BACKGROUND
The IHF has sacked 3 different national hockey coaches in the past 3 years - Cedric D'Souza for the worst-ever Olympic performance in Atlanta (1996), Pargat Singh after one 4-Nation Tournament in Hamburg in 1997 (where he lost all the matches) and Vasudevan Bhaskaran for the 1998 Utrecht World Cup debacle.
The present Indian coach is Maharaj Kishan Kaushik. He has been given a tenure to coach till the Asian Games in December. If India wins the Asian Games hockey title, and with it an automatic qualification to the Sydney Games, then Kaushik will stay. Else he will also be made the scapegoat, while the same set of officials remain in the IHF without even the shame of moral responsiblity.
WHAT CAN A COACH DO?
Paul Lissek is arguably one of the best coaches in international hockey today. He recently took over a demoralised Malaysian national team, and inspired them to stunning victories over Germany in the recent Malaysia - Germany hockey series. In five matches played between Malaysia and Germany, Malaysia won two Tests (1-0, 2-1) and drew one (1-1), won one friendly (5-2) and drew the other (1-1). The German squad included 5 players who played in the Utrecht World Cup in 1998, and 3 who played in the Junior World Cup in 1997.
This new look Malaysian hockey team then proceeded to draw with Australia, and narrowly lost the other two test matches (0-2, 2-3). Australia played with 11 World Cup players in their side. Even India has not drawn with Australia of late, usually losing by 3 or 4 goal margins.
Most important, Paul Lissek has also taken charge of the Malaysian junior team (Project 2001) being trained for the Junior World Cup in 2001. Lissek has arranged a 2-week training stint in Germany for the Project 2001 team. Five players from that squad will be attached to clubs in the German League.
RAY OF HOPE
The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), in its efforts to improve the standard of the game in the country, has in principle decided to appoint a foreign coach to guide the National senior team.
The IHF secretary, Mr. K. Jyothikumaran, said the decision was based on the tremendous changes which had come about in the game in recent times. He said the formalities in this regard would be worked out soon and added that the IHF's decision had also been guided by the string of positive results recently achieved by Malaysia ever since it appointed a foreign coach.
Lissek, the wily coach and master tactician, has transformed the Malaysian team in a matter of 4 months. Lissek shuns politicking and selects a team solely on merit. Can Lissek be the Miracle Coach that Indian Hockey needs?
Photo Courtesy : STARPic by Zainuddin Ahad