight football but, according to James, his personal happiness has been prioritised 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?”
Our 
provides the best breaking news online and our 
football fan community is unmatched worldwide. Never miss a thing again!
provides the best breaking news online and our football fan community is unmatched worldwide. Never miss a thing again!| Sign up with 188BET for a FREE bet up to £25 – Great Prices, Every Game |
|
| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £100 in free bets! |
|
| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
|
| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
Thank you for your comment!
Please enter your name
Please enter your location
Please share your comment!
4 Comments
Advertisement
Inside Goal.Com
-
The top 20 clubs in football's money league
Deloitte's annual publication of the richest sides in football sees a familiar Spanish duo stretch their advantage over England's finest in 2010-11
-
How Capello's exit will affect England's players
As the national team enters a new era, we take a look at the players who are now destined for big things and those potentially heading for the scrapheap under a new boss
-
In Pictures: The highs & lows of Capello's reign
Following his decision to stand down from his role as Three Lions boss on Wednesday, Goal.com takes a look at the Italian's defining moments at the helm
-
The list of clubs that could try to sign Capello
Now that the Italian is no longer the England head coach, it is likely that a number of high-profile clubs from across Europe and elsewhere will make an attempt to lure him
-
Can Juventus go the entire season unbeaten?
After a couple of years of mediocrity, the Bianconeri are in with a chance of going through an entire campaign without losing a game in either the league or the cup
Advertisement
Advertisement
