What/where now for Johnny Beattie?

Reading John Beattie Snr's blog on the BBC pages, he doesn't seem to have too much sympathy for his son not getting picked by Scotland. For what it is worth, I think Robbo was correct as, from what I can gather, Beattie's attitude is not right at all. Ok, he can play very well but does he do it nearly as often as he could/should and why dopes he drift in and out of games so much (as acknowledged by Robbo)? I remember him annoying Glasgow fans last season by saying that he couldn't really be bothered playing Magners matches and he only enjoyed matches on the bigger stage.
To me, Beattie is at a cross roads where he can either knuckle down or he can take a huffy and become slightly irrational (in the same way as Simon Taylor seemed to lose the plot) and disappear off the rugby map. My gut feel is the latter which would be a shame given his potential.

I wouldnt read too much into Beattie Snr's article, he doesnt normally talk about his son in his blog for fear of coming across as biased. Id imagine he will definately have sympathy for Johnnie, but a bbc blog is not the place to show it.

I thought Johnnie was over the whole attitude problem thing. I remember when he first came back into the international scene when Robbo took over, they said that it was because hes matured and that Lineen had almost released him from his glasgow contract and that gave him a kick up the proverbial.

Dont get me started on Taylor, although I do believe that either him or Hogg shouldve been included in the 40 man squad, even if Robbo initially had no intention of taking either of them, as we had two unknown quantities and one gash one at eight, and I think he was banking on JB coming good in the warm ups, which he didnt. Now, we are stuck with Mr fantastic at eight.

As has been pointed out in a myriad of articles, Beattie can look no further than Kellock for a great example of what to do. Al didn't make the last world cup squad when he thought he was going to and then as club captain had to attend a crappy publicity day in Glasgow the day after the announcement when he had to smile and thole questions from well-meaning but ignorant punters about the World Cup.

That's how you take it like a man and, indeed, a professional athlete.

Beattie needs to get his boots on, go to work and think about his club.

And I bet you all the money in my pocket that his dad will have told him the same.

Dave, I am intrigued to know who you put into the "unknown quantities" and the "gash" categories. I would venture that Vernon started in the former and ended in the latter but I woudl be interested in who you put where (I must confess I didn't even think we had 3 number 8s!)

nah, other way round. Denton and Beattie were the unknown quantities after his injury lay off and the others seven pro starts, and we werent sure if he could regain his form in time, vernon's just gash.

Glasgow really need Beattie to focus on his club rugby, and if he doesn't, they should ship him out - no room for passengers. Glasgow were wiped out by Sale in their last pre-season friendly and didn't score a single point. Beattie, Fusaro and Harley has the makings of a very decent back row during the WC, and they'll need to be fully firing to beat Ulster away. Glasgow need the rampaging Beattie to get them over the advantage line and provide momentum for what looks on paper like a back line with some potential.

As for the number 8 debate, I've not been Vernon's biggest fan but he was the best 8 of the three in the warm-up games and if we use him correctly his pace is a serious asset. He isn't "gash", he's short a bit of power in the ball carrying stakes compared to the best number 8's.

Hogg had a mixed season at Newcastle, gave away more penalties than any other player in the league and received more yellow cards if I'm not mistaken. I like him as a player and he's talented. He was unlucky not to get picked ahead of Denton.

Taylor is one of the great Scotland players of my lifetime but his body just can't do club as well as internationals at the same time these days. He's still our best 8 in my view, and form at Bath at then end of the season looked good, but I don't blame him for trying to stretch his career. He's given everything for Scotland in the past, and I don't think his body was last a World Cup campaign.

FeS - what do you reckon has happeneds to Ali Hogg? He was very much in favour with Robbo at Edinburgh but, since moving to Newcastle, he has disappeared off the planet. I always thought that he was a very good ball player if, perhaps, lacking a bit of aggression.
Taylor's problem isn't his body but his mind. I know a guy who was in Taylor's year at Uni and said that he was prone to mood swings (not violent or anything but he just became really introvert for no reason from time to time). We do miss the "old" version i.e. the one that was about 2 stone lighter but an awful lot more mobile

"Beattie, Fusaro and Harley has the makings of a very decent back row "

Glasgow Warriors have Harley down as a Lock for this season. Maybe its just to cover Kellock and Gray while they are away in New Zealand. I though he did a great job at 6 last season.

