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. September 14 is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years). ... 1901 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1953 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... Scotland (Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is a country in northwest Europe and a constituent nation of the United Kingdom. ... Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ... Arsenal Football Club (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) are a football club from north London, and are one of the most successful clubs in English football. ...

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. Lanarkshire (Siorrachd Lannraig in Gaelic) is a traditional county of Scotland. ... Dennis Bergkamp (born May 10, 1969 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch professional football player, and a former player for the Netherlands national football team. ... Rheumatism or Rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the bones and joints. ...

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. Raith Rovers F.C. are a professional football club who currently play in the Scottish Football League (Division 2). ... Preston North End Football Club is a professional English football team. ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Football League is an organisation representing 72 professional football clubs in England and Wales, and runs the oldest professional football league competition in the world. ... A maximum wage is an enforced limit to how much an individual can earn. ...

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. Herbert Chapman (January 19, 1878 - January 6, 1934) was an English association football player and manager, born in Sheffield. ... Arsenal F.C. (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) is a north London football team founded in 1886. ... 1929 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... // Events and trends The 1930s were spent struggling for a solution to the global depression. ... Selfridges is a chain of department stores in the United Kingdom. ... St. ... A department store organizes its goods by departments, such as womens clothes, home furnishings, electronics, and the like. ...

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. 1931 is a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1935 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The FA Cups trophy is also known as the FA Cup. ... 1930 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

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. First International Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Scotland 9 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) Worst defeat Uruguay 7 - 0 Scotland (Basel, Switzerland; 19 June 1954) World Cup Appearances 8 (First in 1954) Best result Round 1, all European Championship Appearances 2 (First... First International Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Northern Ireland; 18 February 1882) Worst defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 11 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First... Old Wembley Stadium (1923-2000) New Wembley Stadium (2006) England captain Bobby Moore with the Jules Rimet trophy. ...

Alex James retired from football in 1937. He would later become a journalist and coach, before his death at the age of 51. 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

External links

• The Times on Alex James and Dennis Bergkamp
• Alex James statistics on Gunnermania
• Raith Rovers tribute to Alex James