India's biggest challenge at the Olympic qualifiers in Santiago (Chile) in March would perhaps be the match against Great Britain.
Ric Charlesworth is set to begin working as the technical adviser of Indian hockey in the forseeable future. The Aussie said he would like to work with the elite bunch of players in the country.
"I would like to focus on the elite end of the game in India. It is important that the elite get it right. Of course, the development of juniors is an important part of the game," Charlesworth said on the sidelines of the ongoing Premier Hockey League here.
"My job would be more of finding the good and not so good things here. I will be making a lot of recommendations for the domestic and international programmes. Things like how to prepare juniors, seniors and coaches will probably be what I will do. Of course, I will need help since it will be a Herculean task."
The former Australian women's national coach feels that there is indeed a lot of talent but it needs to be tapped properly. "What I like about the senior lot is the fluency but it is too early for me to comment about their potential. They are agile and that is always a useful trait to have. If utilised correctly, it can be a big plus. There is talent and we have to use that to the fullest," he felt.
"It is too difficult to comment in a general way but India can play well against any team. They have different skills. The capacity to win is there. But then, they have to play enough quality games to improve." Quality games
Talking of quality games, India's biggest challenge at the Olympic qualifiers in Santiago (Chile) in March would perhaps be the match against Great Britain. "Great Britain will be a tough side to play against. Against India, I would say it is a 50-50 scenario. It is best to respect the opposition," Charlesworth felt.
The former high performance manager of the New Zealand cricket team also outlined the importance of having quality support staff with the team. "Having proper support staff is one of the fundamentals. But then, just having people is not the solution. Whoever is there should have quality. There ought to be people who can make a difference," he stated.
The former Australian hockey captain felt that the PHL was a good concept and the event should help in the development of hockey in India. "The concept is good. It is a positive thing for the game in India. But it should happen in a couple more places. There has to be utility and promotion of the game to the fullest would be the best use. Elite players should develop from this and it should not be just for television. Getting foreign players to come here is good," he opined.
"Now, the players have a platform to show their talent. What happens next and what comes out of it is important."
Ric is a thorugh professional and has rich expereince. I agree with him that talents are available at plenty and it needs to be tapped in right manner. Well, let us give free hand to him to find out whether he makes difference. After all, it should be kept in view that he is paid for his services abudantly.
by Hockey Man on 1/10/2008 6:30:06 PM
Ric's observation on PHL is not right. PHL has reduced the number of players in hockey, and has blocked the way for many young & old hockey players. All states from North east, few from south, west and northern frontier of India has lost the opportunity to play hockey at senior level. No nationlas have been conducted for past 3 years. Out of 7 teams in PHL only around 100 players get an opportunity to play PHL. What about the rest of the players in the country? Do they need to continue hockey?
