New Indian Express: Stani-forthright coaching behind Sreejesh success

By Swaroop Swaminathan

LUCKNOW: June 7, 2013. A pretty unremarkable day, but a very important one in hindsight for everyone associated with Indian hockey. It was the day Dave Staniforth, who a month later would be appointed as goalkeeping coach of the senior team, saw PR Sreejesh for the first time. The custodian, who had already served notice of his ability since replacing Bharat Chettri after the 2012 Olympics, wasn’t yet at his peak.

That’s when the transformation happened from a hot and cold shot-stopper to India’s SOS man. The South African, here in his capacity as a goalkeeping consultant for the junior national team, saw in the Kerala lad this burning desire to learn and be better than what he was a day earlier. “He was someone who was always willing to learn,” was the first impression Staniforth had of Sreejesh.

“He was a talented athlete even back then, and had all the ingredients of a good student.” Staniforth is of the opinion that when you start coaching somebody, it takes time to see a tangible improvement — more than a couple of months at the least. With Sreejesh, that wasn’t the case. “The improvement was very quick,” he remembers. “After a week itself it was pretty clear that he had improved lots.” It was the time when foreign coaches and Indian hockey were at odds, but Staniforth’s appointment was an exception. Sreejesh’s immediate rise proves that.

“The first tournament we were together, he won goalkeeper of the tournament (2013 Asia Cup).” His stature has grown since 2013, and he has won many awards because of his work between the sticks. While there is no real secret to why he is where he is, the South African says he has not forgotten the basics. “The best goalkeepers are the ones who do basic things well, and Sreejesh does that really well,” he says. “I’m not interested in flamboyant keepers, more in simple ones.”

That’s an interesting response, because the Indian captain is pretty flamboyant in his mannerisms, but Staniforth has a response for that. “The fact that he can also be flamboyant makes him one of the best. He’s able to save the dollies as well as pull out a match-winning, diving save to stop a shot headed towards the bottom corner in the last minute. “He’s someone who has lots of personality, makes good noise and is very enthusiastic. He takes that into his job and that’s great to see.”

The goalkeeper, let it be in hockey or football, is a fascinating specimen because he or she spends lots of time alone, completely removed from action. However, the former international rejects that notion. “Goalkeepers are coaches,” he says. “It’s important for them to live the game. He’s there coaching his defenders, there are 10 players in front of him. In a sense, he’s coaching everyone from the highest attacker till the deepest defender. Do that right and his job becomes that much easier. So he’s always talking to teammates.”

Thursday’s results: New Zealand 2-1 Japan, Germany 2-1 Spain, England 4-2 South Africa, India 4-0 Canada. Friday’s schedule: Argentina vs Austria (10.00 am), Belgium vs Egypt (12.00 pm), Spain vs Japan (2.00 pm), New Zealand vs Germany (4.00 pm), Netherlands vs Germany (6.00 pm). All matches on Star Sports 4.