Agreed on Taylor, I hoped he would get back involved for the WC, sadly not.

My view on Hogg is that he put on too much weight during the Hadden era and lost his pace. In his pomp he was a break away ball handling loose forward very much like Beattie. He was fairly lean and able to side step and change pace, enabling him to play across the entire back row. Hadden got the Scotland side into the gym in a big way before the last WC and I don't think Hogg has ever been the same player. They tried to rectify it and get him playing more sevens, but he just looks a bit too heavy. He's now a pure specialist number 8 and only really carries the ball into heavy traffic, using his power. You never see him hitting and line at pace and offloading in the same way he used to. Shame, a bit of a wasted talent really.

I do hope that Glasgow don't use Harley at lock. I'd rather they put a youngster like McAlpine in there with Ryder. Harley shouldn't advertise himself as versatile, he isn't cut out to be a lock at international level but he could become a very good blindside.

I've just looked at the team for Ulster and Harley is playing at 5, with Jedi at 6

As far as Johnnie Beattie and the No8 shirt goes - if Ryan Wilson keeps up his development from last year, JB might have trouble getting it back.

Is he injured, or is he just left out of the Glasgow team to get his head together or what? Whats the story there?

Currently out with a knee injury

Hmmm, don't think AR mentioned Beattie had a knee injury. You'd have thought he would have given the controversy of his non-selection.

For those interested in the team picked to play Ulster:

15 Stuart Hogg

14 Tommy Seymour
13 Rob Dewey
12 Troy Nathan
11 Colin Shaw

10 Duncan Weir
9 Colin Gregor

1 Jon Welsh
2 Pat MacArthur
3 Mike Cusack
4 Tom Ryder
5 Rob Harley (CAPTAIN)
6 James Eddie
7 Chris Fusaro
8 Ryan Wilson

SUBSTITUTES

16 Finlay Gillies
17 Ryan Grant
18 Ed Kalman
19 Nick Campbell
20 Rory Pitman
21 Henry Pyrgos
22 Peter Horne
23 Federico Aramburu

Don't like Harley at 5, but I guess the options are so limited it's understandable. I'm pleased for Eddie I guess, harshly treated at the end of last season. Hogg at 15 is exciting, a great young talent, and I'm looking forward to seeing Seymour this season.

Welsh ahead of Grant is also an interesting one, given that Grant was first choice last season and will surely be extremely fit given his involvement with the Scotland squad over the summer.

Mmmm, a decent strating line-up possibly apart from the front row although I haven't heard much of Cusack. The bench looks a bit threadbare though.
Colin Gregor is a guy who I can't really take to. He is a good runner but he insists on the Mike Phillips-two step before clearing the ball away from scrum or ruck. I thought Pyrgos looked good last season and am a bit surprised to see him start on the bench.

He's a good footballer though Gregor. When I see him play 7's I often wonder whether he'd have been better with a career at centre. Good ball player and decent vision. On the small side I guess, but with our large and plodding array of centres and wingers I'm sure we could have struck a balance. I agree though that he has limitations as a specialist scrum half.

funnyExiledScot wrote:He's a good footballer though Gregor. When I see him play 7's I often wonder whether he'd have been better with a career at centre. Good ball player and decent vision. On the small side I guess, but with our large and plodding array of centres and wingers I'm sure we could have struck a balance. I agree though that he has limitations as a specialist scrum half.

hes a similar build to Conrad Smith, and look how hes turned out...

To be fair, I think that the common theme that runs thru the careers of Taylor, Hogg & Beattie is serious injury - don't think Taylor ever really recovered from the beating that his knees took, Hogg equally has had knee & ankle trouble (I think?), and we know that Beattie had to get his shoulder seen to. There is a mystery over Beattie's current knee injury, with Lineen seemingly very coy on the topic - but apparently he dame back from the Scotland training camp with a knee knock - curious and curiouser