dailystar.co.uk
11.02.2022 / 14:23
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Middlesbrough players' incredible reaction to David James being subbed on as striker
Pep Guardiola, Johan Cruyff and Sir Alex Ferguson are three of the most revered coaches of our time, but for some reason, none of them have tried the revolutionary idea of sticking a goalkeeper up front.Thankfully, there's one man who has.Step forward Stuart Pearce, who, on the final day of the 2004-05 season, made the madcap decision to convert David James into a centre-forward as Manchester City chased qualification for the UEFA Cup.With two minutes of normal time remaining and City needing to score, 'Psycho' lived up to his name (and then some) by replacing midfielder Claudio Reyna with second-choice stopper Nicky Weaver and throwing James up front.Pearce had hoped to unsettle the Middlesbrough defence, but according to Boro No.1 Mark Schwarzer - James' opposite number in the Teessiders' goal - it actually delivered the opposite effect. Schwarzer, speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes at its launch of the 5-A-Side Bet on Leicester v West Ham, revealed the reaction of the shocked Boro players.
