I’m not a magician: Brasa
Sports Reporter
NEW DELHI: Jose Brasa, the newly-appointed coach of the Indian hockey team, pleaded for some time before he could produce results in top-level competitions.
Quoting Ric Charlesworth that “to make a good team it takes years,” Brasa, who took up the India job despite receiving negative feedback from the Australian great, observed, “We do not have much time (for the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup).
“But we will try to do our best. I am not a magician. The results (in big competitions) will come afterwards, say in 2012 Olympics.”
No dictating terms
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) Master Coach said he would try to nurture every player instead of dictating terms.
“Players are very important. They should be taken care of… The best tactic for the team is the one which is best for all the 11 players. The job of the coach is to get the best out of the players available,” he said during an interaction with mediapersons at the National Stadium here on Tuesday.
The Spaniard has asked for a wide range of scientific support. This includes two useful systems — GPS and an automatic camera operated by remote control.
Brasa’s immediate plan is to watch the Indian team play in the Asia Cup, test the players, train them in a scientific manner and develop a plan for each player. His list of scientific back-up is a long one and his requirement of a 14-member support staff speaks a lot about it.
Assured of all help
The good news is that he has been assured of all help by the authorities concerned.
Justifying his interest to learn Hindi, Brasa said, “There should be good communication and friendship between the coach and the players.”
The other pertinent point Brasa made was on the Indian style of hockey.
“The best thing about Indian hockey is its attack and we must not stop that because that is the best weapon the team has. The Indian players are best in skill though there is a need to work on the defence.”
The 57-year-old, however, made it clear that he did not intend to hang on indefinitely.
“I have no desire to stay here forever. I am here to share my knowledge with everybody who wants to learn it. I will work with four coaches, so I want them to gain from it and take Indian hockey forward,” he said.
On the Asia Cup, Brasa said coach in-charge Harendra Singh would handle the team in Malaysia and would get any help he sought from him.
After leading the Spanish women’s hockey team to an Olympic gold medal in 1992, Brasa worked with the side till 1997 before switching to coach his club team — Clube de Campo — in Madrid for 12 years