James is a Senior Editor for GIVEMESPORT with over eight years of experience in the industry.

After graduating from the University of Southampton in 2016 with a degree in history, he joined the company as an Academy member in July 2017 and, after a short time working as a freelancer, was given a full-time role in February 2018. 

He primarily covers the biggest stories in the football world but is also comfortable reporting on a variety of other sports including darts, golf, Formula 1, tennis, boxing and athletics.

He has covered some massive events during his time at GIVEMESPORT, including numerous Champions League and World Cup finals, as well as the Olympics in 2020 and 2024.
 

Former Premier League defender Steven Caulker has revealed the great difficulty he is having getting a job after returning to England.

Caulker enjoyed a long and successful career in professional football. He played for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Queens Park Rangers at club level. He also represented England on one occasion, scoring in his only appearance against Sweden in 2012, before switching allegiance to Sierra Leone.

The centre-back decided to call time on his playing career in 2025 following a short spell in Iceland with Stjarnan.

After hanging up his boots, Caulker had his eyes set on becoming a football manager. However, he is finding opportunities few and far between.

Caulker Reveals Stress on Social Media

Caulker is now 34 years old and is currently without a job after leaving his role as assistant manager at Turkish club Konyaspor. Taking to LinkedIn, Caulker revealed the stress that he has been feeling after being rejected for jobs he is qualified for. He wrote:

"Being unemployed is stressful. I've been here many times before, I'm used to the rollercoaster of emotions, but it doesn't make it any easier.

"Applying for jobs for which I have all the qualifications yet am unable to get even an interview hurts, but that does not mean I should panic.

"Walt Disney was rejected over 300 times; rejection is part of most people's stories. The bit I find difficult is then turning down the jobs that do come my way which are not aligned with my goals.

"Staying calm and composed during these times is important, and adding some kind of structure to my day certainly helps. I've just finished my morning run and feeling pretty good after releasing some endorphins."

The post has been widely shared by concerned fans on social media. Caulker struggled with his mental health during his football career and one X user has urged people to reach out and help him if they are in a position to do so.

Caulker Gives Update on Job Search

Caulker has revealed that his post has had a positive impact when it comes to his job search. He told talkSPORT: "Do you know what? I wrote that post yesterday morning and I think my phone has not stopped ringing."

He added: "I’m just in a situation where I wanted to leave Turkey. I wanted to come back and look to develop my coaching in the UK or maybe Europe, but I felt that it was time to come back closer to home.

"I spent a long time on the road and I’ve come back and I’ve been applying for jobs, I’m doing all the networking. It’s just a case of waiting for the right opportunity to appear.

"The difficult thing when you’re in a situation like this, or what I’m finding difficult, is to then say no to jobs that don’t align with my vision.

"Ultimately, I want to be a Premier League manager and I know that I’ve got a lot of work to get there, but I want to make sure that I’m on the right path, learning from the right people and making the right decisions along the way."

He posted another update on LinkedIn on Tuesday morning, revealing he had been offered 30+ podcast requests, 12 offers to invest in people's businesses, four events to attend and three potential job offers from different industries.