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News for 03 September 2017

All the news for Sunday 3 September 2017


Heavy defeat to England leaves Irish hopes hanging on 19-goal swing


Keith O’Hare and Jamie Carr combine to keep out an English chance. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics

Ireland’s hopes of staying in the top tier of the Under-21 men’s EuroHockey Junior Championships are hanging by a thread with a 19-goal swing the only thing that could potentially save them a return to the B division and a lifeline for the 2020 Junior World Cup.

They fell to a 7-1 defeat to England with Will Calnan scoring four times. In combination with Austria’s 13-0 win over Portugal, it means Ireland need a massive swing to work in their favour on Sunday on the final day of Pool C.

At the outset, a draw or better for Ireland would have given them a huge chance of escaping from danger. But they got off to the worst possible start as Calnan scored on the reverse inside the first two minutes.

A second followed before the end of the first quarter from a steal on halfway that led to Nick Page turning in Peter Scott’s cross. The English counter-attack was dangerous throughout and they held this 2-0 lead into the half-time break. Often in this tournament, cards played a part with two yellows and two greens adding up to 14 minutes worth of suspensions.

Further goals followed in the third quarter when Calnan and Edward Way netted from penalty corners before the fifth arrived early in the fourth quarter. It came while Ireland had withdrawn their goalkeeper in favour of an extra outfielder, chasing potential goals which may prove key on goal difference with Calnan shooting past the unpadded Sam Grace.

Calnan fired in a sixth goal on the backhand and Peter Scott completed their tally in the final minute. Grace did get one back with 1.6 seconds left on the clock.

Irish coach Jonny Caren said “it was a tough one to take” after a rough game for his charges.

“We were at 50%; they were at 100% and that’s how it went. There’s a few guys struggling injury wise off the back of some really big pushes earlier in the tournament and so the bench isn’t rolling as smooth as we would have liked.


Geoff Cole on the attack. Pic: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics

“The thing I can’t take away is how hard these guys work when they are on the pitch. That’s a reflection of it with one and a half seconds to go, we still fought to get that one goal.”

There remains a sliver of a chance of Ireland staying up on goal difference and Caren hopes that late effort could help salvage an unlikely situation, the saving grace being the heavy defeats Portugal have suffered with double digit losses in their last three games.

“At the end of the day, that goal could be a massive difference come tomorrow. We’ll find out goal-wise what we have to do and hopefully, England will do a job on Austria and they should do the job if they play like that.

“The guys have spoken about it and they said this isn’t about us. This is more about the next generation; our job is about trying to keep that next generation in this division so they have a chance at a World Cup spot and that’s the only motivation we have now for this Portugal game and that the future is green for the 21s.”

Ireland’s men face Portugal at 9.30am (Irish time) and will know their ultimate target – if there is one – by the second quarter once Austria and England’s game is played.

The Irish women, meanwhile, conclude their tournament with a tie against Spain with only a win enough to give them a chance of staying in the top tier. That takes place at 12pm in Valencia.

Men’s EuroHockey Junior Championships

Ireland 1 (S Grace)
England 7 (W Calnan 4, N Page, E Way, P Scott)

Ireland: J Carr, L Madeley, M Samuel, K Marshall, S Grace, S Wolfe, R Getty, D Nelson, C Empey, J Dale, M Crookshanks
Subs: K O’Hare, F Morris, J Mullins, G Cole, P McKibbin, D Mawhinney, J Milliken

England: C Wyver, J Sutcliffe, T Sorsby, N Park, J Turner, J Waller, P Scott, E Way, N Page, R Smith, W Calnan
Subs: W Hewer, W Carter-Keall, Z Wallace, B Stevenson, D Scott, J Clee, T Reynolds-Cotterill

Men’s EuroHockey Junior Championships
Pool C standings: 1. England 6pts (+14) 2. Austria 4pts (+13) 3. Ireland 1pt (-6) 4. Portugal 0pts (-21)
Sunday (Irish time): Ireland v Portugal, 9.30am

Women’s EuroHockey Junior Championships
Sunday (Irish time): Ireland v Spain, 12pm

The Hook



Kenyan teams remain confident of sealing 2018 World Cup places

By BRIAN YONGA


Kenya’s Brian Saina (right) dribbles past Tanzania’s Richard Nkana during their Hockey World League match at City Park Stadium on September 6, 2014. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLLO |  NATION

Kenya’s men and women’s national hockey teams are confident of sealing their places at next year’s World Cup, even with the qualification tournament being moved from South Africa to Egypt.

The North Africa nation was confirmed as the new host for the 2017 African Cup of Nations by the Africa Federation of Hockey (AFHF).

The field hockey tournament, which had previously been scheduled to be played in South Africa last month, will now be held in Ismailia next month.

The biennial competition will feature men and women’s teams that will do battle from October 19 to 29 with the winners of both categories booking their places in the World Cup.

That notwithstanding, Kenya men and women’s provisional squads have been in non-residential training since July.

The squad comprising of 29 players on both sides is expected to be whittled down to a final 18 later this month.  Men’s team manager Godfrey Bila is confident the country will seal a berth at the World Cup.

The team played at two World Cups (1971 and 1973) although their female compatriots have never been to the global showpiece.

“We have been training for the last two months only breaking during the election time and we intend to intensify as the competition nears,” Bila told Sunday Nation Sport.

