David James blunder hands Chelsea top spot
By Roy Collins
Sport.Telegraph, 26th August 2007
If ever there was an accident waiting to happen it was David 'Calamity' James
appearing in the dress rehearsal before his official unveiling as the new/old
England goalkeeper, with the emphasis very much on the old.
Both England manager Steve McClaren and his assistant, Terry Venables,
thought it necessary to monitor the form of James, 37, who appeared to have
reclaimed his old international job when he replaced the hapless Paul
Robinson against Germany in midweek. But James never lets the headline
writers down, allowing a half-hit shot by Frank Lampard to bounce under
his left hand and into the net as the England management team threw their
heads into their hands.
What does McClaren do now? Having attempted to make himself look like a
fearless manager by briefing against Robinson 24 hours after the Germany
game, he now faces going back cap in hand, which is the only thing his
goalkeepers seem capable of holding on to, to tell Robbo that he is still
the man.
Another fine mess McClaren has got himself into, although Pompey could not
have expected anything else but embarrassment on a ground on which they
have not won for 52 years and which has seen every Premier League game end
in defeat.
As it turned out, they were unlucky to lose, especially to such a soft
goal, manager Harry Redknapp diplomatically claiming not to have seen it
clearly.
For all Jose Mourinho's promise of a new, attacking and exciting Chelsea,
this was the same old boring stuff, the Lampard goal coming from a 70-yard
clearance by goalkeeper Petr Cech, albeit embellished by a nice back-heel
from Didier Drogba, who then immediately fell over and rolled around for
a bit, as is his wont.
Pompey fans serenaded James beforehand as "England, England's number one"
but we did not hear a peep out of them after his error, nor after he then
proceeded to fumble a weak effort from Shaun Wright-Phillips, who continues
to keep Joe Cole out of the side.
Mourinho left his new £3.5 million right-back Juliano Belletti on
the bench, which meant Michael Essien once again filling an unfamiliar
role, which he should perhaps take as a compliment, even if he covets the
marauding midfield role of John Obi Mikel. He got that wish in the 64th
minute when Mikel was replaced by Belletti.
The pick of the Chelsea new boys was Claudio Pizarro, who almost scored in
the opening minutes and then showed great awareness to volley a free-kick
from Florent Malouda over the bar. His sharpness and eye for a chance
suggest it will be a long time before Andrei Shevchenko forces his way
back in. The latter's whereabouts are a mystery, in any case - injured
according to the club but as fit as a flea according to his website,
though presumably a flea with a limp, given his performances last season.
For Chelsea, as always, gathering points is the only sort of entertainment
they believe in, happy to hold on to their lead for a victory that puts
them top of the league, just ahead of Manchester City - yes City, not
United - with the slackers from Old Trafford already eight points behind.
Pompey took the Henry Ford view that all history is bunk, almost scoring
when Matt Taylor's angled shot was diverted to safety by Ben Haim. Sean
Davis also squandered a glorious second-half chance before Gary O'Neill
lashed one into the side-netting. In between times Kanu pulled the attacking
strings with that extraordinary ball control that only a man of his elastic
limbs could manage.
McClaren and Venables looked so concerned in the stands that they might
have been watching England. And they hardly needed to come here to check
the fitness of Lampard, Terry or even Sol Campbell, though they did get
the chance to watch a cameo by Joe Cole in the final 15 minutes. He came
closest to making the game safe with a rasping shot past a post which
James had covered. At least, he appeared to. And Campbell, who pulled
out of the England squad with injury, produced a great recovery tackle
to dispossess Drogba.
It was a curiously unconvincing performance by Chelsea, for whom Terry
looked like a man still recovering full fitness, almost as lackadaisical
as he was for England in midweek. Mourinho blamed it on international week
and the weather, though his side were lucky not to pay for it in the dying
minutes when only an acrobatic header off the line stopped Herman
Hreidarsson scoring what only Mourinho would have denied to be a deserved
equaliser. Why should he care after his 98th unbeaten home game here and
in Portugal?
Chelsea are once again out in front in the title race, where they prefer
to be, with the season just settling down. On Friday the draw for the
group stages of the Champions League will put a spring in their step as
they anticipate the big nights yet to come.
If Pompey continue to play with such spirit and flair, they might even
be entertaining European ambitions of their own for next season. But one
could not help feel sympathy for James, a consummate professional who
performs brilliantly for over 90 per cent of the time, except on the
occasions when it really matters.
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