James McArthurs football dream's revolved around one day playing for Rangers.

[ian1964 10,447]

HE’S loving life at the Palace — and taking his daughter to the ballet.

 

Growing up, James McArthur’s football dreams revolved around one day playing for Rangers.

 

There’s a part of them that still do.

 

But, after settling into Crystal Palace — and London — so quickly, he wonders if he’ll ever return to play in Scotland.

 

At 28 the days of being the kid with potential at Hamilton are long gone.

 

McArthur is an FA Cup winner and fully-fledged Premier League midfielder mixing it with the best in the world every week.

 

He talks intelligently and deeply about doing it too.

 

But his football satisfaction is matched by the pleasure he feels seeing wife Louisa and kids Ella-Rose, two, and three-month old Max enjoying things too.

 

Sipping on a coffee around the corner from the club’s training ground in Beckenham, he said: “My wife and kids mean everything to me. They make me so happy. If you’re not happy off the field you won’t be happy on it.

 

“Some footballers want to stay at training or go to a hotel the night before a game because they want a rest. But I love my wife and kids. Moving down here after my time at Wigan with Louisa made everything so much easier.

 

“I always had the idea I was going to move back to Glasgow one day. But I’m so settled and happy here.

 

“The kids will eventually start going to school and then it’s hard to take them out.

 

“I want to play at the highest level I can for as long as I can. At the same time one day I’d like to play for Rangers. That ever happening would be down to a lot of factors. For a start Rangers would need to want me.

 

“But I want to keep playing in the Premier League for as long as possible.”

 

The Eagles are flying high in eighth spot after 22 games — and McArthur has played every one of them.

 

On the park he’s arguably Scotland’s most in-form midfielder. Off it he prefers going below the radar.

 

McArthur said: “I like being out the way, being private. We’re in south London, maybe 35 minutes on the train from the city. It’s nice and quiet. The training ground and Selhurst Park aren’t far away either.

 

“I like to keep myself to myself. I’m not really one for doing lots of interviews. I like doing family things — taking my wee girl to ballet, swimming, things like that.

 

“Having kids changes you. I used to get so down on myself. If I didn’t play, if I played poorly or if we lost I would criticise myself.

 

“I’d always think I should have done this or that better. When you have kids it makes everything OK.

 

“You still think what you could have done. You still care about your football. But when you see your kids smiling it all goes to the back of your mind and you just enjoy your time with them.

 

“There’s caring then there’s beating yourself up. That’s not good for anyone.

 

“It’s something that’s helped my career — having kids and being so happy outside football.”

 

Neil Warnock was the Eagles boss who convinced the club to pay Wigan £7million for McArthur in September 2014. But he’s seen his career — and the club — really take off since Alan Pardew swaggered into the changing room and ordered them to believe.

 

McArthur said: “The reason I signed for Palace was to get back into the Premier League. My time at Wigan was amazing but I felt it was time to get a second chance in the Premier League. At the time we were fighting to stay up. We did that comfortably.

 

“Since the manager came in we’ve kicked on. He wants us to play the right way and demands standards and ambition on the pitch.

 

“He calls it being more exuberant, creating things and not always playing that safe pass.

 

“It’s like being a bit of a maverick at times. He came in and said it at the game against Aston Villa before he was officially appointed.

 

“If he wasn’t a man who had so much respect you’d think to yourself ‘why is he saying this?’ He said if the season ended then we’d be relegated and it wasn’t good enough.

 

“He said when your chances come you need to be more clinical and accepting draws isn’t good enough.

 

“We played Tottenham in the next league game and were 1-0 down but everyone had that confidence we could win.

 

“We turned it around and winning that game was so important for us — to realise we can beat anyone.

 

“With the manager being so good and structured we knew we had the team to do something pretty special.

 

“We’ve not been doing as well recently but we’re still eighth with 31 points. That shows how well we’ve done.”

 

If he keeps playing the way he is, McArthur should be a stick-on starter for Gordon Strachan in one of Scotland’s March friendlies against the Czech Republic and Denmark.

 

On his own form, McArthur — capped 22 times — added: “I’ve always had confidence in my own ability.

 

“It doesn’t matter if someone says I’m the most in-form or most out-of-form. I’m just enjoying my football.

 

“When you first come to England it takes time to get used to it but I wasn’t ever in awe of anyone. You can’t be.

 

“You give people respect but if you give them too much they’ll play as well as they can.

 

“The best I’ve faced? When we played Chelsea recently we were on a bad run and Cesc Fabregas was back to the player from last year.

 

“He was hard to get close to and very fit. You become better when you’re playing with better players too.

 

“I try and play my own game and concentrate on what I’m good at. But you also look at someone like Yohan Cabaye. You watch how his first touch is always in front of him, how he opens his body up and things like that.

 

“You become more mature as you get older too. When I got relegated with Wigan it was very hard.

 

“The Championship is an incredible league and I enjoyed playing game after game, Saturday-Tuesday.

 

“But being back in the Premier League has been great. To play so much for a club going places is so special.

 

“When you’re a young boy and you play your first game or do your first interview you’re nervous.

 

“You want to do and say the right things. Now you just enjoy playing. You realise you’re getting older and you want to make the most of every moment.

 

“The last ten years have gone so fast. You want to savour everything — before you know it your career will be over.”

 

http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/6882488/Scots-star-James-McArthurs-loving-life-in-London-on-and-off-park-with-Palace.html

[buster. 4,808]

Fair play to McArthur who has applied himself and is doing well in a tough enviroment. One of the few current Scottish Internationals who is currently managing to get a regular game in the EPL.

 

As far as Rangers are concerned we missed him and aren't likely to see him whilst he is able to pocket the type of wages he'll currently be on. What we do need to do is establish an infrastructure that pick ups the developing players who don't only have the ability but have the right attitude, determination and are prepared to apply themselves and keep improving.

 

This for me is much more important than the unviable throwing of millions at players.

 

We as a support need to lower expectations regards transfer windows and 'sexy signings' who too often in the past have turned into 'one-nighters' that the day after you want shot of.

Edited January 24, 2016 by buster.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

I had huge argument on ff with all the people who insisted he wasn't good enough for us while at Hamilton.

 

Snodgrass was another.

[buster. 4,808]

I had huge argument on ff with all the people who insisted he wasn't good enough for us while at Hamilton.

 

Snodgrass was another.

 

I think a lot of players are good enough potential-wise but for too long a period we haven't been able to get the best out of players, never mind improve them.

 

We have to change this if we want a successful and viable football club.

I think the right type of people are now in charge and there is reason to hope.

[Bluedell 5,354]

It was unfortunate that we were not in the financial position to buy him when he was at Hamilton.

[MacK1950 2,249]

Just read the article glad to see him doing so well a very level headed young man.

Pity we missed out good luck to him in his future career.

Edited January 24, 2016 by MacK1950
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