The Simon Garner column. . .

GORDON Strachan has turned James Beattie into a great player since he left Blackburn six years ago.

And it's because Strachan has now gone that I think Beattie needs to follow him through the door marked 'exit'.

Down here in the south, the papers are suggesting that new manager Paul Sturrock has lost the dressing room already -- and I don't think Beattie likes him.

After Strachan, whoever took over was always going to have a hard job and it's particularly difficult for a manager to come straight into the Premier League from the lower divisions.

They automatically have to earn respect and that's hard because the gulf now is so big that unless you are a big name or have a good reputation it's a different world.

It all adds up to Beattie needing to leave maybe just to further his career and get back in the England squad.

He would be better off and score more goals at a club that has a chance of getting into Europe. I can't see any of the top four clubs buying him but I can't see Southampton even finishing in the top half at best.

I think he needs somebody like Strachan to motivate him so his career can only go forward because if he stays at Southampton it might just stand still.

They don't seem to have a creative team and, while Kevin Phillips is a great strike partner to have, more quality players will turn Beattie into a better player.

And at 26, that's what he needs to get his international career up and running again.

As for Southampton, I don't think they have many players who would get in the Blackburn side so we should have too much for them.

Then again, I wasn't at the West Brom game last week!

I did see the highlights and a draw seemed a fair result, but I have to look at that as two points dropped for Rovers.

When the fixtures come out at the start of a season, managers must look down the list and see which ones they fancy taking three points from - and West Brom at home would have been one of those.

Blackburn usually do well on the first day of the season, especially at home, but as it is only the first game it's too early to take anything from it.