Houllier not surprised by Southampton upsurge

Last updated : 17 January 2003 By Chris Maxwell
Houllier believes the Saints are reaping the rewards for the patience they have shown in James Beattie.

He said: "I'm not surprised at all by how well Southampton are doing. We have beaten them twice this season in the Premiership and Worthington Cup, and they showed how they could play good football and had the quality.

"It's a good side and the fact Beattie is scoring a lot of goals is why you need to be patient with strikers. He went through a bad spell and they stuck with him and he is playing well now and scoring goals."