Both teams won bronze at the last edition of the event held in South Africa in 2015. With South Africa women’s team already through, Kenya will fancy her chances of reaching her maiden World Cup.

Team Manager Jane Mashedu says the time is ripe for the country to feature at the global stage.

“We now have to overcome our biggest rivals Ghana and also Nigeria to ensure we nick the only spot,” she said.

However, it will be different ball game in the men’s competition with South Africa seeking to win the competition to qualify for the World Cup.

Some of the countries that have so far confirmed participation include defending champions South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia and hosts Egypt.

The South Africa Hockey Association (SAHA) wrote to AFHF in late July to withdraw from hosting the competition.

It is believe they SAHA withdrew from hosting the competition because the South African national hockey teams had other engagement around the same time and, therefore, did not want to stress their players.

Daily Nation



Coach Roelant Oltmans pays 'HI' price for inconsistency

Manuja Veerappa

BENGALURU: In Bengaluru: In a move which came sooner than expected, Indian hockey chief coach Roelant Oltmans has 'stepped down' with immediate effect.

In a press release on Saturday, Hockey India said that one of the key decisions taken at the three-day meeting of its High Performance and Development Committee in New Delhi was to ask "Chief coach Roelant Oltmans to step down."

Oltmans' ouster comes 10 months after he was given an extension until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The Dutchman's exit is hardly a surprise but it was widely believed that he would stay on until the Asia Cup in Dhaka next month. Now, with the committee stating that performance in Asia is no yardstick to measure the success of Indian hockey, Oltmans found himself out of favour.

Oltmans' joins a long list of foreign coaches - five in the last seven years - to be shown the door. His predecessors who bit the dust were Jose Brasa, Michael Nobbs, Terry Walsh and Paul Van Ass. Prior to that, in 2008, Australian Ric Charlesworth, Indian hockey's technical director then, was unceremoniously dumped.

The committee unanimously decided that the results were not showing. We have the ability and talent to be among the top teams but have lost to teams like Canada and Malaysia in recent times. That's why the call (on Oltmans) was taken - David John | High Performance Director

Interestingly, Oltmans, who joined the national set-up in 2013, took over as the chief coach following the sacking of van Ass in 2015 due to differences with the then Hockey India chief Narinder Batra.

The three-day conclave, which ended on Friday, included a meeting of Oltmans with the committee, Hockey India officials and Batra. The last meeting sealed the 63-yearold's fate.

Oltmans probably didn't see the end coming so soon as he returned to the team's training base at the SAI, South Centre here late on Friday night and was a part of the training session on Saturday morning.

On the thought behind the move, Harbinder Singh, the chairman of the selection committee stated, "To make results a reality, we need to make hard decisions for the greater good of the future of Hockey in India. The current format of coaching was not showing results beyond a certain level. The committee unanimously agreement that immediate action was required to be taken and while change may not always be comfortable it is essential if we want to position ourselves as a serious global contender for the upcoming critical tournaments in 2018 including the Asian Games & World Cup and 2020 Olympic Games."

After finishing eighth at the Rio Olympics, the India team, which has shown marked improvement in fitness but not in performance in recent times, lost to teams ranked much below them at the Sultan Azlan Shah and the World Hockey World League semifinals in London. At Azlan Shah, India who are currently ranked sixth, were beaten by Malaysia (ranked 11th) who along with Canada (12th) defeated the side again in London.

Searching for answers

When the 24-member committee - which included current team players like PR Sreejesh, Sardar Singh and Manpreet Singh besides Oltmans himself - questioned the Dutch coach earlier this week, his answers to some of the posers left it unhappy.

"The committee was not satisfied with Oltmans. We felt the answers he gave for questions posed to him were far from satisfactory. He failed to convince us with his answers on the team's performance especially to lower ranked teams like Malaysia and Canada," Olympian BP Govinda, who is also a member of the selection committee, told TOI.

FIVE COACHES IN SEVEN YEARS

Jose Brasa (May '09-Dec'10): The Spaniard led India to a Commonwealth Games silver in New Delhi and Asian Games bronze in Guangzhou. India's failure to win gold at the Asiad coupled with his run-ins with the federation and Sports Authority of India led to his ouster.

Michael Nobbs (June'11-July'13): The Australian brought overseas scientific experts, including David John, as support staff. Nobbs, who said he couldn't handle the pressure of heading Indian hockey, was eased out.

Terry Walsh (Oct'13-Oct'14): The former Aussie great was instrumental in leading India to a gold at the Incheon Asiad in 2014, which helped the country to seal a berth at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He resigned citing 'pay dispute' and 'difficulty adjusting to the decision-making style of the sporting bureaucracy in India.'

Paul van Ass (Feb-July 2015): The Dutchman was a great motivator and was known to be knowledgeable and outspoken. He had a public spat with Hockey India chief Narinder Batra. He was sacked after he failed to report for the ensuing camp at Shilaroo, HP.

Roelant Oltmans (July '15-Sept '17): Oltmans, 63, joined the Indian hockey fold in January 2013, worked briefly as coach of the senior team after Nobbs quit before paving the way for Terry Walsh. He was Indian hockey's High Performance Director but HI was forced to redesignate him as chief coach again after van Ass' ouster. While his experience in the subcontinent stood him in good stead, the inconsistent performance of the team did him in.

