There are pivotal moments in a player’s development that set the tone for his future career, and Basildon boy James Tomkins was no exception. ‘I joined West Ham as a kid when I was seven years old,’ he starts explaining in an interview for Blowing Bubbles. ‘I was in a tournament and I remember a guy called David Knowles. He was putting up the goals and I kept annoying the life out of him smashing the ball in. So he watched me play in the tournament and realised this kid had something about him.’
James graduated through various youth programmes and initially made his name as a striker. However, he had something of a dry spell and was unable to match his exploits in the Sunday League. Thankfully his coaches spotted a finer quality that wasn’t immediately obvious. ‘They thought I read the game well which was quite unusual for a kid of my age, so they moved me back into defence.’
After a period of readjustment he never looked back and became a graduate of the fabled Hammers’ Academy, but he conceded there were few in his class that truly made the grade. ‘There wasn’t many at all but towards the end of my time there was Jack Collison, and in the year below there was Freddie Sears and Junior Stanislas.’
He also spoke fondly of Darren Blewitt who never made the first team, but since retirement has successfully run soccer schools and worked extensively with the Academy. It was Alan Curbishley who gave James his debut in March 2008 and recalled his traditional approach to management. ‘He was an old school type of manager and I can’t remember him doing an awful lot of coaching, he left it mainly to his assistants. But he was good to me and I have a lot to thank him for’.
However, James admits their relationship could be distant where social interaction was concerned. ‘The one thing you don’t want to do is get involved in any small talk with him because it’s a nightmare outside of football’. James has vivid memories of his first team selection for the away game against Everton. Curbs’ was strategic in the way he shared this information with him. ‘I’m glad he didn’t tell me until we got on the coach and announced who was starting’.
All managers have a different approach but it gave James less time to worry about his selection, yet was stunned by the news. ‘When he said my name I thought that’s crazy. I wasn’t aware of any injuries so didn’t think there was ever a chance of me playing to be honest. Getting off the coach I could feel my heart beating a hundred fold. This was a crazy place to make your debut, because back then Goodison Park was a really tough place to play.’
James was a bundle of nerves and forgot to arrange tickets for his father and brother who were travelling up to watch the game. Thankfully, the oversight was corrected and his family got to see the game. It was a baptism of fire for the 19-year-old who would be marking the big and bustling striker Yakubu.
James made an encouraging start and actually hit the bar early on. He was told not to get too tight on Yakubu and just let him have the ball – see what happens. But as legendary journalist David Lacey once observed, ‘fate once tempted rarely fails to oblige.’ Yakubu took advantage of the space and possession afforded to him. ‘He used his body against me and scored.”
West Ham eventually got a draw that day but it was a steep learning curve for James. Alan Curbishley was replaced the following season by Chelsea and Italy legend Gianfranco Zola, and for James, the news was greeted by a mixture of awe and bewilderment. ‘You go into a comfort zone with Curbs because he’s played you and knows you’ve done all right. But Zola is a legend and thought I might just learn a few things from him.’
He was astonished that Zola joined in training sessions and described how he formed a ‘good cop/bad cop’ relationship with assistant Steve Clarke. ‘Obviously I learned a lot from Zola because he understood the technical aspects of the game. A lot of training sessions involved the use of both feet and stuff like that. Although we occasionally struggled to understand the ideas he was trying to communicate.’
It was during Zola’s tenure that James went on loan to Derby County. Whilst he had some reservations, it was vital to his development. ‘He rang me up one evening and said you’re going on loan to Derby. It was a bit of a shock but I went there and played eight games within the month. ‘It was crazy, I played in the League Cup quarter final so it was a good experience. But it’s quite funny really, because I came back and didn’t feel half the player I was when I left. Craig Bellamy was at the club and he told me how it was. It took a while to get my head around it’.
Despite this forthright assessment the loan spell made a difference and he began to play regularly in the first team. He saw Zola as a father figure, unlike Steve Clarke whom he found much harder to approach. ‘He would come over to you and ask if everything was all right. And you’d just talk to him like a mate. Whereas Steve felt more like the manager at the time because he was a bit tougher but Zola was just so nice. I respected the way he managed and it was a completely new experience for me. I took on board everything he said because of what he’s done in the game.’
Training sessions with Zola were exhilarating and chastening in equal measure. ‘In one of his first sessions, he chopped up Ginge (James Collins) and then lobbed Robert Green, everyone was looking at him thinking wow. He actually apologised to the players. It got to the point where Nobes went to him and said you got to stop playing gaffer, you’re humiliating us.’
James was paired with a variety of centre back partners including Matthew Upson, Danny Gabbidon, Winston Reid and, towards the end of his Hammers’ career Angelo Ogbonna. But who was his preferred partner at the centre of defence? ‘I always wanted to play alongside Gabbidon, not only because he became a mate, but also to watch his game. ‘I’m thinking this guy’s got everything. No one beats him and he’s quick, good in the air and very physical. But I had a longer partnership with Winston Reid and we worked well together, especially in the Championship and going into the Premier League’.
He remembers Zola’s departure and Avram Grant’s ill-fated spell as manager that led to relegation. But still finds it difficult to establish exactly what went wrong. ‘At the time I just felt like no one really understood his methods, players were out of position and others were dropped when they shouldn’t have been. ‘I just felt like it was all over the place. We had a bad run and even Scotty Parker couldn’t even get us out of that one.’
Avram Grant’s time at West Ham was loaded with rumour concerning his managerial style. ‘People weren’t on board and we didn’t know how to take it, but it worked at other clubs.’ Grant’s final game in charge was dominated by a story that he was barred from travelling on the team coach. ‘I remember being told that and the lads weren’t happy about it but we never heard the full story. I remember it being the saddest day ever. I mean it’s something you don’t ever want to be associated with. I was determined not to have that again. All I wanted to do was to bring the club back up.’
