David James has slammed sacked England coach Steve McClaren for his disastrous handling of the team's goalkeepers.
McClaren gambled by giving Scott Carson his first competitive international start in place of Paul Robinson for England's crunch clash against Croatia on Wednesday.
The decision backfired as the Aston Villa goalkeeper was at fault for two goals and England were eliminated from Euro 2008.
Portsmouth keeper James was on the bench at Wembley after being over looked by McClaren and he claimed the coach's muddled thinking had been fatal.
"At the last hurdle we switched goalkeepers and heaped pressure on ourselves. But we needn't have done. Over the past 17 months there were many opportunities to try out a variety of England goalkeepers. So why didn't we?," James said in his column for the Observer newspaper.
"Did sitting on the bench prepare Scotty for being in goal against Croatia, five days after his senior England debut, with the fate of the nation resting on his shoulders?" the Pompey keeper asked.
"Scotty is a great keeper and will undoubtedly become England's number one in the future, but he didn't need to be put in that position, he should never have reached the Croatia game so poorly equipped in terms of experience," James said.
McClaren had kept faith with error-prone Spurs star Robinson throughout his time in charge, only to axe him when it came to the biggest game of the campaign.
James believes McClaren should have taken the opportunity to look at other options sooner, so the new goalkeeper would have a feel for the international stage.
"Time and again different goalkeepers were brought into the squad -- Chris Kirkland and Ben Foster were selected in the early stages, then Scott Carson and Robert Green and finally myself," the former Liverpool keeper said.
"But until the Austria game, and other than Paul Robinson, only Ben Foster -- in the friendly against Spain -- started a match," James said.
"In the meantime the No. 2 goalkeeper sitting on the bench rotated between five of us. It's ludicrous," he said.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely