Australian hockey legend Ric Charlesworth is in favour of a foreign coach for India as he feels Indian coaches ‘are not good enough to fulfill the requirements’ of the modern-day game. ‘I think India needs a foreign expert. I can say it from my experience that Indian coaches are not good enough to fulfill the requirements of modern hockey,’ Charlesworth said.
Charlesworth’s comments came two days after fellow Australian Michael Nobbs was prematurely relieved of his duties as India’s chief coach because of non-performance. Nobbs, who took over the charge in 2011, was offered a five-year contract and handsome salary, but his association with Indian finally ended on a bitter note within 2 years.
Nobbs, thus became the fourth foreigner to be shown the door before completion of the tenure. Before Nobbs, Spaniard Jose Barsa, Charlesworth and Germany’s Gerhard Rach coached the Indian side but were pushed out due to several issues.
Charlesworth said he was surprised by India’s decision to select Nobbs over Roelant Oltmans for the chief coach’s post. ‘There are many questions. Firstly, if I was given a choice between Oltmans and Nobbs, I would have chosen the Oltmans who is more experienced,’ he said.
‘Why did they choose Nobbs then? And if he was made the coach, he should have been given the support he needed,’ said Charlesworth, who is presently the coach of Australian team. Charlesworth also feels that a good structure and long-term planning is the need of the hour for Indian hockey, which is struggling to regain its glorious past.
‘I think it is not easy to work without support. What Indian hockey need at the moment is a good structure. They must have long-term plans. India must provide whatever support a coach needs, and the expectations should also be realistic,’ he said from Perth.
‘I will suggest that whoever becomes the new coach, he should be allowed to complete his term and must be given the support he needs,’ Charlesworth said. Asked about his experience with Indian hockey, he said things are much better now. ‘Nobbs and Brasa did not face problems which I had to face during my tenure. They were in much better position. I had no support and was expected to do miracles,’ he said.
Charlesworth feels India can win the upcoming eight-nation Asia Cup, which they need to do qualify for next year’s World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands. ‘India has an experienced High Performance Manager in Oltmans. They can put things together and win the Asia Cup,’ he said.
HI ropes in Kaushik as coach, to assist roelant Oltmans
Olympian Maharaj Krishan Kaushik was on Wednesday appointed as a coach of the senior men’s hockey team, just two days after chief coach Michael Nobbs was shown the door because of non-performance.
Kaushik, a member of India’s last of the eight Olympic gold medal winning side in 1980 Moscow Games, will assist high performance director, Roelant Oltmans, who will now double up as a chief coach till a suitable replacement for Nobbs is found. Kaushik’s appointment comes barely 48 hours after Australian Nobbs was prematurely relieved of his duties by Sports Authority of India for failing to produce the desired results. However, Nobbs had insisted he was not pushed out and that he quit the job on his own terms because of his deteriorating health condition. Kaushik will join the national camp at the SAI Centre in Bangalore starting July 16.
Kaushik’s first assignment with the men’s team will be the ninth Asia Cup to be held in Ipoh, Malaysia from August 24 to September 1, which India need to win to qualify for next year’s World Cup in The Hague, Netherlands. Reacting to his appointment, Kaushik said: ‘I am very happy. It’s an honour for any player to coach his country, I have experience of working with different people from the coaching fraternity and will give my best.’
‘I will now sit down with the entire team management and find out solutions which can help India qualify for next year’s World Cup,’ he said. Kaushik, however, said pressure would be high on India in the upcoming eight-nation Asia Cup. ‘In Rotterdam the pressure was less but in the Asia Cup the pressure on the Indian team will be immense and we will have to perform under pressure.’