A foreign coach has to start from scratch

Stickwork

Gurbux Singh

The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) has probably made up its mind to appoint a foreign coach, but they are still only looking at a pool of six or seven coaches. Their names have not been disclosed so far; I only hope some top class foreign coach will be available to help India get back to the top.

This time I pray that the mistakes of the past are not repeated and the authorities concerned choose wisely and well. Also, it must be seen that by the end of December the dispute between the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the IHF is resolved and the elections to the IHF take place.

The minimum I want from the foreign coach — whoever is appointed — is that first and foremost, he has to be of top quality. He has to have an excellent ability to adjust to the conditions peculiar to Indian hockey. Indian hockey needs considerable work at the grassroots level and the coach should concentrate on building from scratch. He would have to interact closely with the junior coaches.

Devoting all his attention only to the senior national side won’t do. Bringing in a coach solely for the national side will not help India. Pakistan tried the same, and it proved of little help to them. India too has had its share of such myopic planning. This time we should learn from the mistakes of the past.

We haven’t reached the semi-finals of Olympic hockey or the World Cup in more than 25 years. The problem was sought to be addressed at the level of the senior team, but, in my opinion, it is the weakness in the basic structure that has left us hamstrung.

For me it is the basic structure that needs to be strengthened. We have plenty of talent, but the graduation from the sub-junior or junior levels to the senior side is not taking the game forward as it should be expected to.

It may be argued that we are winning at the sub-junior and junior levels but I would like to point out that there have been many instances where over-age players have been sent to represent India.

A foreign coach can change all this. We have to give him extensive powers and trust him. But above all, we must be patient with him. It is a catastrophe that we did not qualify for the Olympics. Unthinkable and appalling! But demanding, or even expecting, instant results would be wrong. What we have to look at is the long run and the coach has to be given the time he needs to turn Indian hockey around. I reiterate that, this, to me, is the only way forward. All that we need to do is nurture talent, because we have it in us to take on hockey powerhouses like Australia and the Netherlands.

What happened in the case of Ric Charlesworth must not be repeated. The then national coach, Joachim Carvalho, had some sort of an ego problem with Charlesworth. I was a national selector then. I saw Carvalho hate the so-called interference from Charlesworth. It seems he suspected Charlesworth of trying to overshadow him and usurp his power. Carvalho became assertive and resisted Charlesworth tooth and nail, in a tussle that finally led the Australian to quit. As a result of all this the team suffered.

The humiliation Charlesworth was subjected to — he was not allowed to travel with the team to the qualifying round of the Olympics in Chile — must not be repeated. Charlesworth has now been named coach of the Australian men’s team, and that is a loss for India. Personally I feel Charlesworth would have done a good job. I had spoken to him and feel he is one of those who believe there is plenty of talent in India. I’m sure he would have done everything in his powers to help Indian hockey.

Coming to the Bengal scenario, the elections to the Bengal Hockey Association (BHA) have concluded with J.B. Roy being elected president for the next four years. He is a young and dynamic man and he has a big vision for not only Bengal hockey, for Indian hockey too.

This being Bengal hockey’s centenary year BHA has plans on the anvil to organise two big hockey events. One is the indoor hockey event to take place at the Netaji Indoor Stadium from November 24 to 30. A series between a side from Pakistan, national or club, and a star-studded Indian side with former and current stars, is also being considered.