The Times of India



Roelant Oltmans sacked: 23rd hockey coach fired in 23 years; says ‘can’t change system’

The decision to fire Roelant Oltmans as India's hockey coach was taken following a three-day review meeting chaired by High Performance Director David John, who will now be the interim coach till a successor is identified.

by Mihir Vasavda


Oltmans is the 23nd coach to be sacked by India’s hockey federation in the last 23 years. (Source: File)

“If you come to India as a foreign coach, there is one thing for sure – before you finish your contract, you will be fired.” The frustration is palpable in Roelant Oltmans’ voice. After spending four years in India, the Dutchman was informed via a brief email on Saturday that his services as chief coach were no longer required. The 23rd coach to be shown the door in as many years and the fourth foreigner in last four years.

When he took over as the chief coach in August 2015, Oltmans insisted he could succeed where none of his predecessors had. Before him, India had employed six foreign coaches. But all of them had left these shores disillusioned. In fact, three coaches – Australians Michael Nobbs and Terry Walsh, and Holland’s Paul van Ass – were all shown the door during Oltmans’ term as the high performance director.

Hockey India, the sport’s governing body, decided to sack him following a three-day meeting of its 24-member High Performance and Development Committee. Hockey India’s high performance director David John, primarily a fitness coach, has been handed over the reins till a new coach is identified. According to John, the process may take up to three months but it is believed current women’s team chief coach Sjoerd Marijne is being considered as a replacement.

Oltmans’ future was thrown into doubt in July after India’s dismal performance at the Hockey World League. The team finished sixth out of 10 teams in the tournament but the defeats to minnows Malaysia and Canada dented the confidence Hockey India had in him. It was the second time India had lost to Malaysia this year while the team was unable to beat Canada at last year’s Olympics as well.

Those results, coupled with the team’s inability to beat the top nations, made Oltmans’ position untenable, according to Hockey India. “Our performances were inconsistent. Unfortunately, we either need to change the whole playing group, or as often is the case, the chief coach is the one who suffers. In this case, we look for new direction by getting a new coach,” John said.

John’s appointment as the high performance director earlier this year created two power centres. He did not share a cordial relationship with Oltmans. According to sources, John became heavily involved in team selections and added six players to the squad for India’s Europe tour last month against Oltmans’ wishes. It undermined the 63-year-old’s position in the dressing room, which a senior player highlighted during the review meeting.

The player informed the committee during the meeting that there was a disquiet within the team. The players alleged that Oltmans ‘favoured a couple of players’ despite their poor form, which affected the morale of the team. “Overall, these factors were responsible in the team’s performances stagnating over the last 12 months, especially after the Olympics. The coach was not able to motivate the team so we felt a change we needed,” Olympian BP Govinda, a member of the committee, said.

Oltmans came to India in 2013 following the team’s 12th-place finish at the London Olympics. In 2015, he was made the chief coach after Van Ass was sacked following a tiff with then Hockey India president Narinder Batra.

Oltmans is credited with bringing stability to the team that looked disjointed. Under him, India won a silver medal at the Champions Trophy last year for the first time in over three decades while he also played a crucial role in India winning the junior World Cup last year.

However, Hockey India termed these achievements ‘more incidental than deliberate.’ Like each of his predecessors, Oltmans too leaves the country disillusioned and miffed with the federation, saying not many foreigners will be keen to coach India if they are treated this way. “I can only say that at least the area where I come from, not too many people are keen. I am not sure about others but of course there will always be someone like me who think they can change the system. But one thing is sure, you cannot change the system,” he said.

Indian Express



Desperately seeking instant results, Hockey India slams door on Roelant Oltmans

Rutvick Mehta


Roelant Oltmans (File Photo)

The moment the 24-member committee sat down from Thursday in New Delhi to review the performance of the Indian hockey team in its three-day meet, it seemed Roelant Oltmans's fate as head coach was sealed.

The panel comprising HI high performance director David John, former Indian Olympians, Hockey India (HI) officials, some current players and members of support staff were almost unanimous in their views that Oltmans, whose contract ran till 2020 Tokyo Olympics, needed to go.

Its suggestion was promptly accepted by HI, which immediately sacked the Dutchman on Saturday after the conclusion of the meeting.

"This was needed," Australia's John said. "I think the team has done well, it's improved its ranking from 11 to 6. But for the public of India and, we now want to progress to become the No. 1 or No. 2 in the world over the next 2-4 years, and not stagnating at 6-8 in the world rankings. We need that to occur relatively quickly."

Oltmans, who has been an advocate of processes and thinking about long-term results, gave presentations on Thursday and Friday on the way forward for the team but it cut no ice with the committee. Add to that, his inability to offer a proper explanation for India's poor results over the last couple of months was the clincher, especially the losses against Malaysia and Canada in the World Hockey League Semi-Finals in London in June and July.

Former national coach V Baskaran, who was part of the committee, said the decision was due after those results.

"This was on the cards since after the London tour," he said. "The committee had a lot of queries for Oltmans, asking him about the poor results. He couldn't handle the members yesterday (Friday), and he also didn't seem to have a proper answer that could explain the poor outings. So, we thought we needed to have a change."

Another member, who did not wish to be named, said the committee was unanimous about the decision.

