[6] James started his career as a left winger with Burnley, making his Football League debut in November 1970 against Nottingham Forest.

[7] In 1975, he signed for Derby County for a club-record fee of £300,000,[7] and in 1977 joined Queens Park Rangers in exchange for Don Masson.

[9] Manager John Toshack signed James for Swansea City for £130,000 in 1980, in a move to build a side capable of gaining promotion to the First Division after their rapid rise up the Football League.

They won the Second Division at the first attempt, with James scoring the first goal against Preston North End in the last game of the season, securing the club's promotion.

After winning his first three matches in charge, the team then went twenty games without a victory, and James left the club in February 1996, to be replaced by Keith Alexander.

[citation needed] In the 2001–02 season, he coached Garden Village of the Welsh Football League to the Second Division championship title with a final-day victory at Chepstow Town.

The BBC suspended James for a period due to controversial remarks made in a regular newspaper column regarding Cardiff City.

[22] James caused controversy in March 2008 by commenting in his column in the South Wales Evening Post that he would like Cardiff City to lose to Barnsley in the 2008 FA Cup semi-final.