James Beattie: More than just a Premier League Cult Hero
As a centre forward, James Beattie, was hard to dispossess, a good dribbler and prolific from set pieces. He was also brilliant in the air, scoring many a downward header from a cross.
His strength and stamina came from his successful time as a swimmer. At the age of 13, Beattie was the second fastest 100m freestyle swimmer in the country. Freestyle swimming is incredibly complex, effectively requiring you to multi-task whilst in the water. Swimming improves endurance, teaches repetition of movement, discipline, and increases core strength and balance, all attributes that are key for any effective centre forward.
Signing for Southampton
In July 1998 Beattie signed for Southampton as a replacement for Kevin Davis. Davis went the other way to Blackburn Rovers. Davis was quick, had good composure on the ball and could beat players, exemplified by his breathtaking solo goal against Everton in November 1997.
Beattie’s first few seasons at Saints were about providing goals in the most vital moments. During the 1998/99 Premier League season, his stunning volley against Leicester City to earn a 2–1 win lifted Southampton out of the relegation zone. He then scored against Wimbledon away, helping the side to a 2–0 victory. On the final day of the season, Beattie assisted Marians Pahar’s two goals, helping Saints beat Everton 2–0. With Southampton winning their final three games they were safe for another Premier League season. Saints’ survival also allowed them to press ahead with beginning their move to St Mary’s Stadium.
Despite only playing regularly from November 1998, Beattie won Southampton Player of the Season as well as the Southern Daily Echo Award.
The new Le God
However, Beattie didn’t score a single goal for 18 months. The 1999/2000 Premier League season was a long road for the striker who struggled with injury, only making nine starts in all competition. He regained his composure in November 2000, scoring 10 in 10, beginning in a 3–2 victory at home to Chelsea. Beattie scored a brace, his second, a freekick from just under 30 yards out, winning Saints the game in the 90th minute, halting a late comeback from Chelsea. A week later he scored the opening goal away to Sunderland, an outrageous volley from 45 yards out, to just chip keeper Thomas Sørensen.
The following week, Beattie was being hailed as the new Matt Le Tissier, which the striker stated at the time was “a bit strange although it is a nice compliment”. Fans were right to praise Beattie, whose form only continued. That week he scored his second brace of the season, two goals in the space of two minutes, at home to Aston Villa, earning Saints a 2–0 win.
After his sudden spectacular resurgence in November and four goals the following month, Beattie was awarded Premier League Player of the Month for December. A lot of his goals that season again earned crucial points for Saints, helping his side win 1–0 against Leeds United and Derby County. In Southampton’s final season at The Dell, Beattie finished as top scorer with 12 in all competitions and helped his side to finish 10th in the table.
Golden Boot contender
During the 2002/2003 Premier League campaign it was instead about the spectacular for Beattie. He enjoyed his best season for Saints scoring 23 League goals. Beattie finished as the 3rd most prolific goal scorer, just two goals behind top scorer Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
In that season there was an abundance of eye-catching, prolific Premier League goal scorers. Behind Beattie stood the likes of Michael Owen, in his seventh and joint best season for Liverpool, Alan Shearer, and Mark Viduka, who enjoyed his greatest Premier League season upfront for Leeds. Southampton finished 8th and qualified for the UEFA Cup first round, nearly solely thanks to Beattie who scored 53% of Southampton’s goals that campaign.
Amongst those 23 league goals, Beattie had slotted away five penalties, not missing once from the spot. He was also only one of 10 Premier League players to score a league hat-trick that season, in a 4–2 win against Fulham.
Saints were 2–0 down at home to Fulham. However, 27 minutes in Fulham’s Alain Goma was ruled to have handled Brett Ormerod’s cross. Beattie emphatically slotted the ball down the middle to reduce the deficit to just 2–1, and to score his second penalty of the week, after his first, six days ago, at Villa Park. A beautiful cross from Fabrice Fernandes then met Beattie, afloat in the air, who headed the ball into the far corner to make it 2–2. Beattie completed his hat-trick with another header from a brilliant Anders Svenssonthen free-kick about 40 yards out, the striker unmarked in the box, the ball flying past a defeated Edwin van der Sar.
Owing to his comparisons with Le God, Beattie’s hat-trick for Saints ended a 275-league-game drought without a hat-trick for the club, since Le Tissier’s three goals against Nottingham Forest in August 1995. Following the game Manager Gordon Strachan commented that Beattie “is a barometer of our character and stamina. He is also our first line of defence.”
After scoring four Premier League goals in November, including a brace in a surprise 3–2 win against reigning champions Arsenal, Beattie won Premier League Player of the Month. A month later his manager Gordon Strachan followed suit, claiming Manager of the Month.
Beattie scored three braces that season. His two against Middlesborough, at the Riverside showed just how powerfully he could strike the ball with his right foot. As did his strike two months later against West Brom in a 1–0 home win. Strike partner Brett Ormerod chested it down into the path of Beattie who blasted it into the back of the net.
Towards the end of the season, Southampton sat 8th after a 3–2 win at home to Leeds where Beattie showed his brilliant work rate. He wasn’t a selfish striker; he didn’t mind creating a chance or tracking back to help defend. By this point in the campaign, Beattie was so full of confidence and energy, that he covered the pitch with ease. For Saints second, he drifted into the penalty area as a skilful Fabrice Fernandes lifted a cross into the box, before Ormerod headed the ball down for Beattie to run onto. In the second half, Beattie worked hard on the right side of the pitch, knocking the ball beyond Danny Mills, chesting it down and sprinting before producing a lovely cross to set up Anders Svensson for the winner.
Beattie in fact was in contention to win the Golden Boot throughout the whole season up to the final day. Against Man City in their final game that campaign Beattie tried scoring from everywhere, even 50 yards out, much to the amusement of his teammates. Despite Southampton’s 1–0 win, Beattie failed to score that day whilst Thierry Henry and Rudd Van Nistlerooy did. Just in the way Beattie had felt the team had overachieved that campaign because of their hard work and the atmosphere manager Strachan was able to create, he understood “the success of the team meant more.”.
2003 FA Cup Final
That season Beattie was also part of an FA Cup run that saw Saints play Arsenal at the Millennium Stadium. Southampton only conceded three goals in their run up to the final, however Beattie seemed to relish playing in the league more. The striker only scored once in that cup run, in a 4–0 demolition of Spurs in the 3rd round. When it came to the final, many thought he would flourish without Sol Campbell to take on, who was banned for the final. However, he only managed to fashion Southampton’s final chance in stoppage time, a header cleared off the line by Ashley Cole. After the game, Man of the Match Thierry Henry, came into the Southampton dressing room and asked Beattie for his shirt, as a mark of respect for the number nine’s prolific season.
Beattie finished the season as Southampton’s player of the season and again won the Southern Daily Echo award. He was also shortlisted for PFA Players’ Player of the Year.
Unlike the starry names of an Arsenal side that would go on to finish unbeaten the following season, that Saints side, in Beatties words, “had no real stars in it but together as a team, if we were on it, we were formidable and we got some fantastic results.” And that’s what made Beattie’s fellow forwards stand in admiration.
After 15 seasons and 331 appearances in the Premier League, Beattie currently sits joint 41st Premier League goal scorer of all time, alongside Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with 91 goals.
Just like in his young career as a swimmer, Beattie feels injuries held him back from reaching his full potential. However, there’s no doubt that when James Beattie was on form you wouldn’t want to be playing against him.
