Leighton James
Leighton James was born in Loughor, United Kingdom on February 16th, 1953 and is the Soccer Coach. At the age of 71, Leighton James biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 71 years old, Leighton James has this physical status:
Leighton James, born in Loughor, Wales, on February 16, 1953, is a retired Welsh international footballer.
Personal life
James' personal life has not been without controversy. When one and a half times exceeded the legal alcohol limit in June 2007, the BBC announced that he had been banned from driving.
He caused more controversy in March 2008 by announcing in his column in the South Wales Evening Post that he would like Cardiff City to lose to Barnsley FC in the FA Cup semi-final 2008. Despite the fact that the rivalry between Swansea and Cardiff has been well documented, James' remarks angered some because of his apparent impartiality as a pundit, as well as his insistence that Welsh people support Welsh teams in whatever sport, which he has addressed at length. The BBC had to stop James from appearing on their programmes for two weeks as a punishment for his remarks. On Saturday, James returned to Wales on April 26, 2008.
James' remarks about Cardiff City were included in the album "Leighton James Don't Like Us," which was released by Cardiff singer Leigh Bailey.
James was named Rookie Lollipop Man of the Year by Swansea Council in June 2007, which his nephew Thomas James attended away from football.
James is also a rugby fan and often speaks out in support of rugby on the Real Radio sports phone. He is a huge fan of Scarlets.
Playing career
James started his career as a right winger with Burnley, making his league debut against Nottingham Forest in November 1970.
He gained his first international cap against Czechoslovakia in 1971. He played 54 times for Wales and scored ten goals.
In 1975, he signed for Derby County for a then club record fee of £310,000, and in 1977, he joined Queens Park Rangers in exchange for Don Masson. In October 1977, he made his QPR debut against the WBA and went on to play 28 league games, scoring 4 goals.
In 1978, he returned to play with Burnley but was relegated to the third division and moved to Swansea City, taking them from the third division to the first. Before 1986, he served with Sunderland, Bury, and Newport County, as both a youth team boss and occasional player. After being suspended as the youth team's boss, he retired from playing in 1989.
Managerial career
In October 1993, James became a coach at Bradford City before succeeding Gary Simpson as the manager of Gainsborough Trinity. He had been the boss of Morecambe but had been fired after just 5 months in office. He was appointed manager of Ilkeston Town's Southern League Premier Division side in October 1995. After winning his first three matches in charge, the team went 20 games without a victory, and James left the club in February 1996 to be replaced by Keith Alexander. James took over as the boss of Accrington Stanley from Tony Greenwood on September 29, 1997. He served five months at the Crown Ground before resigning in February 1998 due to other commitments.
James was also in charge of Llanelli, a team of Wales, who was relegated in 2002-03. With a final day victory at Chepstow Town in 2001–02, he guided Garden Village of the Welsh Football League to the Second Division championship title.
He currently works as a football analyst on BBC radio and television as well as a Real Radio show. Due to inflammatory remarks made in a regular newspaper column about Cardiff City, the BBC suspended James for a period of time.
James was appointed manager of Aberaman Athletic's Welsh Football League Division One team in December 2009.
In 2011, he was hired as Director of Football at Haverfordwest County, but he resigned after less than two months.