What a difference a day makes. No sooner was “How the Mighty Have Fallen” published than we witnessed Malaysian Hockey potentially destroy the past three years of stability with a knee-jerk reaction that one can only assume is linked to ensuring Olympic qualification.
As they say the facts don’t lie. In 2017 at the Hockey World League semi-finals in London, Malaysia lost two of their pool matches against Olympic Champions Argentina and England. Against Argentina, despite conceding early and being down to ten men, they fought back valiantly to level things up at 2-2. In the end the defeat looked to be the result of the sheer exertion used to pull back level. Finishing third in their pool they progressed to the quarter finals. Here they met the current best team in Asia, India and were victorious winning 3-2.
The semi final saw them meet Argentina again and in what was a very feisty affair they lost 1-2. They lost again in the bronze medal match to England for the second time in the tournament. They should have earned a place at the Hockey World League finals with their fourth placed finish, but because India were hosts they missed out.
At the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2018 in the Round Robin they defeated Argentina and Ireland but lost to Australia, England and India. This meant the best they could achieve would be bronze, but once again they fell to Argentina, a late Pedro Ibarra goal the difference in another 1-2 loss to the Olympic Champions.
At the Commonwealth Games losses to India and England in the Pool games saw Malaysia have to settle for fifth place. Disappointing not to be amongst the medals but in truth the focus was the Asian Games and that Olympic qualification spot.
Here in Jakarta they dropped one game in the Pool stages, a loss to Pakistan, but were through to the semi finals. Here they battled hard and prevented a rampant India from adding to their 2-1 lead and in the last minute won a penalty corner which they converted and that took the game into a shoot out that they won. The final will be one that will live long in the memory of those who saw it; and those who played in it. They led 4-1 but somehow Japan fought back and took them to a shoot-out, after tying up the game at 6-6. This time Japan were the victors, as is often the case when a team scores a late equaliser to force a shoot out.(The Price of Conceding Late)
These results showed that Stephen van Huizen was doing a good job as coach, working alongside Technical Director Terry Walsh. There may be some who will argue that there were not enough new faces in the Malaysian squad, but that takes time, and also needs a strong domestic competition underpinning the national team and a good youth development.
As Japan are hosting the 2020 Olympics, under the rules of qualification the Asian men’s qualification place at the Asian Games went back to the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and will be given to the highest ranked side that fails to qualify automatically. This will be based on “the FIH World Rankings as at the end of the above 2019 Continental Championships.”
Malaysia appealed to the FIH believing that the runner up should be awarded the Olympic spot because Japan had already qualified as the host nation. Quite rightly, the FIH responded with the CEO Thierry Weil stating that “It would be unfair and unjust to other Federations and Associations if we have to change the Qualification System at this stage.”
Post the Asian Games, Malaysia played in a four team Invitational event in Darwin. Stephen van Huizen was not there as coach having requested a break in order to refocus on the all important World Cup in India in late November. It has been reported by some that he was taking time out to consider his future as coach. Not the Footy Show has been assured that this was definitely not the case. He simply needed a break after so many tournaments in the past year, in order to be fresh and at his best for the World Cup.
While van Huizen was taking a break Roelant Oltmans walked out on Pakistan. No reasons have been given yet for the Coach parting company so quickly with the Green shirts; he was only appointed in March 2018.
In the past 48 hours Oltmans has been unveiled by the Malaysian Hockey Confederation as head coach and Stephen van Huizen has been appointed his assistant.
The appointment stunned many, as it sees the roles from Hockey India reversed. In India Roelant Oltmans was Technical Director when Terry Walsh was coach, now the boot is on the other foot. Usually the Technical Director would be involved in the selection of the national coach, or would certainly have strong input, as the coach would need to buy into the same philosophies and structures that have been put in place. It appears that this did not happen on this occasion.
Certainly Oltmans appointment in Malaysia seems a strange one at such a time. As stated Malaysia were playing well and were looking to be on track to be extremely competitive at the World Cup. So why change things at this point in time?
It is understood that the decision to break away from the long term plan, and change the man at the helm was a decision made by the MHC President Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal. It is a bold one, and one that he will now ultimately be judged on. The only explanation for such a decision is that it was a knee-jerk decision in the hope that it will assure Malaysia of Olympic qualification.
If one looks at it in terms of statistics it makes no sense to have shunted Stephen van Huizen.
The win/loss games comparison since Roelant Oltmans was appointed coach of Pakistan in March 2018 shows very little difference between the two coaches.
Pakistan under Roelant Oltmans
P18 W7 L7 D4.
Malaysia under Stephen van Huizen from March 2018.
P19 W9 L7 D3.
Interestingly Roelant Oltmans took over as coach of India permanently in August 2015, ironically after Terry Walsh won Gold at the Asian Games. (Roelant had interim coaching spells for the 2013 Asia Cup and 2014 Asian Champions Trophy – P11 W6 L5). Stephen van Huizen was appointed head coach of Malaysia in September 2015. This means that a comparison between the two over the same period is fair.
The comparison again makes interesting reading.
India under Roelant Oltmans
P45 W21 L18 D6
Malaysia under Stephen van Huizen up until Roelant Oltmans was sacked by India in September 2017.
P42 W27 L10 D5
If we add the two sets of results together it comes out with overall win/loss figures as follows:
Roelant Oltmans with India and Pakistan
P63 W28 L25 D10
44% win ratio
Stephen van Huizen with Malaysia
P61 W36 L17 D8.
59% win ratio.
The ink on the contract is no doubt dry by now, but hopefully MHC President Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal knows what he is doing. Hopefully he has not put at risk three years of game and team development. Malaysia has not appeared at the Olympic Games since 2000, and obviously this is the pinnacle tournament along with the World Cup, and no doubt funding is linked to Olympic qualification, but as has been shown in other countries planning must be more long term than one Olympic cycle. It is no use qualifying for one Olympic Games if it is going to take another 20 years to qualify again because there was no structure underpinning the program.
Was this a calculated move or was it a panic one? Let us sit back and see.
