Following Van Ass debacle, Dhanraj Pillay throws his hat in the ring, says HI chief was positive when told to try out homegrown coach
The Paul Van Ass fiasco – the fourth involving a foreign coach in about six years – seems to have changed the thought processes of Hockey India's (HI) top officials.
With the Dutchman set to be given the boot officially after the special committee meeting in New Delhi on July 24, HI doesn't seem averse to the idea of an Indian coach taking over the senior team.
On Monday, hours after Van Ass claimed he was fired by HI, legendary former India captain Dhanraj Pillay spoke to HI president Narinder Batra, saying it was time to give an Indian coach a go.
"I called Batra yesterday (Monday) after all this happened and told him that it was time they considered an Indian for the coach's job," Pillay told dna on Tuesday.
"Batra sounded very positive about the idea of an Indian coach. He told me that they will definitely think of an Indian coach now."
The HI chief confirmed receiving a call from the former captain.
"Yes, he did call me and we had a chat about this. We will take all decisions after that meeting on July 24," he said.
Pillay himself has, in the past, thrown his hat into the ring for the coach's job.
"Even before HI appointed Paul Van Ass in January, I had written a mail to Batra and asked him to read my mail before making any decision," Pillay, who guided Air India to three national titles as chief, said.
But this time, Pillay said Batra is positive about having an Indian take charge of the team.
Over the past few years, HI has stressed on getting a foreign coach on board, paying them hefty salaries. The last Indian to take charge of the senior team was Joaquim Carvalho, who had a one-year stint that ended in 2008.
But four foreign coaches – Jose Brasa, Michael Nobbs, Terry Walsh and most likely Paul Van Ass now – having since had controversial and pre-mature exits.
With less than a year to go for the 2016 Rio Olympics, there is a theory that HI high-performance director Roelant Oltmans might be asked to double up as chief coach of the team for a year.
"If that happens, I'll be very disappointed," Pillay said. "He is the high-performance director, he needs to see the development of Indian hockey. He can only be with the team, not coach them."
Asked if one year would be too short a time for a coach to get things right before the all-important tournament, Pillay said: "Look, barely three months before the 2004 Athens Olympics, the IHF (Indian Hockey Federation) brought in Gerard Rach. He went immediately after that. So one year is more than enough for any Indian coach.
"If you see now, what have they done in five months? How can you say Indian coaches won't do anything? We have a year's time, and I've always said that only an Indian coach can understand the Indian players' upbringing, mentality and thinking," the 47-year-old Pillay said.
Viren Rasquinha, former India captain and CEO of Olympic Gold Quest, too said it wasn't a bad idea to hand over the team to an Indian now.
"It is not a bad idea now, since all our foreign coaches seem to have come and gone in a hurry," Rasquinha said. "I want the special committee to debate this very seriously, and discuss its pros and cons."
POSSIBLE CANDITATES
According to Viren Rasquinha, the following Indian coaches will be most suited to take over the team...
1. Harendra Singh
He is the coach of the junior men's team, and has really improved with time. He has been part of the Indian set-up since 1998, and knows the modern methods of the game. Most importantly, he knows all the players inside out.
2. Cedric D'Souza
Again, he is someone who is up-to-date with modern technology in hockey. What would work for him is that he knows most of the Indian players due to his stint with Delhi Waveriders in the Hockey India League.
3. Jagbir Singh
He is someone who is a great thinker. He was the assistant coach during the Athens Olympics, and did a great job with the team. He is also part of the Hockey India League with the Punjab Warriors.
4. CR Kumar
He is a very good coach. I put him fourth on the list because he has been part of the women's team for many years now. However, there's no doubt that he is a good coach, and can handle the men's team too.
On the qualities that an Indian coach must possess
Firstly, he needs to be updated with the latest technology in hockey. Second, he needs to know the standard of the teams across the world. Third, he should know the Indian players very well, their culture, their mindset. Fourth, he has to have good man-management skills. And lastly, he needs to get the team to perform at the big tournaments, the Olympics and the World Cups. That will be the true test
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