Hockey India selector slams former coach's theory of changing players' positions, says team's show wasn't up to mark
It's tough being a national hockey selector these days. If one thought Hockey India's (HI) game of musical chairs with foreign coaches left the players confused, think about the selectors.
Giving more headaches to the selectors with less than a year to go for the 2016 Rio Olympics is former coach Paul Van Ass's theory of experimenting with players' positions during his short stint with the team. The Dutchman made forwards play back, and vice versa. The move left some players scratching their heads, and selector Arjun Halappa – who still plays for Air India – too admitted it was "harsh".
"It's very tough," Halappa told dna after guiding his team to the Guru Tegh Bahadur Gold Cup title on Thursday. "When I started playing under (Jose) Brasa, I was a right winger and I was played as a central midfielder. I got really irritated at first, but gradually when I started to understand what the team wanted, I adjusted. But everyone can't adjust.
"I think it was too harsh on the part of Paul Van Ass to make those position changes straightaway in a big tournament (Hockey World League Semifinals). It could've been done gradually. Europeans have their own thinking, and they think they are always doing the right thing. But when they come to India, they have to understand the culture, language and players. You can't just walk in and get things done the way you like."
With high-performance director Roelant Oltmans now in charge of the team, Halappa hoped corrective measures would be taken to get the team perform consistently.
"We're not happy with the performance of the team. Till (2014) Asian Games, everything was going fine. Suddenly, we lost a few matches with a huge margin in the World League Semifinals. But it is a process. Look at cricket, for example. (Sourav) Ganguly started the process in 1999, and we became champions in 2011. We have now started winning a few games against the top teams. We can't target 2016. We have to look at 2020 or 2024," the former India captain said.
While most other international teams have begun developing their core group of players leading up to Rio 2016, India doesn't seem to have identified one yet.
"Look, the core of 33 is always there. But you can't surely say that these are the guys who will have a shot for Rio. There is the question of form, injuries, what the new coach wants. At the end of the day, it is Roelant who has to decide. We will spot talent and advice him," Halappa said.
And with HI handing out a nine-month ban to senior midfielder Gurbaj Singh for his alleged ill-discipline against the coaching staff, things are looking only messier for Indian hockey by the day.
"There is no doubt that he is the best player in the team," Halappa said. "As a junior, I always looked up to Gurbaj. He is one of the fitness guys. But as far as discipline is concerned, you can't get carried away no matter how big a player you are. I have no idea what exactly happened, so I can't comment on that. But as a player, Gurbaj is the best guy as a right defender," he said.
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