Nobbs has the nose for the job

M.S. Unnikrishnan

Michael Nobbs could not have asked for a better start to his five-year stint as the chief coach of the Indian hockey team, as within six weeks into the job, India ended their title drought by winning the inaugural Asian Champions Trophy.

The win, Nobbs felt, was well-deserved for the team with a mix of young and experienced players. More than the combination, what surprised Nobbs was that while the younger lot played the typical, attacking Indian style hockey, the seniors played the European style, perhaps due to the influence of former coach Jose Brasa. But what delighted the former Australian international, who hails from the hub of hockey – Perth – was the enthusiasm and drive shown by the younger players.

Nobbs said the nine young players were all charged up and had a deep desire to play for the country. He said the victory was hard earned as the all the teams were good and it was remarkable that India remained undefeated and scored the maximum number of goals — 15 for with seven against.

But he has a tough job on hands, as the triumph was just the beginning of his long stint ahead. He has to tackle many things to shape the combination into a winning unit, with uniform playing styles. His immediate concern was to improve the fitness level of the players, who lacked in this area at Ordos.

“The players will have to be put through a regular training drill, to make them physically fit and agile,” Nobbs said in an exclusive chat with The Tribune.

He said the exit of Sardar Singh and Sandeep Singh had handicapped the team, particularly in the penalty-corner conversion department. “We could convert only two out of the 27 penalty corners we earned, as we had very little time to give enough practice to the other players,” he stated. But overall, he understood that the present bunch had the talent and potential for the “making of a good side”.

Though his contract will run through to the 2016 Olympics at Rio de Janeiro, his immediate concern would be to ensure that India qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. (The qualifiers are slated to be held in Delhi in February).

“If you had asked me six weeks ago whether India would qualify for the Olympic Games, I would have said ‘no’. But now I feel confident that the team can qualify for the Olympics,” Nobbs noted.

The Ordos outing helped Nobbs have a close look at the plus and minus points of the team and the kind of bench strength the team had. He said it was imperative to have at least two players for every slot, and that will be his long-term goal, when he demits office five years from now.

“At the end of the day, after I have done with coaching the India team, my dream is to see the team on an Olympic podium,” explained the articulate coach, who has been hired on a monthly salary of $10,000. He said though he reports to Hockey India secretary-general Narinder Batra, he has been getting full co-operation and support from the Sports Ministry and the Sports Authority of India. “I have been given a free hand,” he stressed.

Nobbs said he had a very efficient support staff in physical training expert David John, under whose supervision he hoped to mould the Indian players for the arduous campaigns ahead. He said the physical fitness programme would be executed through modern sports science methods to make the players par for the course.

Nobbs has taken charge of the team with a fresh perspective, without dwelling into the past about what his predecessor (Brasa) had done. “I have been here for only six weeks now, though I am clear in my mind what I am going to do with the team. I don’t want to inherit the problems of the past,” he said.

“Tactically however, we are not quite ready yet. The young players play the traditional Indian hockey, while the seniors are more into the European style,” explained Nobbs. But he was happy that the younger lot was “hungry to play for India”. He said his job brief also included development of young talent to improve the bench strength.

Nobbs felt it would have been good if India were in the Champions Trophy, instead of the Champions Challenge. “In the Champions Trophy, you get to play the best,” he summed up.

Wizard of oz in Quotes

If you had asked me six weeks ago whether India would qualify for the Olympic Games, I would have said ‘no’. But now I feel confident that the team can qualify for the Olympics

I have been here for only six weeks now, though I am clear in my mind what I am going to do with the team. I don’t want to inherit the problems of the past

The players will have to be put through a regular training drill, to make them physically fit and agile

Tactically however, we are not quite ready yet. The young players play the traditional Indian hockey, while the seniors are more into the European style