John James (English footballer born 1934)
Encyclopedia
John Edward James is an English
former professional footballer who made 130 appearances in the Football League
playing for Birmingham City
and Torquay United
. He played as an inside forward
.
James was born in Harborne
, Birmingham
. As a youngster he was on the books of Brighton & Hove Albion
, but he was working in a brass
foundry
when Birmingham City
signed him in as a junior in June 1950. He turned professional the following year, and made his first-team debut on 4 March 1953, replacing the injured Peter Murphy
in a sixth-round FA Cup
replay against Tottenham Hotspur
which finished as a 2–2 draw. He played in the next three league games, scoring twice in the last of these to secure a 3–1 win against Barnsley
, but managed only two first-team games in the next season and one the season after, and moved on to Torquay United
at the end of the 1954–55 season. James spent six seasons with Torquay, and scored 11 goals from 125 league appearances.
John James has since gone on to be a very successful scout at both Torquay United and Plymouth Argyle earning Torquay in particular hundreds of thousands in transfer fees from talent spotting. Darren Moore and Mark Loram are a couple of the players that he brought to the club. Since his move to Plymouth he has also been instrumental in many signings including Dan Gosling who now plays for Everton and England U21's and who famously scored the winning goal in the Fa Cup tie against Liverpool in 2008/9
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former professional footballer who made 130 appearances in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
playing for Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
. He played as an inside forward
Inside forward
In football, the position of inside forward was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries. The inside forwards would support the centre forwards, running and making space in the opposition defence, and, as the passing game developed, supporting him with passes...
.
James was born in Harborne
Harborne
Harborne is an area three miles southwest from Birmingham city centre, England. It is a Birmingham City Council ward in the formal district and in the parliamentary constituency of Birmingham Edgbaston.- Geography :...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
. As a youngster he was on the books of Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
, but he was working in a brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
when Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
signed him in as a junior in June 1950. He turned professional the following year, and made his first-team debut on 4 March 1953, replacing the injured Peter Murphy
Peter Murphy (footballer born 1922)
Peter Murphy , often referred to as "Spud" Murphy, was an English footballer who played as an inside left. He played professionally for three clubs, Coventry City, Tottenham Hotspur and Birmingham City...
in a sixth-round FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
replay against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
which finished as a 2–2 draw. He played in the next three league games, scoring twice in the last of these to secure a 3–1 win against Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
, but managed only two first-team games in the next season and one the season after, and moved on to Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
at the end of the 1954–55 season. James spent six seasons with Torquay, and scored 11 goals from 125 league appearances.
John James has since gone on to be a very successful scout at both Torquay United and Plymouth Argyle earning Torquay in particular hundreds of thousands in transfer fees from talent spotting. Darren Moore and Mark Loram are a couple of the players that he brought to the club. Since his move to Plymouth he has also been instrumental in many signings including Dan Gosling who now plays for Everton and England U21's and who famously scored the winning goal in the Fa Cup tie against Liverpool in 2008/9