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KOCHI: Former England goalkeeper David James has returned as the head coach of Kerala Blasters . James will be replacing Dutchman Rene Meulensteen who was 'shown the door' on Tuesday after a dismal start to the season by the Kerala outfit in the fourth season of the Indian Super League.

The 47-year-old James was the marquee player-cum-coach of Blasters in the inaugural ISL season in which they finished as runners-up. James has played for England in 53 matches between 1997 and 2010 and represented Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham, Manchester City and Portsmouth in the Premier League.

On Tuesday night, James was spotted at the Kochi airport, just a few hours after the unceremonious exit of Meulensteen. Some fans who happened to identify him took a picture of James, who apparently was buying a sim card. The picture started doing the rounds from midnight to trigger rumours of James's return to the Kerala club and by Wednesday evening, it was confirmed that the Blasters management has got the permission from the ISL authorities to appoint the former Liverpool goalkeeper as their new coach.

"It is an honour to be given the opportunity to manage a team I fell in love with back in 2014. KBFC is a club that follows the values of their region with passion and support. I look forward to a new chapter in the history of the Club and for me too." said James. "We are very happy to welcome back David James to Kerala Blasters FC family. He has been with us during the first ISL season and his understanding of the team and past interaction with them will be helpful to work with the team in an engaging manner at this juncture," said Blasters CEO Varun Tripuraneni.

James went to Blasters' training ground on Wednesday evening sporting a yellow kit to get a feel of the things and he is expected to be at the touchline for the match against Pune City FC on Thursday in Kochi.

The move to appoint James signals the Blasters' management's intention to go for a tried-and-tested person to resurrect their season after falling down to eighth in the table with only one win and seven points from seven matches. In 2014, under James, Blasters finished fourth in the league stage and qualified for the playoffs. They beat Chennaiyin FC in the double-legged semifinals but Atletico de Kolkata edged them 1-0 in a tightly fought final.

James's return also shows the fascination for reputed Premier League names the Blasters have always shown when it comes to choosing their coaching staff. Peter Taylor, Trevor Morgan (caretaker coach), Steve Coppell and Meulensteen have all come with to the ISL on the back of their experience in England. There's a caveat here though. After his stint with Blasters in 2014, James has not coached or managed any major clubs anywhere in the world. It is to be seen whether he could get back into the high-stakes world of professional coaching after a three-year gap.

James would have an unenviable job at hand trying to get the act together for Blasters who have clearly looked a disoriented unit. Despite the presence of star names like Dimitar Berbatov , Wes Brown and Iain Hume, they have struggled to score goals, finding the back of the net only six times. James also would have to deal with an injury crisis that is plaguing the team as many of the key players are nursing various injuries. Saviour of Blasters against NorthEast and Chennaiyin with two timely goals, CK Vineeth is suffering from a groin injury and is expected to miss a few more of the coming matches.

