James picks up the challenge

by Ric George for "The Kop"
DAVID JAMES today faced up to the prospect of being under the football microscope.
And he insisted he won't be haunted by last season's frustrations.
The Liverpool keeper, rested for yesterday's match against Brondby, bore the brunt of media criticism after Thursday's 1-0 defeat in Gothenburg.
James suffered a barrage of flak towards the end of last season, and he knows that his every move will be scrutinised from now on.
Speaking exclusively to the ECHO, he said today: "Pre-season is pre-season. It makes no difference whether I produce the best ever goalkeeping display or the worst.
"Pre-season is there for you to make mistakes.
"The one I made in Gothenburg is the sort of mistake I do every pre-season. But I know that I could have 10 good games in a row and that I'd still be judged on the eleventh.
"The 'Calamity James' tag is something I am going to have to live with."
James admitted he was frustrated during that black spell last term, but that he had put it all behind him by the end of the campaign.
"One part of my game was at fault," he said. "But in a perverse way I was glad it was only misjudgment on crosses as opposed to a complete failure in the goalkeeping department.
"You can't pick and choose when you play badly, but unfortunately for me I made mistakes in the wrong games. It cost goals in crucial matches and they attributed to them being lost. But I overcame it in the end."
James is his own biggest critic and while he did not lose sleep over last season's suffering, he revealed: "I was chewing myself up when it came to trying to rectify things.
"The lads were fine with me. The media said I was going through a crisis. I didn't like that 'cos it's a very naive way of looking at things.
"Without trying to have a go at the media, a majority of them haven't played at this level Ð and even less have been goalkeepers.
"I was disappointed in myself. It's that which hurts me more than anything else.
"I didn't think I should have been left out of the team. It wasn't as if I was suffering a goalkeeping breakdown where I'd been letting goals in through my legs or dropping crosses.
"To be honest, the problem was I wasn't even getting near the crosses."
This is an important season for the Reds star, not least because it could culminate in World Cup selection. However, England goalkeeping coach Ray Clemence did James' cause no good with his comments on the goal he conceded in Gothenburg.
James said: "I was interested to hear the criticism on TV given by one time pros, whom you'd think would know better.
Unfortunately, people you possibly look up to in the game air the same views as people you don't.
"It's like a merry little bandwagon that rolls on. The World Cup is an objective for me, but it's disappointing that someone who could help me get there isn't pushing my case.
"There are two ways of dealing with criticism: pack it all in or get on with it. The easy choice would be the first.
"There are only two parties I have to please in football - the club and myself."
James flew back from Denmark today with his team-mates to prepare for Wednesday's match at Bristol City.
He said: "I've just got to start the season correctly and learn from every mistake.
"With our signings the club will be so much stronger. Finishing fourth last season was very disappointing.
"But with a stronger squad, there's no reason why we can't go and do the things which the fans had been looking for us to do over the last four or five years."