Alexander Wilson James (September 14, 1901 — June 1, 1953) was a Scottish footballer, and is most noted for being one of Arsenal F.C.'s greatest players of all time.
Born in Mossend , Lanarkshire, Alex James played as an inside forward, as a supporting player for the main strikers. He was famed for the excellent quality of his passing and supreme ball control, leading many modern-day comparisons with Arsenal forward Dennis Bergkamp. His rheumatism meant he wore "baggy" shorts to hide the long johns he wore to keep warm; the baggy appearance became his trademark.
James started his career at Raith Rovers before moving to Preston North End in 1925. He spent four years at Preston, scoring 55 goals in 157 appearance, but towards the end of his stay there he fell into several disputes with the club, partly over wages - at the time, the Football League operated a maximum wage of £8 a week - and also because Preston refused to release James for international duty.
James left Preston for Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in 1929 for £8,750, and became part of the dominant side of English football in 1930s. In order to circumvent the maximum wage rules, James' employment at Arsenal was supplemented by a £250-a-year "sports demonstrator" job at Selfridges, a London department store. Playing as Chapman's designated "midfield schemer", he took a little time to adjust to Arsenal's style of play, but he would become one of the club's all-time greats.
Playing so deep as a supporting player, he scored relatively few goals for Arsenal - only 27 in 261 appearances - but created many times that number. He won the Championship four times (in 1931, 1933, 1934 and 1935), and the FA Cup twice (in 1930 and 1936) - James scoring the first goal of the 1930 final.
He won just 8 caps for Scotland, including an appearance for the legendary 'Wembley Wizards' team that thrashed England 5-1 at Wembley in 1928, where James scored twice.
Alex James retired from football in 1937. He would later become a journalist and coach, before his death at the age of 51.
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Last updated: 05-21-2005 20:16:48
