THE RETURN OF CALAMITY JAMES?
Speaking after the match, Gregory said "He came for a cross and didn`t collect but he has taken about 150 crosses this season and has been absolutely superb. The law of averages says there must be one that spills out and ends up in the net."
So have the Villa keeper`s performances this season been as Gregory claims, or is the former Liverpool man still worthy of his tag of "Calamity James"?
Only three first choice Premiership keepers have yet to drop a cross this season - Leeds` Nigel Martyn, Arsenal`s David Seaman and Mart Poom of Derby.
The strongest performer when it comes to taking the ball in the air is Poom. The Estonian has come for 31 crosses this season - more than Martyn and Seaman put together -- caching every one of them.
Not many keepers can match this kind of consistency, but a look at some of the other men between the sticks is illuminating.
The man brought in to replace James as the last line of defence at Liverpool, Sander Westerveld, has won many plaudits for his performances this season. However, while he is an impressive shot-stopper - saving 74 per cent of the efforts he has faced - he has held just 84 per cent of the crosses he has attempted to claim.
Of all first choice Premiership goalkeepers, the huge Dutchman is the second most unreliable on the end of crosses.
So who is the man below Westerveld in the cross-claiming hall of infamy? None other than Villa`s David James.
Even the error-prone Massimo Taibi managed to hold onto a higher percentage of the crosses he went for before he was allowed to leave Manchester United on-loan in order to rebuild his confidence.
Of the 45 crosses the Villa keeper has come for this season, he has successfully claimed 36 - giving him a catch success rate of just 80 per cent.
Gregory says James is an aggressive goalkeeper and that he will not attempt to change him. However, a more thorough examination of his performances could see a swift change of attitude towards his number one.
Rob Bateman
