'Careful what you wish for' - Beattie warns Townsend critics
Scotland fans calling for Gregor Townsend to be replaced as national head coach have been warned the grass is not always greener by former international Johnnie Beattie.
Townsend has come in for criticism after Scotland fell to an 11th straight loss at the hands of Ireland, severely denting their Six Nations title ambitions.
Beattie has called for some perspective after the defeat to the number two ranked side in the world, and says Townsend's record in his seven-and-a-half years in charge stands alongside that of any head coach in the nation's history.
"What we've had under Gregor has been fun rugby," Beattie told the BBC's Scotland Rugby Podcast.
"It hasn't always been winning rugby, but it's entertaining. We score tries, we're more creative than we've ever been.
"We've beaten France, we've beaten England, we've beaten Australia, we've beaten Wales, away from home, things that my side never did.
"What would people rather have? Would you rather have, as a Scottish rugby public, (England coach) Steve Borthwick? Would you rather have that type of rugby? Would you rather have Warren Gatland and what he's producing right now with Wales?"
Some feel after Townsend's eighth Six Nations in charge it will be time for a change, but Beattie says given the lack of player depth in Scotland, the national team has punched above its weight on Townsend's watch.
Despite the bruising defeat by Ireland at Murrayfield, Beattie insists a change would not necessarily lead to an upturn in fortunes.
"Gregor actually, over his tenure, has gotten quite a lot, probably more than most other coaches," he added. "And I think his win percentage is better than most other Scottish coaches historically.
"So people have incredibly short memories. I know the weekend was horrible to watch. Gregor actually doesn't have a big player pool, doesn't have a bunch of physical animals.
"We'll always be on an uphill battle with the numbers, we have a really shallow pool of talent.
"And I think, actually, he's gotten a lot out of the players that we have over the past five, six, seven seasons. So it's disappointing, but be careful what you wish for."
