El James? appointment as manager of Bermuda?s national cricket team has ruffled a few feathers among squad members, can reveal.

And according to several reliable sources, squad members ? preparing for July?s International Cricket Council (ICC) Trophy tournament in Ireland ? are contemplating airing their grievances via a petition strongly urging Bermuda Cricket Board (BCB) officials to reconsider James? appointment.

It?s understood squad members are in favour of having interim coach Wendell Smith accompany the team to Ireland this summer instead as manager for his sacrifices in putting the team through their early paces.

James? relative unpopularity among players is also understood to be cause for concern.

When contacted yesterday, a disturbed James told : ?I don?t have any time for ignorance. I?m not there to make any friends . . . and that?s what is plaguing the sport today ? all this negativity.

?I?ve got a job to do and I intend to deal with things as they come up. But I never expected this type of foolishness.?

James previously served as BCB president for three years before standing down in 2002. The former Warwick and Somerset Cup Match all-rounder was also a member of Bermuda?s 1982 ICC Trophy squad that finished runners-up in England.

James said he was absolutely ?shocked? to learn discontentment exists among national team members over his recruitment for the manager?s post.

?This is a positive situation here and very serious,? he added. ?And I have no time to deal with any ignorance. When are we going to get positive? I?m shocked. . . but I guess there will always be negativity.

?But again, I?m not out to make friends . . . I?ve only been asked to do a job which I intend to do to the best of my ability. And my track record speaks for itself.?

James, who was announced as manager of the national team only last week, hasn?t been involved in domestic cricket since standing down as Board president three years ago.

Smith, meanwhile, elder brother of national team captain Clay and himself a former Bermuda skipper, has been at the helm of the Island?s national cricket team for the past few weeks in an interim capacity while talks are ongoing between former West Indies vice-captain and coach Gus Logie and the BCB that could see the Trinidadian officially sign on as Mark Harper?s successor.

?There?s a strong possibility that he will be coming. We can?t say yes yet because there?s a contractual agreement and other things that have to be looked into. All those things have to be decided first,? Board president Reggie Pearman told earlier this week.

Speaking from his native Trinidad, Logie replied: ?So far I like what I?m hearing.?

Harper?s three-year deal as national coach expired last September, just two months after Bermuda earned qualification to this summer?s ICC Trophy during the Americas Championships held on local soil.

Logie succeeded Harper?s younger sibling Roger as West Indies coach in 2003. And should he agree to what?s anticipated to be a short-term contract, Logie could begin his new job in early April when the national team embark on a ten-day training camp in Trinidad.

The former West Indies Test player has already received the solid backing of national team skipper Clay Smith.

?That?s a bonus for our cricket and the sooner the better,? he said. ?He (Logie) brings a wealth of knowledge as a player who has been all around the world competing at the highest level in different environments. He knows what it takes to win.?