So if we are to believe the rumours, Benni McCarthy is to be leaving Ewood Park come the January transfer window. B-Mac was originally brought in before the 06/07 season to replace Welsh journeyman Craig Bellamy, who had set his sights on better things. Liverpool could offer him Champions League football, and a nice warm bench to sit on. West Ham a wage that equalled the one that Liverpool offered him, and a nice warm physio table. And Man City could offer him, a temporary starting position until all the vastly superior players got fit again.

Benni fitted in to the Blackburn team as beautifully as Pamela Anderson in to a 90′s lifeguard costume.The results were just as impressive, scoring a goal every other Premiership appearance. My personal favourite of the season however came in the FA cup 5th round replay against Arsenal. After a fantastic performance from Brad Friedel at the Emirates, Arsenal came up to Ewood where it remained scoreless until a moment of McCarthy Magic.

The 06/07 was full of outstanding performances and incredible finishes like that one. But it feels much like that was the best we ever got out of the Bafana Bafana legend, he was hit by niggling injuries the following season and struggled with not being the number 1 striker at Ewood with the arrival of Roque Santa Cruz. He did still manage to score a respectable 8 goals in 21 starts but the magic seemed to be gone as a number of those goals were put in from the penalty spot.

Last season with RSC out injured it was time for Benni to step up, but he often looked a yard off the pace. He looked unimpressed with the selection of Ince as manager, but didn’t do his talking on the pitch and slowly let him get out of shape. I have little doubt that if he could get back to his conditioning of 06/07 then he will be a valuable striker and with the World Cup in South Africa this year you would presume that would be motivation enough. However he hasn’t done enough to impress Allardyce that he deserves a spot above Roberts or young gun Di Santo which is a pretty telling story.

So here we are with January looming and an unfit, unmotivated McCarthy so it would be no surprise to see him moved on. For me I think it is time for him to move on to pastures new, but preferably not to another English club, as a fit Benni McCarthy is an opposition we don’t want to facing to remind ourselves of what could have been.

(Sorry about the terrible quality!)

I will always remember him as a truly nice guy with a big character, as well as having an incredible nose for goal and a deadly finish. So if he does go it will be a fond farewell.

0.376 is Benni McCarthy’s goals per game ratio. Football cliches – 1 (Journeymen)

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