It has been a challenge for Malaysian coach Sarjit Singh ever since he took charge from Wallace Tan.

After a dismal show at the Doha Asian Games, where they finished sixth, the entire team was disbanded and Singh took over. Several seniors including skipper Kuhan Shanmuganathan were dropped.

But now, the team is on the rebuilding mode and is targeting the 2009 Asia Cup, the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi and the 2012 London Olympics.

I have a young team and we aim to get into the semifinals in the Chennai event. Most of the boys I have now are from the 2005 junior World Cup team which I coached. The second place in the Azlan Shah this year perhaps came a little too early. We need to make gradual progress and maintain it," Singh, who has roots in Amritsar, said.

"More important is to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But the Malaysian Hockey Federation does not expect great results immediately.

The idea is to improve things for the future."  For sure, there is a renewed seriousness in Malaysian hockey now.

 Having learnt the finer points of the job under legendary German coach Paul Lissek and having played as skipper of the Malaysian team under Australian Terry Walsh, Singh is trying things of his own. Lissek is still the director of Malaysia's National Sports Council.

‘Main strength’

"Fitness is one of our main strengths. And I am also focusing on that. In fact, I was in China for two weeks and saw China's Korean coach Kim Song-Ryul go about his training.

It was really good and I use those concepts to train my boys," Singh, who played for Malaysia between 1982 and 1993 in the Olympics and World Cups, said.

He led the Malaysian side from 1987 to 1993. Singh has also been taking help for the goalkeeping department from Pakistan 1982 World Cup goalkeeper Shahid Ali Khan.

Helping hand

"He has been helping our goalkeepers out and will be with us till November.  He keeps visiting Malaysia to help us out," Singh, who started coaching in 2003 after completing an International Hockey Federation (FIH) coaches course in South Africa. Singh believes Asian countries should play each other more.  "Asian teams should play each other more instead of going to Europe.

If we play more in Europe, they will gain more than us. It is better to have teams like Australia and the Asians play in Asia to improve," he said.