Goalkeeper David James holds the all-time record for English Premier League appearances and shutouts and played more than 50 times for England, including three games at the 2010 World Cup. In his column for the Guardian, James details some of the differences between life in the EPL and the Championship League (second division), in which he plays for Bristol City.
"Even basic moves cause problems. I like to throw the ball out quickly, but my automatic thought of rapid attack sometimes needs suppressing because in this league the players are more used to keepers hoofing it up the other end."
James says his not criticizing the players, but when it comes to the ball: "It's horrible, it's like kicking a shot put around! It definitely has a detrimental effect on the way the game is played and that can't be good for a league competing for attention with the top flight."
Then there's the shoes: "In the Premier League you want for nothing. Players have 15 pairs of boots, goalkeepers have 15 pairs of gloves. Turn up for training and your boots are clean, everything is done for you. .... At Bristol. You bring your own boots in, and you've got to clean them yourself. I slipped up last Saturday because I forgot my boots – luckily I managed to find a box with a few spares, but the only pair in my size were covered in mould. So it was a quick scrub in the sink and then off I went. At times it feels like I've come full circle in my career."
Watching Newcastle in the Championship last season was an eye opening experience. Ironic because I actually got to see more of their matches via ESPN3 than I had the season prior, but seeing the lads at St. James', then seeing them play at places like Watford was just really surprising. Obviously there's a massive money difference between the Premiership and Championship, but it's much more profound than I would have thought. Cool article and a good find!
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ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments.
I do think that there are drastic differences between the Prem and the Championship,with the two biggest differences being-
1) Money: with the amount of money being spent by clubs to be able to stay in the Prem, TV revenue, and UEFA Champions League and Europa League revenue, there are certainly different opportunities available for those clubs, as well as different demands being placed on their players.
2) Expectations: Because of what is at stake (see 1), there are greater expectations placed on the players and management. From the article on James, it sounds like the change of expectations was a bit of a culture shock for him.
Thanks for the comments - please keep them coming.
Yours in soccer,
Mike