Changes were required: Nobbs

We do not need suggestions, and know what we are doing ­­ Michael Nobbs Chief coach

A day after the exclusion of senior members Arjun Halappa and Rajpal Singh from the Olympic hockey qualifiers team, chief coach Michael Nobbs said “form and not reputation” had been the criteria for selection.

On Monday, Nobbs, along with the national selectors, had opted to drop Halappa and Rajpal in favour of youngsters — who had made their India debuts a week back.

According to a few selectors, Halappa — given an all-clear on fitness by the team management — would have been an automatic choice for selection, had Nobbs not “informed” them of the midfielder’s injury.

Nobbs, on his part, failed to come up with a reasonable explanation. “There are a lot of variables that go into team selection. Change was required, and this is it,” the Australian said. “It was a unanimous decision.” Pressed for specific reasons behind the sackings, Nobbs refused to explain.

“We do not need suggestions, and know what we are doing,” was the blunt reply.

The Australian even did a U-turn on his take on the “uneven astroturf” at the National Stadium here — venue for the Olympic qualifiers next month.

“The ball doesn’t stop during penalty corners and the turf is not even close to international standards,” Nobbs had said during the team’s five-match series against South Africa recently.

On Tuesday, he presented a different story. “The astroturf is absolutely fine. No problem,” was his take now.

The sudden change in heart, it is learnt, was courtesy some hard talking by Sports Authority of India officials, also caretakers of the venue.

Interestingly, sports minister Ajay Maken had visited the National Stadium for a pitch inspection earlier this week, confirming problems with the turf.

Skipper Bharat Chetri refused to take questions on the leaving out of experienced members for the crucial Olympic qualifiers, saying “it is best left for the selectors and the coach to answer”.