"It was unanimous. Once Oltmans finished his presentations and left on Friday, we were sure that the writing was on the wall. Hockey India officials called him on Saturday to inform him about the sacking, but he did not answer the call. He was sent a mail and text message," the member said.

The 63-year-old Oltmans is the latest foreign coach to have been fired prematurely. From Ric Charlesworth (Australia), Jose Brasa (Spain), Michael Nobbs (Australia), Terry Walsh (Australia) and Paul Van Ass (The Netherlands), HI has shut the door on these coaches for reasons varying from poor results to problems with top HI officials.

Oltmans came into Indian hockey as high performance director in 2013, and took over as head coach of the men's team after Van Ass's sacking in July 2015. He was given a four-year contract extension last year, and that's why his sacking has come as a surprise to some even in the federation.

"It's not good to sack him at this juncture," a source in HI said. "I'm sure he had a plan in place. The team was improving and it was a work in progress."

DNA



Now, HI shows the door to Oltmans

Cites poor results as the reason; Dutchman fourth foreign coach to be sacked in five years


The results under Oltmans had not been good over the last eight months, with India losing a series in Australia, failing to defend their Azlan title, and then getting beaten by lower-ranked Malaysia and Canada in World Hockey League Semifinals in London. File photo

Hockey India (HI) today sacked the national men’s team coach Roelant Oltmans on the grounds that “the current format of coaching was not showing results beyond a certain level”. Oltmans, thus, becomes the fourth foreign coach to be sacked in the last five years, after Michael Nobbs, Terry Walsh and Paul van Ass. Oltmans came on board as HI’s High Performance Director in 2013 and took over as chief coach after van Ass was sacked. Hockey India’s High Performance Director David John — whose area of expertise is fitness — will take charge of the team until a suitable replacement is found, HI said in a statement today.

HI announced these decisions after a three-day review meeting of its High Performance and Development Committee, which includes former players and coaches. Oltmans made several presentations during the meeting, laying out his long-term vision. “But we need short-term results,” said John today. “We had a core of probables since 2012 but still we failed to produce desired results at the international level.”

Harbinder Singh, the chairman of the selection committee, said Oltmans had run out of ideas and had nothing new to offer. “The verdict to replace him was unanimous. He had been asked to give a presentation on how he planned to take Indian hockey forward but there was nothing in the presentation that could have saved his job,” said Singh.

A committee member, on the condition of anonymity, said Oltmans had set a semifinal finish as his target for next year's Commonwealth Games, which the committee found unacceptable. “When asked why was he targeting a semifinal finish when the team had reached the final in the last two editions of the Games, he had no answer. That showed he had no vision,” the member said.

However, the Dutchman, speaking after his ouster, claimed he was confident of a podium finish at the Commonwealth Games. “I am 100 per cent confident we will win the Asia Cup and I absolutely feel we can finish on the podium in the HWL Finals, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, provided we have the system in place,” he said.

Die was cast

Oltmans’ removal is surprising because only last week, John had indicated that the coach would remain in charge for the sake of stability. However, a sword had been hanging over Oltmans after India fared badly at the World Hockey League Semifinals in June. India suffered defeats to Malaysia and Canada in the classification games to finish sixth in the 10-team event.

It has been learnt that it was in July that HI’s top brass had made the decision to let Oltmans go, and it was only a matter of when the decision would be announced. According to sources, India’s disappointing performance in London only hardened the resolve of HI’s leadership. In April, India had failed to defend their Azlan Shah Cup title in Malaysia, finishing third behind Great Britain and Australia. According to sources, Narinder Batra — former HI president, now president of the international federation — had a heated debate with Oltmans over India’s show in the Azlan Shah Cup. After that, considering Batra’s huge clout in HI, there was no way Oltmans could have survived, especially as the team fared so poorly in London.

Sources also say that Oltmans and John had not enjoyed a cordial relationship of late, and there had been arguments over team selection and the choice of players. Sources in HI allege that Oltmans had been resorting to favouritism, selecting his own particular set of players, and also trying to create groups within the team.

Bad results

However, it must be emphasised that the results under Oltmans had not been good over the last eight months, with India losing a series in Australia, failing to defend their Azlan title, and then getting beaten by lower-ranked Malaysia and Canada in London. There was some good news last month, though, when India beat the Netherlands in Amsterdam twice in consecutive matches to win the series 2-0.

John will travel with the team to Dhaka for the Asia Cup next month. The process to appoint the new coach would be initiated after the Asia Cup. According to sources, the new coach could take charge before the Hockey World League Final in December in India. There’s a high probability that the new coach could be an Australian — John is from Australia and it is likely that he would want a coach with whom he could enjoy a close working relationship.

The Tribune



Interim coach David John will deliver better results, says Hockey India selector BP Govinda

Bengaluru: Hockey India selector BP Govinda on Saturday said that High Performance Director David John will deliver better results than Roelant Oltmans as interim coach after the Dutchman was sacked as chief coach of the men's national team following a string of unimpressive showings.

"David will definitely deliver goods better than Oltmans in shaping the team during the transitional period. I am pretty sure of it because he has got the knowledge and also we are also there to help him in this task," Govinda told PTI.

John will take charge of the men's team as interim coach after Hockey India on Saturday sacked Oltmans despite a largely successful four-and-half-years stint in India.

The decision was taken after a three-day meeting of the Hockey India High Performance and Development Committee, which concluded on Saturday.

