The Simon Garner column

JOHN Hartson's frank admission that his days at Celtic could be numbered may spark a scramble for his services in the January sales.

With several Premier League managers on the look-out for a new striker, they may see the burly Bhoys forward as the ideal man to beef up their attacking options.

But if I was Mark Hughes, I wouldn't be rushing out to bring the former Arsenal and West Ham star to Blackburn Rovers.

Rovers' current problems in front of goal are well documented and I'm sure Mark will do everything in his power to bring a new striker to the club during the transfer window.

But I'm not convinced that Hartson is the man to revive Rovers' fortunes, even though he is Celtic's leading scorer and he's averaged a goal in every other game while he's been in Scotland.

Okay, so he enjoyed a reasonable amount of success in the Premiership during the early part of his career but a succession of injuries have since taken their toll on a player who relies heavily on his physical presence, and I'm not sure he could still do a job on a weekly basis at that level.

You only have to look at his performance for Wales against England last month to see that his powers are now on the wane - a point Martin O'Neill perhaps hinted at earlier this week when he said he would have to prove his fitness to earn himself a new contract at Celtic.

But if Hartson isn't the answer then who is?

Realistically, it's not going to be easy for Rovers to unearth a striker in January who can come in and make an immediate impact in the Premiership.

Decent strikers who are available for next-to-nothing are about as rare as rocking horse droppings, which means Mark Hughes might have to take a gamble on someone who's not tried and tested at the highest level, as Graeme Souness did with Jonathan Stead at the same stage last season.

But maybe - just maybe - an answer might lie closer to home.

Paul Gallagher has barely had a look in so far under the new regime but regular Rovers watchers know the 20-year-old has the talent to be a star in the Premiership.

Whenever he was used last season, Gally seemed to come on and make an impact in games and his form in pre-season, on the club's tour of Germany, suggested he was ready to take the next step.

For whatever reason, that hasn't happened so far but maybe the time is now right to bring him back into the equation, initially from the substitute's bench.

He showed he hasn't lost his eye for a goal by scoring twice in the reserves' 3-0 win against Wolves earlier this week - a performance that may have reminded Hughes of his qualities.

I know from experience that Paul will be desperate for the chance to show he can do it in the Premiership.

If the manager gives him his chance, then he might just save himself a few quid in the transfer market.