Saturday, another match valid for the much acclaimed English First Division. At the gates of Highbury there is a large crowd waiting to enter the London fortress. Arsenal takes the field with their rich and famous all-star team. Of all eleven players on the red and white team, there is one who stands out for his height and clothing. It's Alec James, the little Scottish wizard, the inside left of Arsenal. With his short stature and baggy shorts, the Scotsman is easily spotted on the field, even for his gait.

James is quite a character. He is sovereign on the field, has an unshakable confidence, a certainty of his actions, as the ball obeyed each of his commands, however difficult and unique they may have been.

James' every touch is natural, an artistic tone proceeds his movements. He takes his time with the ball, however long it takes. He has a vast repertoire of tricks that were called "wizardry". James wasn't just a football player, he was an audience entertainer, one who caused severe entertainment for anyone who came to watch him. The ticket price was more than worth it for such a spectacle by one of the greatest players.

Arsenal's engineer-in-chief, he sees aspects of the game that other players don't. The audience expects a certain feat, but James performs differently. He's a genius. It cannot be deduced what the genius will do and how he will do it. He has a map and strands in his head. If he sees chances from the right, he reverses the ball; if he sees a chance on the left, he launches Boy Bastin in a dangerous action towards the opposing goal. If it is Jack Lambert, he shouts to his centre-forward: "Away, Lambert!"

And at the end of the match, it was likely not to see goals from the Scottish inside left. This was unusual for the time, but James didn't care about goals. He didn't advance so far to be able to score a goal. When he did, James tended to pass the ball to a teammate. It was difficult to leave Arsenal's middle block. James was the orchestrator, the architect, the master planner of a powerful team, a team that went down as one of the best ever, largely because of the magnificent, extraordinary football of the wizard Alec James.