John will be in charge of the team till a suitable replacement is found for a smooth transition.

Asked whether the think-tank asked feedback from players on Oltmans, Govinda said senior players had vouched for more involvement in team planning and strategy.

Hockey India selection committee chairman Harbinder Singh too vouched for John and said the Australian has everything in him to produce results.

Harbinder, however, denied rumours about any bad blood between John and Oltmans.

"There absolutely is no truth in it, and why there should be bad relations. They were both working for the development and improvement of Team India," he said.

Firstpost



Former coach Jose Brasa says 'chopping and changing policy' harming Indian hockey


File photo of Jose Brasa. AFP

New Delhi: Jose Brasa, who was also sacked like Roelant Oltmans as India coach, on Saturday expressed surprise at the removal of the Dutchman and said the "changing and chopping policy" will not do any good to the Indian team.

In seven years, the Indian men's hockey team has seen as many as five foreign coaches - Brasa, Michel Nobbs, Terry Walsh, Paul Van Ass and Oltmans, who is latest to be removed unceremoniously.

"I can't believe this. How can they remove him? Roelant was doing so well and he is an outstanding coach. It is very difficult to find his replacement," Brasa, who was India coach in 2009-10, told PTI Bhasha from Spain.

"Five coaches in seven years. Oh my god. This chopping and changing will not be good for the consistency of the team. Every coach needs time and long term tenure," he said.

India had won a silver medal at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and a bronze at Guangzhou Asian Games under Brasa. He had joined as India coach in May 2009 and was given a contract till 2010 Asian Games. Hockey India chose not to extend his contract.

The Spaniard said officials in India lack knowledge of the game.

"In India, officials are not prepared. They do not have knowledge of hockey and are from business or political background. They don't know the pattern of sport and the flavour of modern hockey," he said.

He also feels that only foreign coach can make India a world beater in the sport.

"I think India needs a foreign coach only since Indian coaches are not well prepared. India does not have any hockey university. A Foreign coach, equipped with experience, can do wonders provided given a long tenure," said the coach who is a consultant with Ukraine women hockey team.

He said that India has no dearth of talent and can be a force in world hockey.

"Indian players are naturally talented but they need modern training. India can be a strong contender in World cup and Asian Games (in Jakarta) but you need to give enough time and a free hand to the coach," he said.

Firstpost



Departure of Oltmans a big loss for India: Viren Rasquinha

Rutvick Mehta


Viren Rasquinha

Viren Rasquinha is former India hockey captain, CEO of Olympic Gold Quest and part of Olympic Task Force. He spoke with Rutvick Mehta

Hockey India (HI) has done many good things over the last 5-6 years, from Hockey India League to more investments in junior hockey, women's hockey and better infrastructure. But this is one decision I just can't understand. This is just a knee-jerk reaction to our losses against Malaysia and Canada.

Roelant Oltmans is one of the best coaches in world hockey at the moment, and his departure is a big loss. After 2016 Rio Olympics, once HI decided to go with Oltmans till 2020 Tokyo Games, they should've stuck with it.

We don't need to produce results now. This is the time to experiment. If we don't do that now in the smaller tournaments and especially when we have automatic qualification for the 2018 World Cup, then when will we do it? This was the time to blood in the youngsters who did well in the Junior World Cup.

Secondly, we have to understand that goalkeeper PR Sreejesh wasn't there in the last few tournaments. Thirdly, the players also have to take up responsibility, it can't all fall on Oltmans's shoulders.

Any coach would've wanted to experiment, and no matter who the coach was, they would've had similar results. It's not easy to blood 7-8 juniors in a senior tournament, and that too without your best goalkeeper.

We need to think about 2018 and 2020, and this was a process, especially when it was made clear by Oltmans and HI that they would be trying out players in a few tournaments. Obviously, you need to produce results, but to sack the coach at this point of time, I just can't understand the logic.

Lastly, even if there's an interim coach, a coach should be that, not a high performance director. David John is not a coach.

DNA



Players need to understand that results have to be better: David John


Interim coach David John says after Roelant Oltmans’s (centre) sacking, some players might also be shown the door in a bid to keep improving the team

Rutvick Mehta


From an exercise physiologist and scientific advisor to high performance director to interim head coach now, David John's career graph in Indian hockey has gone upwards.

With Roelant Oltmans being shown the door, Australia's John will take interim charge of the men's senior team. Incidentally, John had also replaced Oltmans as high performance director after the latter took over as head coach in 2015.

There were indications of some friction between the two ever since John took up his new role in November last year. However, the Aussie is clear now about his priorities, starting with doing well in the Asia Cup next month.

"It's about providing focus to this group to make sure they understand that results have to be better," John told DNA on Saturday. "Yes, we've had a change in coach, and we may have a change in the player personnel next, to make sure that the team keeps improving. It seems to me that the coaches always change when the results aren't good, but sometimes, it's because of the players that the results aren't coming on the field."

Questions on the future of some of the senior players was the second major takeaway from the review meet.

"On the last tour of Europe, some of the junior players showed that they have the quality to be international players. That needs to be fostered further. But also, we still want to pick our best teams to compete at Asia Cup and World League Finals," he said.

The Australian said he would want the HI and Sports Authority of India (SAI) appoint a permanent coach before the World Hockey League Finals in December.

