Everyone knows that a coach’s life can often be a short one. It can also be an extremely stressful one.
In fact there is the famous line in football that you are not a good coach until you have been sacked.
If that is the case then some of the countries in Asia must have some of the best hockey coaches going around.
Harendra Singh, according to hockey statistician BG Joshi, is the 41st coach to have been appointed for the Indian men’s team since 1980; including interim coaches.
Malaysia is not quite as bad as India but has still had 20 coaching appointments since 1980. Pakistan is another country that goes through coaches at a rate of knots.
What is the cause for such a rotation policy when it comes to coaching?
Firstly in all three nations there is an expectation that their team will deliver. Regrettably in recent times much of that expectation has been unwarranted and unrealistic.
Sure, all three nations have had “Golden Eras,” but unfortunately for numerous reasons these have tended to be in the past, although India is currently resurgent, and you feel Malaysia is also coming back; although the modern physicality of the game today does hamper their style of play. Pakistan sadly still has a fair way to go.
There is no doubt that the introduction of artificial turf had an impact. The cost of installing pitches proved prohibitive. They still are an issue in a number of countries around the globe, with many young players starting their playing days on dirt or grass and only moving onto turf once their talent has been identified.
There is also no doubt that the media has a great deal to answer for in some of these countries. They are often the ones who build up the national teams and the expectation, only to absolutely hammer the players and coaches when they do not reach the media’s predicted heights, they then demand the head of the coach. To back up their case for a new coach they frequently then quote “unnamed sources,” who naturally agree with their viewpoint.
Yet sometimes has not that team been selected by a selection committee? Does the coach have sole say on whom is in his team?
To be fair Malaysia abandoned their selection committee in the 1990’s. Yet India and Pakistan stick with this outdated system, India albeit sporadically, as some coaches have only taken the position with the proviso that they have sole say on selection. In order to save face their selections were then rubber-stamped by the still existing selection panel.
If the coach has sole say on selection and the team underperforms in realistic terms, then it is only fair that the coach be held accountable. Yet if players are being forced upon the coach due to familial, political, or sponsorship obligations, the coach cannot be held solely responsible. Those who selected the team must shoulder the bulk of the blame.
India won silver at the Champions Trophy this year against the cream of World Hockey and were unlucky not to claim Gold, as they outplayed Australia in the final. They lost one game at the Asian Games, in a shoot-out after conceding in the last minute to Malaysia. Credit should be given to Malaysia who kept India at bay, stopped them playing the way they have become used to playing, and won a much needed penalty corner that they converted to take the game to a shoot-out. That is sport. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes the margins are finite. Sport can be cruel. (The Price of Conceding Late)
Did Harendra Singh deserve to be issued an ultimatum following the failure to bring home gold in Jakarta? Many outside of India were stunned that he was, as he has the team playing exhilarating and disciplined hockey. They feel that the players have learned from past foreign coaches and with Harendra at the helm he is now able to polish the diamond.
A year ago Pakistan were a mess. The proud green shirt no longer carried the lustre of years gone by. At the International Festival of Hockey in Melbourne they failed to win a game, and conceded 13 goals in four games and scored only five. Sadly, constantly changing coaches had demoralised many of the players and left them devoid of structure. Roelant Oltmans came in before the Commonwealth Games and although they did not medal, the team did not lose a game. At the Champions Trophy in Breda many expected them to become the whipping boys, after all they were the lowest ranked team and were up against the best. They came last as expected, but the signs were positive that the team finally had structure, was organised and we saw glimpses of the known talent within the side being allowed to shine.
Yet after the Asian Games Roelant Oltmans has left his post as coach and Pakistan have looked inwardly again. Hasan Sardar has taken over. A great player in his day, but what do we know of his coaching credentials?
In fact is this not an issue in this region? Are the home-grown coaches capable of coaching at the highest level? Have they been exposed to the best coaches in the game, have they up-skilled to be able to enter a battle of wills with some of the game’s master tacticians? Have they evolved with the game? There are undoubtedly talented coaches there, but have they been given the tools to coach at the highest level?
Tahir Zaman has shown that he is a quality coach, but who is close to matching him as coach of Pakistan? If Harendra Singh were to be fired who is the best qualified to step into the breach in India?
These three countries have huge potential for the game to grow not only in Asia but also globally. It is therefore vital that they have the correct structures in place in order to flourish; and many across the globe want them to flourish as there is no better sight than when they are at their best.
As mentioned, Malaysia have made progress under the guidance of Stephen Van Huizen, and with Terry Walsh as Technical Director, there has been stability, and hopefully a new generation has been inspired and are coming through.
