John Beattie Quits West Of Scotland
Apr 8 2010 Matthew Leslie

Coughs and colds earned on wet, windy touchline takes its toll as John steps down after five years
Health was a key reason for John Beattie stepping down as West of Scotland boss.
The shock announcement comes after West were guaranteed their top-flight safety after rivals Glasgow Hawks did them a favour by beating fellow strugglers Watsonian's.
Beattie's reign ends after five years in which he took them from the bottom of the third tier of club rugby all the way to the Premiership with a cup final appearance en route.
Although keen to play down the kiss of life he had given the club, the Beattie era has been nothing short of remarkable in getting the Burnbrae side to punch its weight and then some.
While some fans will be upset at the announcement, it is worth asking them who they think-before Beattie took over -would have been their local derby in 2010, Hawks or Hydro League minnows Whitecraigs, the latter would have been the answer.
However, as Beattie reveals, two seasons on the trot battling to avoid relegation and the coughs and colds earned from wet, cold and windy training sessions and matchdays have taken their toll.
"I think bronchitis made up my mind for me to quit. Joking apart, standing around on the touchline in foul conditions and getting sick wasn't ideal.
"You're standing there, wet, freezing and your lungs are burning, having to think all day about training and worrying about game day.
"Since I've stopped worrying about all of that, my health has improved . Plus five years is a good landmark to step down on.
"It is also much more fun trying to take teams up than to avoid relegation which we've done these past two years. I found it pretty stressful."
Of his time, Beattie is rightly proud of his legacy.
He added: "West were really struggling and we were turning up to training and only finding 10 or so players there.
"So, Dave McLean and I decided to make training a more fun experience in order to get the guys enthusiastic about their rugby again. "I'm really proud of what has happened since then with two promotions into the top flight.
"The last year we had a great player pool and really acquitted ourselves well on our return.
"This season has been much harder but still fun nonetheless. I feel really proud to have been involved with West.
"Also, I only know so much about coaching and the players are hearing me saying the same things so maybe West need a fresh approach. "So it was best to depart while we're all still friends. West feel like a family to me and I'm honoured to have been part of that.
"I'm not done with coaching. I'll probably coach a weak team in the future. My brother and I took Glasgow Accies up a few years a while back remember."
Regarding Beattie's replacement, West hooker and former Scotland and Lions cap Gordon Bulloch has ruled himself out.
However, West President, Gordon Cairns, has already targeted a number of candidates.
He said: "We've a couple of people we're looking at although no names at this stage.
"In order to build on what John has achieved, we're looking for somebody who high profile and has good technical knowledge.
"If anyone feels they meet that requirement then they are more than welcome to apply.
"As for John, we are grateful for what he has done and wish him all the very best."

This article was posted on 8-Apr-2010, 09:12 by Hugh Barrow.