BRIAN McBride's decision to plump for Fulham ahead of Blackburn might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

Graeme Souness will be disappointed to lose out on a player he's tracked for sometime.

But when push comes to shove, if the 31-year-old isn't fully committed to playing for Blackburn Rovers then, quite frankly, the club are better off without him.

These days players have far more power when it comes to deciding their own destiny than they ever did in my day and I've got to say good luck to them.

With so many agents involved in the game, it's relatively easy to manufacture a move elsewhere - just look at what's happened to Louis Saha.

In my time, contracts were such that you appeared to be tied to a club a lot more firmly than players are now.

But as professional football offers such a short career, you can't blame players for wanting to get the best deal possible in an era when the game is awash with money.

I don't know the full ins and outs of the McBride deal but it would appear that Fulham have made him a better offer than he was going to get at Blackburn, hence the late U-turn.

Unfortunately, it's a fact of life that clubs like Rovers are always going to be at a disadvantage compared to the London teams when it comes to attracting players from abroad.

When foreign players think about moving to England they want to sample the bright lights of London and Manchester because those are the places they've heard about.

Sadly, Blackburn hardly gets a look in by comparison but that's the reality of the situation and we've got to live with it.

The question now is 'where does Graeme go from here?'

With little money to spend in the transfer market and less than two weeks to go before the window shuts, his options are limited.

To be honest, I don't think bringing in one player will make a huge amount of difference anyway.

Okay, if Graeme had the money to sign a prolific striker then it would have an impact.

Look what happened when Andy Cole arrived from Manchester United two years ago.

His goals saved the club from relegation but Souness hasn't got the dosh to bring in a proven Premiership goalscorer of that calibre.

That means Rovers are left with two options, both of which represent a gamble.

Does Graeme take a punt on a cut-price foreigner or raid the lower divisions in search of a player who might be capable of making the step up?

One man who might fit the bill is Preston's Ricardo Fuller.

I've seen him on three separate occasions this season and there's a lot of Emile Heskey about him.

His pace and power can be quite awesome at times but I've got to say his finishing doesn't enthuse me.

That would certainly need working on if he ever made the step up into the Premiership because, although he might have scored 17 times for North End in the First Division this season, he wouldn't get the same amount of chances at the top level.

Nevertheless, he may still represent the best available option, providing you could get him at the right price.

Preston fans talk about him being worth £5 million-plus but no club is going to offer them that in the current climate, especially when he's only got 18 months left to run on his contract.

Some would say that Graeme might be better keeping his money in his pocket until he can afford someone who he really wants.

But I would always say if there's an opportunity to strengthen then you must do it -- even if that means taking a gamble.