Whilst James was highly rated he entertained no real thought of leaving. ‘I never wanted to leave West Ham at that point. We got relegated and I just felt there’s no way I could turn my back on the club.’
Sam Allardyce took the reins for what would be just one season in the Championship. James paid tribute to Big Sam and the influence he had on his career. ‘Yeah Sam was brilliant. He wanted to win games whether it was the West Ham Way or not. I thought that was a fair comment and he changed the way we played. It definitely altered my philosophy and the thought of me playing out from the back just went out the window. Sam got us promoted and kept us in the Premier League – that was what the fans wanted to see towards the end.’
The signing of Kevin Nolan and his appointment as club captain was also a key moment for James. ‘What a guy. He provided so much experience and communicated so well with the players. Kevin was always at the front of training sessions and anyone that played with him would say he’s a top colleague.’
West Ham won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in May 2012 by beating Blackpool 2-1 in the final. James saw the game as the pinnacle of his career at West Ham. ‘Looking back it’s definitely the happiest time because you know you’ve achieved what you set out to do at the start of the year. We didn’t win promotion automatically, but it was better doing it in the playoffs and having a day at Wembley. We thought it was going to be easier than it was as we’d beaten them twice in the league that year.
‘I remember being a bit nervous for sure. What a day, I can still hear the fans singing. I just remember being on top of the world, but tired at the same time because you have the pressure of actually doing it. You just sit there and feel a sigh of relief.’
An equally surreal moment was James playing for Great Britain in the 2012 London Olympics. He played under former Hammer Stuart Pearce and knew it was going to be a great experience. Being in London was particularly exciting and the opening ceremony was an unforgettable moment.
Whilst Sam Allardyce secured promotion and made West Ham a solid Premier League team, he always had his detractors. The fans appeared to turn against him after a game against Hull. ‘I don’t know whether that was aimed at Sam or more at the players. I remember Hull’s goalkeeper got sent off and we scraped to a 1-0 win. Whether it was 1-0 or 10-0, we needed to win and that’s what we did. We should have won more convincingly so we could understand the fans’ reaction. But the amount of booing that night was excessive. It was hard to play at Upton Park at that time because the pressure builds on the manager. Any kind of loose pass is overemphasised, especially in the stadium where the fans are a little bit heated.’
James never sensed any bitterness from Allardyce. ‘He always wanted to take the pressure off us so just told us not to worry about them. The way he used to deal with it was quite good. He used to smile and tried not to let it get to him.’
It was widely accepted that 2014/15 would be his last season in charge of the Hammers. James agreed that it had a practical impact. ‘It does affect the players because they’re effectively going through the motions. Whether the manager is going or not, you still need to impress. You still need to give 100% which is what I did.’
Allardyce was replaced by former player Slaven Bilic who brought club legend Julian Dicks along as his assistant. James was, however, circumspect about the appointment. ‘I thought I was going to get more coaching than I actually got. But he did have a good impact on the team itself. I do feel the club at that time was going places with some great players.’
He remembers Julian Dicks’ fondness for a cigarette. ‘You would see loads of smoke above the toilets and he’s in there having a coffee. I think Julian likes cigars these days’. James’ time with the Hammers overlapped by one season with the enigmatic Dimitri Payet. ‘He was an unbelievable player and you knew he’s a potential match winner. But he completely changed as a person and never really said hello. So I’ve heard different stories whenever I was there.’
However, the arrival of Cheikhou Kouyaté was a completely different scenario. In James’ view he was the ‘happiest man in the world’ who loved to joke around. He was especially pleased when they linked up at Crystal Palace and helped clinch the deal. ‘I assured Roy Hodgson that he’ll put in a proper shift and will be great for the lads’ morale’.
He has mixed emotions about the final game at Upton Park in May 2016. ‘I was named as a substitute and devastated that I wasn’t starting. All I wanted to do was play. But I remember the atmosphere around the Boleyn and how the coach struggled to drive through the crowds of people. You know, singing songs, drinks flying everywhere, it felt like a cup final in some ways. The build-up was crazy. It was really emotional; you just think about all the history. There was Upton Park and then suddenly it’s gone. So the way we won was mental, really. It felt like it was meant to be when we scored that goal at the end. I thought the stadium was going to collapse.’
Fittingly, James made it onto the pitch for the last five minutes when he replaced Diafra Sakho. He transferred to Crystal Palace on the eve of the club’s move to the London Stadium. It was naturally tinged with some regret. ‘It was tough for me leaving the club I joined at the age of seven. I could have stayed but needed to play games and that was the most important thing for me. Slaven Bilic made it quite clear that I wasn’t part of the plan. I think he was going with Reidy and that was it really. I certainly wasn’t going to be happy on the bench.’
He admits it felt strange lining up against the club he supported as a boy. ‘The first couple of times I definitely didn’t have my best games. It was just too weird. I couldn’t do it. I was talking about football like I was still at West Ham.’ Having played at both Upton Park and the London Stadium, James has a definite preference. ‘If you speak to players they like the old school stadiums and closeness to the pitch. There is a great atmosphere and you felt the presence of fans at Upton Park, so I prefer stadiums where they’re close.’
James left Crystal Palace at the end of last season but hasn’t had a club since – is retirement now on the horizon? ‘I’m not officially retired although I am close to it. It’s a question of how long can you wait until you get an offer? I’m just keeping fit, hoping for something to come up. But obviously I’m aware of how long it’s been since I left Palace. For that seven-year-old crashing balls into the net it’s not been a bad career.’
*James Tomkins was speaking to Dave Walker and the ExWHUemployee on the West Ham Way podcast available via Patreon.
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