2011 SIX NATIONS: SCOTLAND v WALES
Venue: Murrayfield Date: Saturday, 12 February Kick-off: 1700 GMT
Coverage: Watch live on BBC One from 1635, and on the Red Button and online; listen on BBC Radio 5 live; live text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles. Also broadcast on BBC America.

Warren Gatland puts his point across in a Wales training session

Ex-Wales lock Gareth Llewellyn has questioned coach Warren Gatland's habit of publicly "slating" players in the wake of poor displays and defeats.

Wales are winless in eight starts ahead of Saturday's clash with Scotland.

But Llewellyn says Gatland predecessor Steve Hansen did not take such an approach during a 10-match losing run.

"Sometimes you'd like just for him to hold up his hand and say, well actually guys I've got to go back and look at myself," Llewellyn told Scrum V.

In the wake of Wales' opening Six Nations defeat to England, Gatland pointed at poor kicks by players as part of the reason for defeat.

He did not name individuals on that occasion, but has since told Jamie Roberts to become more involved in attack.

When it [success] doesn't happen and teams look lethargic or look like they're not interested, for me it's generally the game plan is not working Gareth Llewellyn

In the past, Gatland has rounded on lock Alun Wyn Jones for the trip on Dylan Hartley that saw him sin-binned and England score 17 points at Twickenham in 2010 during his absence, describing his act as "stupid".

In the face of mounting criticism of Wales on-going run of poor results, Gatland has pointed to the close nature of defeats to New Zealand, South Africa and Australia as well as being a converted try of levelling with England at the Millennium Stadium in the latest 26-19 setback.

After the 16-16 November draw with Fiji, Gatland's Welsh assistant Rob Howley followed Gatland's example by criticising the displays of half-backs Richie Rees and Dan Biggar.

But 94-times capped Llewellyn believes Gatland has set the tone and said: "Everything's relative and Warren's not wrong with his stats, but also Warren's got arguably the best bunch of players that any professional Welsh coach has ever had.

606: DEBATE Gatland himself set the bar pretty high on taking the role, and has said he wants us to beat the southern hemisphere sides etc. This isn't happening shotokan

"So we expect more - we do that naturally and I don't think it's unfair expectation on him, but where we are at the moment, we just feel there's a bit more to offer from that team.

"We went 10 [losing] games on the bounce under Steve Hansen - never once did he come back into camp and start pointing the fingers at players and individuals.

"Never once did he go out publicly in the press and start slating individuals. Some people may think that's right or wrong.

"A little bit with Warren Gatland we are seeing here the finger-pointing at certain players and sometimes you'd like just for him to hold up his hand and say, well actually guys I've got to go back and look at myself as well.

"When it [success] doesn't happen and teams look lethargic or look like they're not interested, for me it's generally the game plan is not working and I think that's when a coach has to go back and look at himself and think 'well, what happened there', you know?

"Was it the players and at international level do you really need to fire players up and give them a big build-up for a match against England? I don't think so."

Meanwhile, the Telegraph newspaper reports that England hooker Dylan Hartley - whom Gatland criticised as a weak link in the run-up to the 4 February clash - has accepted the Wales coach's apology.

Gatland offered his hand to Hartley as a mark of respect following the match, and Hartley accepted the gesture, saying it "takes a man to come and do that."

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