THE SCOTSMAN REPORTS


Beattie promises to rely on youth as West return to the top table



By David Ferguson
JOHN Beattie was the kind of player who revelled in battles whether turning out for Glasgow Accies, the west coast district or Scotland.

His face beams at the prospect of leading another group of young Glasgow bucks into the heat of the Scottish Hydro Electric Division 1. Almost a decade of Division 1 rugby has passed without the likes of West of Scotland and Selkirk among the top naADVERTISEMENTmes, and both are putting that right this season.

But one thing we have to get straight first is the story of how Beattie did once take a firm step backwards with Scotland, opting to avoid conflict, when asked to be his country's national coach. Was that true?

"Yes, it was," he said, "and it's just as well I didn't do it because with my knowledge then we certainly wouldn't have had a third Grand Slam. I'd been retired for two years and had coached Glasgow Under-21s to victory over New Zealand Under-21s and was asked if I would coach the Scotland forwards.

"The SRU were obviously running short of options, but, thankfully, for Scotland, I was just starting my chartered accountancy training and my wife and I felt it wasn't the right thing to give that up, so some players drove down to Selkirk instead and persuaded Jim Telfer to come out of retirement and coach again. And we won the Grand Slam in 1990, so I think the right decision was made."

It is a story few are aware of, but intriguing as Beattie's involvement as West's head coach next month brings him back to the top of the club world. He has coached his old club Glasgow Accies, helped take Biggar to a high-point of third in Division 1 at one point with Gary Parker and is now entering his fourth season at West, where he, David McLean, the former Scotland and British and Irish Lions fitness trainer, and skipper Gordon Bulloch have helped steer the club from Division 3 to 1 in the past two seasons.

It is an exciting return for a club that boasts among their international alumni the likes of Chris Rea, Brian and Jimmy Gossman, Peter and Gordon Brown, David Shedden, David Leslie and James Craig. Some Scotland stars have come through the ranks in Milngavie, others landed at the club as it was the only open one in Glasgow at the time.



That mix is now more prevalent across Glasgow as the barriers to entry fell a long time ago, but Beattie is keen to restore a reliance on local talent.



"I more or less promised our squad that we wouldn't try and poach anybody for the Division 1 campaign," he explained. "I know it's going to be tough, especially playing against teams with lots of academy players, who are training full-time, but West are a good rugby club with good mini and midi sections, good U-15, U-17 and U-18 squads, and we believe our role is to nurture and develop our own.

"I've no time for the teams who go hunting the best players. I've heard the argument that I'm na�ve and that the top division is different to anything we've experienced in the second or third, which it is, but we're not talking about Manchester United or Chelsea holding onto their place at the top of world football and the financial responsibilities that come with that.

"We're talking about developing Scottish rugby, strengthening clubs and finding the next generation of talent who I hope can learn and enjoy club rugby, be part of something, and then go on and become full-time professionals and maybe one day play for Scotland.

"We have a couple of new guys who have joined from other clubs because they want to come here, as will always happen, but we're giving opportunities to West youngsters. Selkirk won promotion doing that, and Glasgow Hawks are the same from what I hear, and are getting huge training numbers, and I think they'll be the top team to beat this season."

Beattie is encouraged by the progression of West youngsters such as Robert Harley, Mark and Connor Davis, speedster Kyle Mathieson and Stuart Malone, and believes their development alongside former professionals like Bulloch, Guy Perrett, the vice-captain, and Rory Kerr, will prove more productive than the club doling out several thousands "which we don't have" for cars, houses and/or wages for foreign players, as has become customary through the Scottish game.

"We're delighted as a club to be back at the top and we're going to give it a real go. We know it will be tough, and I realise that's why the temptation is there to spend money on quick-fixes, but no-one at West sees the point in artificially bolstering our club.

"We have a 2nd XV that beat the 1st XV in a game last season, and that 2nd XV are the heart of the club. Like Selkirk, I think we have nothing to fear. We're the underdogs and we're just going to go for it, like a bunch of nutcases."



As for any re-igniting of any personal ambitions further up the chain, the 50-year-old is just as definite. "Coach Scotland � for that pressure? Not a chance!"

This article was posted on 29-Jul-2008, 07:29 by Hugh Barrow.