Beattie

Doug Ellis wrote in his autobiography: "I had done my homework and I was never convinced about Beattie. My research told me that he lacked a touch of skill and I think I've been proved right."
He wasn't talking about West Brom's struggling Scot Craig, but Sheffield United's namesake James, a player who former Villa boss David O'Leary was desperate to sign from Southampton and was found guilty of making an illegal approach in the process.
O'Leary was keen to heap all the blame on Ellis for his bungled attempt to get Beattie to sign after a £6million fee had been agreed. Ellis had been too keen to talk about himself, it was claimed. A relegation clause in his Villa contract, it was also deemed, hardly sent out the best message of a club on the up and up.
Well seeing Beattie against Albion on Tuesday night it is clear that Ellis, and not O'Leary, got it right all along. He was awful.
Where Martin O'Neill, O'Leary's successor went wrong, in my opinion, was to sell Kevin Phillips to Albion a season too early.
Injuries bit Villa hard last year and KP would have been a useful squad player.
But KP had a real off night at The Hawthorns this week. Beattie was anonymous for the Blades,whilst Phillips had two or three good chances, missed the lot and didn't play at all well.
And yet these two former England and Southampton team-mates are first and third in the Championship scorers list?
Just shows you the gap between the top two divisions.