India, has been transformed since not qualifying for the 2008 Olympic Games. That proved to be their turning point. There is no doubt that the Hockey India League had a great deal to do with that resurgence. It exposed the young Indian Players to some of the top foreign coaches and new methods of play. It also gave many of the Indian coaches the chance to work alongside some of the best players and coaches. What is interesting is that in the five years of the Hockey India League two of the Champion sides were coached by Indian Coaches; Delhi Waveriders by Cedric D’Souza and Ranchi Rays by Harendra Singh. This proves that there are talented home-grown coaches.
The FIH in a gesture of goodwill awarded Pakistan hosting rights for the Hockey Series Open in 2018, even though they would not be playing in the event. Initial reports recently claimed that the event had been cancelled after Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Oman, Qatar and Sri Lanka said they would not send teams to the competition, reportedly due to financial and security concerns.
The event was scheduled for Rawalpindi before the FIH approved a change of venue to Lahore. The latest reports now claim that the event has not been cancelled, just postponed until December.
These issues and the changing of the dates unfortunately brought more unwanted bad publicity for the sport in Pakistan.
It is another example of while India and Malaysia are making headway, Pakistan is regrettably stumbling along.
The revolving door on the coaching position has seen a procession of ex players appointed as the man in charge of the team. It appears that great players they may have been, but many have failed to evolve with the game and become great coaches of an international standard. Another stumbling block has been With a short domestic league competition many of the players have had to head overseas in order to gain game time and experience.
Results until Roelant Oltmans stepped in were disappointing by Pakistan standards. His arrival gave many hope that this would see Pakistan climb back up the rankings as India has done. His departure under still unconfirmed circumstances has people once again concerned for Pakistan’s future.
There was hope that the Pro-League, the FIH’s global international league may well help Pakistan on the path back to greatness. After all Pakistan were the lowest ranked team selected for the nine-team competition. Yet even these foundations looked to be built on sand with Pakistan to play their home games in Scotland. Quite why a European nation was selected to host their games had many baffled. Yet all were assured that the Pakistani community in Glasgow would be there to support their team.
Now rumours are circulating that the deal with Scotland has fallen over, and that Pakistan’s place in the Pro League is in jeopardy, and more importantly the FIH’s new league could be a team down with three months until the first game. If they are to still play in the league then a new venue for their home games has to be found, and quickly. It has been suggested that Pakistan may play all of their ‘home’ games ‘away,’ but it is hard to see how that is going to benefit them as a team.
Once again if these rumours are true this raises so many questions. How were Pakistan admitted into the Pro League if the deal had not been completed when their bid was assessed? Why is it that Pakistan, who have had over a year since the announcement of their inclusion was announced not been able to sort out such an important issue as the venue at which they are to play their matches? Surely they had done all the cost assessments prior to lodging their bid, so what is the issue now?
For those of us who remember the Pakistan teams of old and how electrifying they were as they launched attacks on their opposition, the current situation is worrying, depressing and incredibly sad.
It appears that on so many levels there has been mismanagement of the game; From coaching appointments to team selections, to general administration. One wonders how the sport can recover, and how it can in fact find a path to redemption.
One thing is clear the game and the players need help. Pakistan Hockey’s leaders need to show strength and admit that they need help. As much as it may pain them they may also have to accept that that help has to come from outside.
Certainly one of the first things they need to do is abandon the out-dated Selection committee. It took England’s national football team until 1963 to abandon the selection committee system, and it paid almost immediate rewards with Alf Ramsay the first coach given total authority on team selections lifting the World Cup in 1966. England may not have won the World Cup since, but the lesson learned was that the coach watched a lot more games than the selectors, had a better network of scouts he trusted and therefore was able to select the best team to suit his needs.
It is impossible to criticise a coach for a team’s performance if the man in charge does not have total control over the squad he picks, and the players he selects come match day.
Let us hope that the next news we read is positive, and talks about a complete restructure of the game, similar to that witnessed in neighbours India when Hockey India replaced the Indian Hockey Federation is on the table. This development although painful at first, clearly transformed the game in India. All fans of sport, not just hockey, want to see Pakistan competitive. The whole sporting landscape becomes a better place when they are.
Currently there is one plus, and that is that FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra told the Indian press a week ago that all countries had applied for visas for the upcoming World Cup to be hosted by India in late November, so Pakistan should be there competing. This needs to be the new starting point, the start of a resurgent Pakistan. Never has it been so important that the team and the coaches perform, but away from the pitch there appears to still be a lot of work to be done.
