DAVID James has hailed Eddie Howe as “top drawer” and says the Cherries manager has quickly put his stamp on the squad.

James, in common with the team, has enjoyed an upturn in fortunes since Howe returned to Dean Court earlier this month.

“He says the right things,” said James. “I met him a few years back when I was at Portsmouth and he was in his first spell as manager here. He struck me as a very thorough and thoughtful manager and this was just in conversation.

“We shared a lot of belief systems.

“I never actually thought I would be working under him but it was just interesting thinking ‘this guy speaks the same as I do so he must be good!’

“Working with him now, he is carrying on what he spoke about then. It is not the age thing, it is what he does.”

James added: “I always said there was a lot of talent in this squad and Eddie has put his stamp on it.

"He has got the players playing very confidently.

“The biggest testament to that was in the past two games. We went 2-0 down at Notts County and, three or four weeks ago, that would have been game over. We kept going and got back in the game.

“There is a never-say-die attitude which is impressive. Add that to the ability and you get results like we had at Carlisle. We dominated the game and even when they scored, it was a case of ‘we’re going to score again’. Eddie has really made a change.”

Meanwhile, James believes the FA Cup roll of honour scotches suggestions that Premier League clubs have devalued the competition by fielding weakened teams.

James lifted the trophy with Portsmouth in 2008 when Harry Redknapp’s men ended a monopoly of successes for the top-flight big guns.

James told the Daily Echo: “For any team, winning is the aim whether it is a league or cup game. But, with the amount of money generated, there are teams in the Premier League which are more concerned about staying in the league than having a good cup run.

“Ultimately, it is about club security and survival. Even Manchester United, as good as they are, didn’t enter one year because of their concerns over league form. That is what pays the bills so it is understandable.

“Having said that, it is an opportunity for other players and, even if a Premier League club were to field a weakened side, it is still going to be decent due to the number of players in the squad.

“Once you get to the latter stages, people see it as an entry into Europe. It is a competition taken seriously by the big boys and you only have to look to see who has won it for proof of that. They have got the squads to be able to facilitate putting out decent teams.

“For the likes of us, it is a great opportunity to progress and maybe get a good draw. If you get through the first two rounds, then who knows who you could play. It could be Manchester City or Manchester United and how good would that be.”

  • David James, an FA Cup winner with Portsmouth and boasting four finals during a great career, talks about his memories of the famous old competition in the video above.