Portsmouth Football Club

• Nickname:Pompey
• Founded:1898
• Manager:Guy Whittingham

• Ground:Fratton Park
• Capacity:19179

Hart praises James' attitude

23 May 2009 - 10:36:06

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Portsmouth manager Paul Hart has praised the attitude of goalkeeper David James, who has been forced to undergo shoulder surgery this week.

The 38-year-old has been hampered by the problem for some time, but waited until Pompey were free from the threat of relegation to go under the knife.

Hart said: "David has put an awful lot at risk. He has been playing with that injury for such a long time.

"I would think maybe it's 18 months that it's been there, although don't ask me what it is.

"I don't know the medical terms, but it has come to a stage when it had to be fixed or else it could have lead to serious complications.

"It's typical of the spirit among the players here and the spirit from the entire club.

"David has done everything for the fight here, but they have all been immense and I have nothing but admiration for everybody."

James is hoping to be fit for pre-season at Fratton Park, but will miss England's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Andorra.