Wes so proud to be a member of the James gang
TO idolise a man taunted by the nickname ‘Calamity’ could be considered a curious devotion for a goalkeeper but Rangers No1 Wes Foderingham is in no doubt he’s chosen the right man to mimic in David James.
Foderingham has been tipped for future England honours by his manager Mark Warburton and the 25-year-old will hope being inspired by James, capped 56 times while with five different English Premier League clubs, can lift him to that level.
Foderingham has grown in stature in the Rangers role he secured after signing from League One side Swindon last summer, particularly since the turn of the year in keeping eight clean sheets in 12 matches before yesterday’s 4-0 Scottish Cup win over Dundee.
He can credit handling the heat of being Rangers goalkeeper thus far in part to his desire to attain a mental toughness on a par with James. Foderingham acknowledges that his hero was often the recipient of stinging criticism for highprofile blunders, yet he was so rarely binned by bosses who stuck by his talent.
Until Petr Cech overtook him two months ago, James held the record for career shut-outs in the Premier League at 169.
At the age of 37, he regained his international place and was shortlisted for PFA Player of the Year honours.
Foderingham said: ‘I feel I can take things in my stride. I’d say it’s in my nature. I think you have to find that optimum arousal level, if you like. Not get too high when you play well or too low when you play bad. It’s trying to keep that balance. That level head and, more than anything, a faith in your own ability.
‘I looked up to David James because he took an awful lot of stick, obviously with the errors he made. But he was always selected again and there’s a reason why he was always selected again — because he’s such a good goalkeeper. I thought he was a tremendous keeper.
‘To have that mental strength to always come back from mistakes and people criticising you, to still be putting in those good performances, I think that’s a great attribute to have as a goalkeeper.
‘He made mistakes in big games. And he played so fantastically well in big games as well. The main thing is to bounce back and not let it affect you, to do your job when called upon the next time. I thought James was fantastic at that.
‘The main thing for me, if I’m having bad game, is to try to go back to basics and do those things well, then build confidence levels up from there. Don’t chase it and do something that you wouldn’t normally do.’
Aiding Foderingham’s sense of composure every day in training is Jim Stewart, veteran goalkeeping coach of Rangers and Scotland who has been so influential in the careers of Craig Gordon and Allan McGregor. Working with Foderingham and Warburton set Stewart a different challenge as the new Rangers manager demands that his No1 brings the ball out with his feet to start play.
Foderingham was specifically signed because of his potential for excelling in that department and much of his training work involves playing out from the back and distribution drills.
‘That’s something I’ve worked on throughout my career, part of my game and a large part of the reason I’ve been brought here,’ said Foderingham. ‘Jim has been brilliant. His drills are fantastic. He has a wealth of experience.
‘He has that sort of aura about him, a very calm aura. And that helps to keep me calm. I think that’s something you need at this club. It’s a new way of playing here and the demands put on the keeper are a little bit different.
‘It’s a new experience for him but he’s got massive experience and it shouldn’t be anything too different to what he’s faced throughout his coaching career.’