Latest Birmingham City news from BirminghamLive includes a close look at Jordan James’ chances under Wayne Rooney
For Jordan James at Birmingham City, the last two weeks have seen a substantial change in the surroundings. James was not at all comfortable with John Eustace’s tactical setup. Wayne Rooney replaced him with a new 4-3-3 system that should make room for James.
In Rooney’s first game as manager, James was left out of the Blues’ starting lineup at Middlesbrough. James will probably start against Hull City given the way that game went and the challenges Blues’ midfielders had in playing the kind of football Rooney demands.
James will only make his second Championship start of the year if he does start on Wednesday. After just 1,032 games last season, he has only played 183 minutes of football in the league.
minutes for the entire previous term, under Eustace.
For whatever reason, James was not used by Eustace in his preferred midfield position in the first 11 games for the Blues. In the preseason, he gave him a role as a right winger, where he fit in well and helped James score three goals in five games. And then Swansea, that cruel rejection. The star of the Blues’ preseason campaign was left off of Eustace’s starting lineup.
Despite barely getting a kick in the Championship, James has built some momentum with Wales. James has started Wales’ last two games against Latvia and Croatia – both of which ended in victory and plaudits for the 19-year-old midfielder.
“I think he’s a huge talent,” Rooney said last week. “I thought he was excellent against Croatia. I’m a coach who really enjoys developing young players.”
James can become something of a project for Rooney and his coaching staff. Even though he has played 69 first team matches for Blues, we are still unsure what type of midfielder James will become.
He is capable of scoring the odd goal and possesses good finishing ability. He is more mobile than Krystian Bielik but not as effective in the press as Ivan Sunjic.
There is a fair amount of football intelligence there, as highlighted in his performance against Croatian trio Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic last week.
Everything has fallen into place for James, and he will surely get a chance soon. It’s time that St Andrew’s sees the midfielder Wales have started to showcase.
