David James’ charity work is myriad and expansive, and the latest hard luck story set to benefit from the England goalkeeper looks likely to be Portsmouth. Charity begins at home after all. In 11 games time James has a clause in his contract that triggers another 12-month £50,000-a-week deal but with Portsmouth on the verge of going bust James won’t enforce it, because that would be “taking the piss”.
And Avram Grant’s other half has staked her claim for understanding wife of the year by sanctioning the Israeli’s trips to ‘massage parlours’, even encouraging him to indulge himself. “He’s a great manager stuck in a crappy team,” said Tzofit Grant after revelations that her husband visited a knocking shop that was under investigation from the old bill. “He works so hard, he needs two massages a day, and from two women, not one.”