George Graham has never been afraid to air his trenchant opinions are they as far removed from the platitudinous pap doled out by most modern-day rugby stars as it would be possible to imagine.
While engaged in a 25-cap Scotland career, the Borderer was somebody with a stakhanovite relish for getting down and dirty in the front row and that appetite for hard graft has not deserted him after he moved into coaching.
So it's always a pleasure to speak to Graham, whose charges at Gala have endured a rather miserable, injury-strewn winter thus far, but remain in contention for the Premiership play-offs after their 21-8 victory over Edinburgh Accies at the weekend. Given the litany of niggles, bruises and strains which have bedevilled the Netherdale brigade's campaign, you might suppose Graham was happy that his troops still had a chance to finish at the top of the heap in the months ahead. Well, think again.
"If matters continue as they have done, Heriots [who currently have an imposing 12-point lead in the title race], could finish 20 points in front of everybody else and still be denied the championship in a couple of play-off games, which would be a travesty," said Graham. "At the start of the season, I made my feelings pretty clear about this new system, and that hasn't changed now that we have lost six matches in a row.
"The fact of the matter is that Heriots deserve to be where they are: they have been more consistent and better than everybody else. But that might all eventually count for nothing. From a neutral perspective, I suppose the play-offs guarantee an exciting climax, and in this league, anybody can beat anybody else on any given afternoon, but if I was where Heriots are just now and didn't end up winning the league, I know how I would feel."
Graham has similar unequivocal thoughts about the present domestic structure in his homeland, which follows a predictable path of kicking off with excitement a-plenty in August as the prelude to fizzing out like a spent firework after the autumn internationals. He has heard all the arguments about summer rugby - "We only get about two weeks of summer in Scotland anyway, so it would be a pretty short season! - and harbours reservations over the suggestion that the grassroots circuit should have a winter break.
"We have talked about these things for ages and nothing has happened, so I won't be holding my breath," said Graham. "I can see some merit in taking a pause between the middle of December and the middle of January, because the boys at the clubs are making sacrifices and knocking their pans in, but if we all stropped training and they took a month's break, they would end up partying and enjoying the Christmas period too much.
"What has been happening is that results have been all over the place in the last few weeks. Ayr have lost to the bottom sides on the last couple of Saturdays and you would have bet your mortgage against that scenario two or three months ago. But it's just a fact of life that the championship battle loses momentum, whether it's because of holidays or the weather, or lads picking up injuries or a combination of the three.
"I guess I should be thankful we still have targets to chase, considering how it has gone. We're at Boroughmuir on Saturday and they are scrapping for survival, so that will be another tough fixture. But, as coaches, we have to persevere. I'm not going to criticise the attitude of the boys, because they are trying their hearts out. We were thrashed [40-5] by Stirling County down here in the Cup [on January 3] and, seven days later, we beat them [21-16] at Bridgehaugh when a few players returned from injury [including his sons, George and Gary], so there is no shortage of courage or commitment from the squad."
It hasn't been a walk in the sun for Graham or Gala. But he is wonderfully unbowed.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Melrose have endured a few privations this season, which have dented their hopes of retaining their Premiership crown. But they kept the pressure on Heriots with a convincing 32-8 success over their long-time Borders rivals Hawick.
TALKING POINT
It's increasingly looking as if Edinburgh Accies or Glasgow Hawks will be in the second flight next season. That makes the meeting of these proud clubs on Saturday at Raeburn Place all the more tantalising.
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