At 5'6", Alex James stood out amongst his colleagues in the national team and in Arsenal's exciting team managed by the great Herbert Chapman. Remember that Chapman had considerable success with Huddersfield Town, so he was a proven "Colonel" who led Arsenal to a series of famous wins. James was his commander on the field, as Chapman became established at The Arsenal.
When the famous Scot passed away on the eve of the 1953 Coronation, The Times, on June 2nd 1953, saw fit to include his passing in their obituary column; rare indeed for a footballer to be feted in the "establishment" newspaper.
James was born in Mossend, Glasgow and played with Raith Rovers (98 apps 27 goals) from 1922 but soon was signed by Preston in 1925 for £3,275.
In 1928 James and his fellow Scots had set Wembley alight with a 5-1 thrashing of the English team with dazzling dribbles and daring runs.
Having scored 53 goals in 147 apps, in four seasons for Preston, he was converted into a schemer by Chapman.
In 1929, he went to Arsenal for £9,000, an amount considered astronomical at the time. Chapman had also bought David Jack from Bolton, another super star for £10,000, building a special team. For Arsenal he played 231 times with 26 goals(only).
The Arsenal forward line during his time was: Hulme, Jack, Lambert, James and Bastin: formidable! IF you know your football!!
By the time James retired, he had helped The Gunners to four league championships (1930-1, 1932-3, 1933-4, 1934-5) and three Cup Finals: 1929-30: 3-0 win v Huddersfield, 1935-6: win v Sheffield Utd 1-0 and RUp losing to Newcastle Utd 1-2 in 1931-2.
James was regarded as the most influential inside forward of his generation and he soon was appearing in newspaper gossip columns and on radio features. Suffering from rheumatism, James wore baggy shorts to cover his "long Johns", warn for warmth which became a trademark.
Surprisingly, he only won 8 Scottish caps (3 goals), four with Preston and four with Arsenal, before retiring in 1937.
During the war he served in the Maritime AA Regiment (Royal Artillery) andafter he then rejoined Arsenal as a coach and went to coach in Poland, He worked with a football pools' firm, went in for sports' reporting and kept a pig farm.
He died suddenly from cancer at 51 years old, on June 1st 1953. He was elected in the English and Scottish Halls of Fame in 2005. AND Raith Rovers H of F 2013.
If you listen to Weston and Lee's song, "With her tucked underneath her arm" peformed by Stanley Holloway, James gets a mention!
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