"SAI always takes a little while. Even when a decision is made, the process takes a little while. With the senior women's coach, it took three months. I would like a coach certainly before the World League Finals, to give them time to prepare a team for it.

"Having said that, most of the countries around the world have already selected their coaches for the next Olympic cycle. So, it's not going to be an easy job. I have to see if there are good coaches available. It's not a process of just selecting the first coach. We need to select one of the better coaches in the world to take us forward," he said.

And he stressed on the importance of having him till the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"Continuity is important. Stability is important in any team. So yes, we're looking for a long-term coach," he said.

John said the trend of hiring and firing of foreign coaches has been a reason that is holding Indian hockey behind everytime it seems to be going forward.

"We always tend to take a step backwards, two steps forward, and then turn a step backwards again. I don't like that. But we feel that with this group of players, they have the potential to be in the top-three, and we need to make sure that we're able to foster that potential and we achieve the goals," he said.

DNA



Full text of Hockey India statement saying Oltmans has been sacked


Roelant Oltmans was sacked as coach of the Indian men's hockey team on Saturday. Photograph: (Zee News Network)

Hockey India announced Saturday that the coach of the Indian men's hockey team, the Dutchman Roelant Oltmans, had been sacked.

A statement from Hockey India said "results are what matter and the performance of the team has not been consistent or up to the desired levels".

The statement hinted at further shake-ups in the team, saying "the Director High Performance and Hockey India Selection Committee will be required to perform a detailed assessment of all the senior core probables, with those that have reached their peak performance to make way for younger talent."

It added that "the ray of hope shown via noteworthy performance of a much younger team at the recently concluded Europe Tour proves that it is time to recalibrate."

The statement was headlined "Hockey India takes hard decisions to fulfil long-term vision of success on the international stage". 

And the strap below it said "Chief Coach Roelant Oltmans to be replaced".

The statement added that current high-performance director David John would take over as interim coach until "a suitable replacement is found".

The full text of the statement can be read below:

Hockey India takes hard decisions to fulfil long-term vision of success on the international stage

Chief Coach Roelant Oltmans to be replaced

Saturday, September 2, 2017: A critical agenda to assess and take steps towards the way forward and long term success for Indian hockey concluded today at the three-day meeting of the Hockey India High Performance and Development Committee.
 
The power packed meeting was attended by over twenty-four members over the three days including Harbinder Singh, B.P Govinda, V. Baskaran, Thoiba Singh, Dr. A.B. Subbaiah, Dr. R.P Singh, Joydeep Kaur, Sardar Singh, P.R Sreejesh, Manpreet Singh, Roelant Oltmans, Jugraj Singh, Arjun Halappa, Hans Streeder, Scott Conway, David John, Elena Norman, Mariamma Koshy, Md. Mushtaque Ahmad Rajinder Singh, Tapan Das, Bhola Nath Singh, Firoz Ansari and Gyanendro Ningombam. Inputs were incorporated from all Committee members to emerge with focus areas and the way forward for the Indian Men’s Team.
 
The outcome of the meeting was basis the objective to not only assess the recent performance of the Men’s national team at the World League Semi Final tournament as well as the European Tour but to also take concrete steps towards a winning performance in critical upcoming tournaments including the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the World Cup coming up in 2018 and the 2020 Olympic Games.
 
Key decisions taken included Chief Coach Roelant Oltmans to step down. While Roelant Oltmans role as Chief Coach in improving the teams’ overall fitness and cohesiveness has been appreciated, the results are what matter and the performance of the team has not been consistent or up to the desired levels.
 
Additionally, the Director High Performance and Hockey India Selection Committee will be required to perform a detailed assessment of all the senior core probables, with those that have reached their peak performance to make way for younger talent. The ray of hope shown via noteworthy performance of a much younger team at the recently concluded Europe Tour proves that it is time to recalibrate.
 
High Performance Director, David John in the interim will take charge till a suitable replacement is found for a smooth transition of the Indian Men’s team.
 
Mr. Harbinder Singh, Chairman of the Hockey India Selection Committee said, “The Committee was convened since we are collectively not satisfied with the Indian Men’s Hockey team’s performance in 2016 and 2017 and feels that wins in Asia can’t be a benchmark for success any more. We need to show results beyond intent in key international tournaments where the sporadic success over the last two years is more incidental than deliberate. To make results a reality, we need to make hard decisions for the greater good of the future of Hockey in India. The current format of coaching was not showing results beyond a certain level. The Committee unanimously agreement that immediate action was required to be taken and while change may not always be comfortable it is essential if we want to position ourselves as a serious global contender for the upcoming critical tournaments in 2018 including the Asian Games & World Cup and 2020 Olympic Games.”

WION 



I knew this was coming: Roelant Oltmans on being sacked by Hockey India

Rutvick Mehta



Roelant Oltmans talks to Rutvick Mehta about his premature sacking, why committee’s decision doesn’t make sense, and how his long relationship with Indian hockey has ended on a bitter note. Excerpts from an exclusive interview:

You gave a presentation on the road ahead for Indian hockey on Thursday, and a couple of days later, you have been sacked. Your reaction...

To be completely honest, I saw it coming. Especially during the meetings we had in Delhi, for me it was quite clear. I'd already informed some people around me that this is going to happened. So, I'm not shocked. I know it's part of the process when you work as a hockey coach in India. There has to come a moment when you'll be sacked, and now it was my time. Like it was Terry's (Walsh) time, Paul's (Van Ass) time, (Ric) Charlesworth's time, (Jose) Brasa's time. The trend has just continued. I have to accept that. So, it's OK. Let's see what they do now to better the team's performance.

