Arsenal's Captains: Alex James

Given Alex James’ seismic impact on Arsenal’s fortunes in the 1930s, the fact that he was given the honour of leading out the team by manager George Allison for the 1936 FA Cup final against Sheffield United seemed reasonable.

Yet with ‘Wee Alec’ there were always shades of grey surrounding his colourful personality and it is perhaps unsurprising that a degree of controversy surrounded his brief elevation to captaining the Gunners.

By its own very high standards, the team appeared slightly jaded by the mid-1930s. James, along with Eddie Hapgood, would suggest that whilst George Allison had overseen the club lifting two championships in 1935 and 1935, he was extremely fortunate to have inherited such a well oiled machine from Herbert Chapman, and that he lacked the tactical nous and shrewd player judgement of his predecessor.

In fairness to Allison, anyone taking over from Chapman would have struggled to live up to the aura of the former Huddersfield manager but nonetheless, there were mutters of discontent throughout the 1935/36 season and Alex James, not for the first time, began to question his Highbury future.

Arsenal trudged to their worst league position since 1930 and ended up in sixth place, some eight points behind champions Sunderland. The cup final aside, that campaign’s most famous match came at Villa Park in front of 70,000, with Ted Drake’s seven-goal haul making headlines.

All wasn’t quite as it seemed, though. Villa would be relegated at the season’s end and at the time, Arsenal were mired in mid-table. Decimated by injuries and player fatigue, Allison became the first top-flight manager in years to be punished by the Football League for fielding an under-strength side, as he rested stars including Drake and Hapgood so they remained fit for the FA Cup ties - the club’s only chance of silverware that season.

In George Male’s words, “The team was often a hotch potch and some of the youngsters struggled to make an impact as the crowd began to grow impatient.”

Alex James was reaching the veteran stage and his position in the team was no longer a certainty as he struggled to overcome the rheumatism which started to sap the energy from his legs. As far back as 1933, it was strongly rumoured that he would move to Derby County but mercifully he stayed put and played a pivotal role in the league triumphs of 1934 and 1935.

Male recalled: “Alec always wanted to cash in on his name and in those days his was probably the biggest in football. There was some talk of Derby getting around the maximum wage by offering him work on the local newspaper but Alec decided that his work as a sports demonstrator at Selfridges was more lucrative, so he stayed put.”

As players like David Jack and Tom Parker drifted away, the Scot assumed the elder statesman role but he didn’t appear to be captain material. Ted Drake commented: “Alec had a great eye for the game and when the mood took him he could cajole the team, but he could also do the exact opposite and retreat into his shell.

“In training he liked to do what he pleased and over the years Herbert and George indulged him in a way they wouldn’t have with anyone else. That occasionally irritated the other players.”

During the 1935/36 season there was evidence that Allison was beginning to trust the Scot’s eye for spotting players and James was dispatched on a few scouting missions by the club, although he told his son: “I don’t want to go into management as I don’t want ulcers.”

His Barnet home was also regarded as something of an open house by young players like the Compton brothers and he regularly asked his wife Peggy to cook the boys a steak, but in early 1936 he wasn’t even assured a starting place alongside several of the club’s emerging players.

Allison urged his team to seek cup glory and the Wembley trail began with a 5-1 hammering of Bristol Rovers in the ice at Eastville - James missed out and this time Preston were linked with a move for their former talisman. Three weeks later, as the team prepared to take on Liverpool at Anfield in the fourth round, Allison pitched him back in.

James later admitted that if he hadn’t had been restored to the starting line up, he would have known his Arsenal career was over. It was a hugely significant moment and after knocking Liverpool out, the Gunners swept past Newcastle and Grimsby, with James receiving rave reviews for his performances.

On the morning of the FA Cup final, Allison made he shock decision to replace Hapgood with James as captain, a slight which Eddie never forgot. Allison never explained or justified his choice to journalists or the team, but it seemed to be a reward to James for his sterling performances on the Wembley trail.

The match against the second division outfit was a dour struggle with the Blades on top for long spells. The decisive moment arrived in the 70th minute as Ted Drake sidestepped United captain Taylor to fire home the only goal. Drake later recalled hearing James bark: “Go on Ted, bury it,” as he prepared to shoot.

The captain’s instruction worked and James had the privilege of carrying the cup around Wembley afterwards, to the delight of the 38,000 Arsenal fans who stayed on to celebrate.

The party at the Cafe Royal that evening saw James at his ebullient best. George Male recalled: “All the players were there with their wives and Alec was absolutely bubbling with enthusiasm. My generation of players loved those nights - they were superb - and an excellent reminder of how unforgettable life was for Arsenal players in the 1930s.”

The 1936/37 season was to be Alex James’ last year at the club and although the Gunners won the title again, they weren’t quite the same again.

In effect, the 1936 FA Cup final was his Arsenal swansong and it was befitting that he was captain for the showpiece Wembley event.