James positive over England chances

England goalkeeper David James believes the “family unit” of the squad can be triumphant at the European Championships in Portugal.

The Manchester City number one, who will line up at his home ground for England in a friendly against Japan tomorrow night, is encouraged by what he has seen over the last two years.

He said: “The intention is to go and win. We’ve got the talent on the coaching side, we’ve got the team, and by that I mean the entire squad.

“Provided everyone is going in the right direction and maximising their performance, we’ve got a chance, a very good chance.”

James felt the training camp in Sardinia had been beneficial as a team-bonding exercise.

“We enjoyed each other’s company very well,” he told Sky Sports News.

“We’ve grown in the nucleus of squad. We have a good number of players in both squads (for the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004) and with the age and experience we have, it will have grown.

“I am the granddad of the team at 33. The age of the team has come down. There is a lot of experience and a lot of youngsters, which is good.”

James is delighted to go into the tournament as his country’s number one, but believes he always felt part of things even when David Seaman was above him in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s pecking order.

“One thing I said while I was in Japan was that I felt so much a part of the squad.

“The gaffer had got me in amongst the squad and I didn’t feel alienated in any way. To have my chance to start has been just a growth in a family unit, if you like. It feels like a natural progression.”