Soccer-World-James has sympathy for Green but wants place back
By Timothy Collings
RUSTENBURG, South Africa, June 13 (Reuters) - England's most
experienced and formerly established number one goalkeeper David
James has sympathy for his widely-ridiculed friend Robert Green
-- but wants his place back in the team at his expense.
James, 39, who has won 50 caps to Green's 11, only
discovered he was not being selected for Saturday's opening
Group C clash with the United States five minutes before the
players boarded their bus to go to the stadium before the game.
But after digesting his disappointment, James sat on the
bench and saw Green, 29, make a shocking schoolboy blunder when
he failed to save Clint Dempsey's tame shot as the United States
levelled to claim a 1-1 draw.
England skipper Steven Gerrard had opening the scoring.
"I didn't speak to Robert straight after the game because he
had to go for a drugs test," said James. "But I know that as a
goalkeeper -- and we all make a mistake like that sometime --
you just have to put it behind you straight away and get on with
the game.
COUNTER ATTACKED
"These things happen and he has to get over it. There is no
time to dwell. It was one of those things and it changed the
game because after that I thought the U.S. team shut up shop and
only counter-attacked in the second half."
James declined to say he expected to play, but showed clear
disappointment even if he accepted manager Fabio Capello's
customary late decision to pick Green ahead of him and
23-year-old Joe Hart, widely regarded as England's most talented
goalkeeper for the future.
"When the manager announced the team, I would not say it was
a surprise, but there were people hoping to play who were not
picked," said James, with a deliberation that hid his
disappointment.
"Everyone wants to play and this environment -- the way the
manager likes to have things now -- encourages an anticipation
to play.
"It means that you don't know who is playing or not, of
course, so that means you don't have two of the three
goalkeepers knowing they are not going to play, as it was in the
past."
James confirmed he was fit to play and that rumours of a
knee injury last week, when he trained in the gym, were not
accurate. "I was fit, we all were," he said. "All 23 of us.
"I am ready to play and, of course, I want to play. I have
been around a while and this is not my first World Cup. But I
know what it is like and I know what to expect.
"You come to the World Cup and you are disappointed to have
the numbers 23 and then 12 on your back, but you have to work
hard to play. As a professional, now, I have number one and I am
still the man with number one even if I was not picked.
"So, like all the other players, when you know you are not
playing you have to push to do everything right and not only
help everyone else but push hard to get a game. That's the same
for me as anyone else."
James已經在虎視眈眈啦
