Stoke City fans will have been over the moon with James Beattie’s initial impact at the club when he joined them for £3.5million back in January 2009 – though the rest of his time at the Britannia Stadium means that upon his exit to Rangers just 18 months later, fans will have mixed feelings about his spell.
Bursting onto the scene at Southampton after being brought to the south coast in 1998; including four consecutive seasons where he reached double figures in the Premier League – the highlight of that being a 23-goal haul in 2002-03, beaten only by Ruud van Nistelrooy and Thierry Henry.
By the time Stoke bought him from Sheffield United, Beattie had spent two years outside of the top-flight and Tony Pulis gave him a way back in, which he took with both hands at first; though a meddling second season saw him depart the club for good and finishing his career in the lower leagues.
How James Beattie fared at Stoke City
Beattie’s signing in January 2009 saw him join the Potters when they were 17th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone which included Tottenham, Blackburn and West Brom all circling just three points below the Potters.
Beattie instantly got off to a flyer in Staffordshire.
An assist on his debut stood him in a good position to rack up assists going forward, before two goals in his next two games – one being the loan winner against Manchester City – put Stoke on the path to survival.
Two goals in a 2-2 draw against Portsmouth, the opener in a win against Bolton, the clincher in a 2-0 win away at West Brom and an assist against Blackburn – both relegation rivals – saw the Potters go on a run of just one loss in eight games; heading into mid-table and all but safe from relegation in their first season in the Premier League.
But the following season wasn’t quite as fruitful.
Just two league goals all season – both coming in a 2-1 home win over West Ham – meant that it was a largely unsuccessful season for Beattie, who otherwise went over 700 minutes without a goal when taking away the brace against the Irons.
And that is a massive reason as to why Beattie will have mixed feelings from fans.
On the one hand, they would have suffered relegation without his superb half-season upon joining, though he did hinder them in their second season in the top-flight and as a result, Stoke could have challenged for European football had they signed another striker; which was evidenced as they were the second-lowest scorers in the league, joint with relegated Hull and Portsmouth.
James Beattie’s bust-up with Tony Pulis
A key reason for Beattie’s departure was his falling out with Tony Pulis.
It has been widely reported that Pulis was so irked with his side’s 2-0 loss against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium that he cancelled the team’s Christmas Party.
Beattie questioned his decision, and Pulis is reported to have head butted the striker in the changing rooms.
Ryan Shawcross labelled the incident a ‘spectacle’, and Beattie only started one more game after that before he was shipped off to Rangers the season following.
Pulis left after seven years in 2013, by which point Beattie was turning out for Accrington Stanley in League Two – and you can’t help but feel his final season at Stoke started the decline of his season.
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