But with you being given a four-year contract last year, one thought that the trend was going to change, isn't it?

Look, they made a decision in New Delhi, I am sitting in Bangalore. I don't know what exactly they're thinking. But it's a case of different opinions and different thinking about the road ahead for Indian hockey. That's for sure.

Is this a case of lack of patience and a lack of vision for the long-term improvement of Indian hockey?

Maybe they do have a vision, and that vision is different from my vision. That's possible. What I'm told is that they could not accept that we lost to Canada and Malaysia in the World Hockey League Semi-Finals (in June-July). I think they lack sense when they say things like that, because instead of looking into a process, they're looking at two results. More so when I clearly said at the beginning of the year that the targets of 2017 are the Asia Cup (in October), where we want to win a gold medal, and the World Hockey League Final (in December), where we want to win a bronze medal. And these tournaments are yet to be played. So yes, in that way, it is surprising that people are taking decisions that they take. But, it's alright. They took it. And I will accept it, don't worry. Probably I'll come back as coach of Pakistan (laughs) … I'm just joking.

Knowing that getting results is paramount in Indian hockey, did you feel the decision of experimenting, blooding in youngsters and trying out different combinations was a risk?

Listen, it wasn't a risk. I really thought that some youngsters deserved a chance. I train 10-12 times a week with the players, and for 275-300 days a year. So, me and my coaching staff have a reasonable idea about the progress of the players. That is one of the things that I have been arguing about with a lot of people in India. Because I think they need to take into consideration that when there are good youngsters, they deserve a chance. Sometimes, the number can be too many, but you need to accept the fact that during such times, your results might be a bit less. But even then, in our last tour (to Europe in August), we took a lot of youngsters, and we had good results against Holland. We lost twice to Belgium, but we beat Holland twice. It was an indication that we were in the right direction. It was a good result for us, and a lot of people needed to understand that. I do, because I've worked at the top level in hockey for more than 35 years. I don't think many people in India can say that.

Given the fact that you were handed a contact till the 2020 Tokyo Games, did you expect to be shown the door so soon despite some negative results over the last couple of months?

Well, the interesting past is that you decide to give someone a contract till 2020, after he has already worked for you for four years (Oltmans came in as high performance director in 2013). And then, after the first moment of disappointment, you decide to sack him. So yes, that's strange. But in India, it doesn't seem strange. That is what it is. It's not strange to do this in India. Look at Paul, look at Terry, look at Charlesworth, look at Brasa. We can continue. So maybe, they really need to think about how to do things differently now.

You're the longest foreigner to have been associated with Indian hockey, coming in as high performance director in 2013 and taking over head coach in 2015. Are you disappointed it had to end this way?

Of course, you don't want a relationship to finish in such a way. I believe that if you want to end a relationship, then you can, there's no problem. But I'm not happy with the moment at which they chose to end this relationship. So yes, I'm a bit disappointed but at the same time, I also felt that it was coming. I was prepared for it.

In sports nowadays, in the positions that we're at, when results don't come according to the expectations of your bosses or employers or whatever, then this can happen. It's part of our lives. I knew it the moment I signed up in India.
From a 12th-place finish at the 2012 London Olympics to being No. 6 in the world right now, the team has shown steady improvement over the last five years.

Do you believe Indian hockey was headed in the right director under you, and will continue to do so?

Yes. I absolutely believe that. The team still has room for improvement, and the position where we're in right now, we will rise from that in the near future. The team has the quality to be a medal contender in the (2018) World Cup. I also said that they will be a medal contender in the World Hockey League Finals, and will win at least 50 per cent of the tournaments they play in Asia.

About 2018, I'm a bit concerned now, because I think that for further development, playing in the Pro Hockey League was an important part of it. India withdrew from that, which means you can't play around 16-18 matches per year against top teams in the year that you can't play. And that's a huge number. So, I believe that's what India will miss, but hopefully I'm wrong and the players will also continue their progress after 2018 World Cup.

Having been in India for so long, what's you advice to the powers that be in Indian hockey?

You know, that is not my concern anymore. It's upto Hockey India, SAI (Sports Authority of India) and the sports ministry to take the right decisions. But I can imagine that SAI and the sports ministry will have some questions for Hockey India. Because this is the fifth time that a coach has been sacked before the end of his contract. So, if I was the person who was paying the money for this, I would surely look into this, because all the funding is coming from sports ministry and SAI.

What are your plans now? Heading to Pakistan was a joke, right?

(Laughs) Yes. My plans right now is to complete the notice that is mentioned my contract. I need to respect that. And after that, I'll go home. I'll probably take a little break after four-and-a-half hectic years in India. In that break, I'll have the time and opportunity to think about my future. For sure, it will be in sports because I've been in sports since I was 24. That's 40 years. So, being involved in sports for sure, but in what way is something that I'll have to think about.

And do you wish to continue coaching?

Well, that is one possibility. There are many, and one of the things I would really like to place an emphasis is is on junior development. I think that is one of the most important things in hockey if you want to have long-term success. I mentioned it in the couple of meetings we had in Delhi, that in India so far, especially at the age of 10-14, there is no youth development at all. Same is the case with my country. So, that's one area that I see myself getting involved in.

