Another Australian takes charge

It’s official now. Former Australian striker Terry Walsh will take over as chief coach of the Indian senior men’s hockey team almost three months after compatriot Michael Nobbs was sacked by Hockey India (HI).

HI confirmed 59-year-old Walsh’s appointment on Tuesday, and he will be in charge of the team till the 2016 Olympics. dna had reported on September 23 that Walsh was almost certain to be named as chief coach.

Walsh – who has coached The Netherlands, Malaysia and his home country – is the latest foreigner to take over the reigns of the men’s team after his predecessors including Nobbs, Ric Charlesworth, Jose Brasa and Gerhard Rach were shown the door after some inconsistent performances over the years.

“It’s time Indian hockey picked itself up,” HI secretary Narendra Batra told dna on Tuesday. “And this time, the results should be seen, not felt. We will be monitoring Walsh’s performance very closely.”

Walsh’s appointment was on expected lines after HI recommended his name to the Sports Authority of India based on a stronger CV than the others. However, it came as a surprise to some that another foreigner, especially an Australian, was asked to take over after the team went downhill under Nobbs.

“Why have they appointed an Australian again? Is it because HI’s CEO (Elena Norman) is an Australian?” former national coach Joaquim Carvalho asked. “I have not seen Walsh producing results with any of the teams that he has been a part of. I don’t know how far the team will go under him.”

Asked about the need of a foreign coach, Batra said, “Indian coaches are not yet up to that level.
They need to come up. Once they do, we wouldn’t be so insistent on a foreign coach.”

MP Ganesh, former captain and coach, had a different take on the issue. “We should hire foreign coaches to work on specific areas like defence or penalty shootouts, more as consultants who come once in six months or so. But they shouldn’t get into the administration. That should be left to the Indian coach,” he said.

However, backing the notion of having a foreign coach is former India captain Viren Rasquinha, who felt Indian coaches are not yet ready to take the plunge.

“I can count on my fingertips the number of local coaches that can take over the national team. The problem – across all sports – is that very few local coaches are updated with the latest methods and technology that is required in sports nowadays. Till that is changed, we have to reply of foreign coaches,” Viren said.

While the debate can be never-ending, the fact remains that Walsh has some serious work to do. The team has been plagued with some very inconsistent performances, with India barely managing to qualify for next year’s World Cup due to their runners-up finish at the Asia Cup. The 2014 World Cup will, in a way, be a litmus test for Walsh. 

Walsh’s resume
As player
Walsh was first selected to play for Western Australia in 1974 and he was so impressive that he was immediately chosen in the national team for the 1975 World Cup in Malaysia

He is a three-time Olympian. He was part of the silver-winning Australian side in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, and the team that finished fourth at the 1984 Los Angeles Games

Went on to play 175 internationals before retiring after Australia’s 1986 World Cup victory in London

As coach
Was in charge of the Australian men’s team from 1997 to 2000, and helped them bag a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Games.

He then guided the Dutch men’s team to a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics
Was last associated with the American team as their technical director from 2005-2012

Aus$12,500 (Rs7.2 lakh approx)