Alex James

Scottish playmaker who won six trophies with Herbert Chapman's Arsenal between 1930 and 1936.

Alex James (1901–1953) was a Scottish inside forward who moved from Preston North End to Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in 1929 for £8,750. Playing deep as the link between defence and attack, he was prized for his reading of the game, close control and passing, and he collected four league titles and two FA Cups with the club before retiring in 1937.

Quick Facts

Born

14 September 1901, Mossend

Died

1 June 1953

Arsenal years

1929–1937

Arsenal record

27 goals in 261 appearances

Honours with arsenal

4 First Division titles
2 FA Cups
2 Charity Shields

Scotland caps

Lore & Background

Injuries carried over from Preston made his first Arsenal season a quiet one, but it ended with James scoring the opening goal of the 2–0 win over Huddersfield Town in the 1930 FA Cup final, the club's first major trophy. He scored only 27 times in 261 appearances; his job was to supply forwards such as Joe Hulme, David Jack, Cliff Bastin and Jack Lambert. Serious ligament damage suffered at West Ham in spring 1932 ended hopes of a double: without him Arsenal finished second in the league and lost the FA Cup final to Newcastle United. He was back for the titles of 1932–33 and 1934–35 (injuries limited his part in 1933–34), and in 1936 he captained the side to a 1–0 FA Cup final win over Sheffield United.

Reader's Guide

James won eight Scotland caps and scored twice for the "Wembley Wizards" in their 5–1 win over England in 1928. In 1949 Arsenal brought him back to coach the youth sides; he died of cancer in 1953, aged 51. He was inducted into both the Scottish and the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

Did You Know?

Tom Finney called James "an inspiration" and "pure magic", and his style has been compared with Dennis Bergkamp's.
To get round the maximum wage, Arsenal arranged a £250-a-year job for him as a "sports demonstrator" at Selfridges.
He wore baggy shorts to hide the long johns he put on against rheumatism, and the look became his trademark.