Aussie great Terry Walsh likely to be named hockey chief coach

Terry Walsh, the prolific Australian striker of the 1970s and 1980s and later coach of The Netherlands, Malaysia and his home country, is almost certain to be named the chief coach of the Indian men’s hockey team.

“Walsh is almost certain to get the job,” a Hockey India official told dna on Sunday. “The other three contenders — one from Australia and two from The Netherlands — have a very weak resume. Our last round of meetings with Sports Authority of India (SAI) officials was fruitful. The ball now is in their court,” said the official, who didn’t wish to be named.

“Look, he is an ideal replacement for (Michael) Nobbs. As far as we are concerned, he is the best man to take charge of the team,” he said, adding that the formalities should be “completed by the end of this week”.

Also, MK Kaushik, who was named the coach after Nobbs was sacked as chief coach, would continue in his role. “There are two different posts in the men’s team — chief coach and coach.

Kaushik will remain coach,” HI secretary Narendra Batra said. He, however, refused to confirm Walsh’s appointment, saying “the announcement will be made only after we receive confirmation from SAI”.

Batra added that Roelant Oltmans, under whom the team put up an impressive show in the Asia Cup (India lost to South Korea in the final), would continue to be the high-performance director of the men’s and women’s teams.

Walsh has a vast international coaching experience. He 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. He was last associated with the American team as their technical director.

The 59-year-old is a three-time Olympian and was part of the silver-winning Aussie side in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. His team finished fourth at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.