DNA



‘Knew I would be sacked one day, so was prepared’

“I was always prepared to be sacked,” said Roelant Oltmans after Hockey India gave him the marching orders. India has been a difficult place to work for foreign hockey coaches; in the past, renowned coaches like Ric Charlesworth, Jose Brasa, Michael Nobbs, Terry Walsh and Paul van Ass have been shown the door before the completion of their tenures.

“We all (foreigners) know India is not the easiest of countries to work, especially in the sporting sector, because of a host of issues. But I was always prepared. When I took up the offer, I knew someday I will be sacked but I was ready for that,” said Oltmans.

The Dutchman, who came to India in 2013 as High Performance Director, however, said he had no regrets and hoped that he had prepared a good roadmap for the team. “I have no regrets because I know I have left a certain legacy for Indian hockey in the last four-and-a-half years. The team has made significant progress, and I hope the process I’ve put in place continues in the future,” Oltmans said.

Oltmans said he emphasised on the need to set long-term goals for Indian hockey to revive its past glory. “My plan from day one was to set long-term goals to put the house in order and achieve a level of consistency. I’ve always said that India need six years to be in the top-3,” he said. “But people want overnight results in India. It takes time to build a process after a slump. In India it’s all about winning a tournament, everyone thinks from the point of view of a fan. It takes time.”     

The Dutchman said he had set a system for the Indian men’s team to prosper in the future. “We have prepared the team for the future. I am 100 per cent confident we will win the Asia Cup and I absolutely feel we can finish on the podium in the HWL Finals, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, provided we have the system in place,” he said. “But you never know (now) because a new coach will have his own style of play. But I feel the team is heading in the right direction.”

The Tribune



They sack when they want to: Roelant Oltmans

Manuja Veerappa

BENGALURU: When Roelant Oltmans returned to India after a short break following the team's European tour last month, he wouldn't have expected to be packing his bags for good so soon.

On Saturday, after the morning practice session, at SAI, South Centre here, the team was given the evening off. As the Dutchman went about his routine of planning next week's sessions he received his marching orders from Hockey India after their calls to him had gone unanswered.

Speaking to TOI, Oltmans, who had been flooded with calls all evening, said, "What can I say? I saw this coming because when I took up the job I came prepared for this day. I'm not the first and I won't be the last coach to be sacked. I was busy and couldn't take calls (from Hockey India officials) in the afternoon, so they sent me an email which said, they have decided that we have to go in our own directions and they don't want to continue with this relationship with immediate effect.

"People, I think, were not happy with me. In fact, the team for the European tour was picked without me being informed. I don't believe this is the best moment with so many important events lined-up. But they sack when they want to. It takes time to produce results and to expect overnight success is not right."

The 63-year-old whose highlight as the coach in a global event was India's silver at the Champions Trophy last year, said he enjoyed his Indian stint. "I really enjoyed my four-and-half-years with Indian hockey. As a team we made good progress and achieved a lot.

The Times of India



As national coach exits, here's a look at his journey in Indian hockey

On Saturday, Roelant Oltmans' reign as head coach of India's national men's hockey team came to an end after Hockey India sacked him for inconsistent performances and a lack of trust over his long term objectives.

Oltmans' journey with Indian hockey started in 2013 when he came in as the high performance director, and later became the national team's head coach in 2015 after Paul van Ass was dismissed. The current high performance director David John will be in charge of the team till a new head coach is found.

The decision was taken after a three-day review meeting, where Hockey India was unimpressed with Oltmans' presentation about the future of the national team.

"He (Oltmans) gave his presentation over the past two days but the committee felt the team now needs a new direction as it had not performed as we would have liked under him," John told PTI.

"We want consistency. We want to finish in top three in international events. We want to win the Asia Cup, Hockey World League Finals and Asian Games. We want to finish on the podium in Commonwealth Games, next year's World Cup and 2020 Olympics," John added. 

After getting fired, Oltmans told PTI, "We all (foreigners) know India is not the easiest of countries to work – especially in the sporting sector because of a host of issues. But in my mind, I was always prepared. When I took up the offer, I knew someday I will be sacked, but I was ready for that.

"I have no regrets because I know I have left a certain legacy for Indian hockey in the past four-and-a-half-years. The team has made significant progress and I just hope the process which I had set continues in the future," Oltmans added.

Here's a look at some of the major highlights of Oltmans' tryst with Indian hockey:

– January, 2013: Hockey India appoints Oltmans as high performance director. His main job was to formulate a long-term vision for senior, junior and sub-junior hockey teams.

– October, 2014: The then head coach of the men's national team Terry Walsh had resigned from his post over financial dispute and Hockey India put Oltmans in charge on a temporary basis.

– December, 2014: As an interim coach, Oltmans looked after the team in the Champions Trophy where India reached the last four stage. In the semis, they lost to arch-rivals Pakistan and also had to suffer defeat against Australia in the bronze medal match.

– February, 2015: Oltmans was relieved of his duties as interim coach as Hockey India named Paul van Ass of Netherlands as coach on a long-term basis.

– July, 2015: Just months into his job, van Ass was forced to exit after his alleged on-field public spat with the then Hockey India president Narinder Batra. Oltmans was then asked to take over the men's team as head coach till the 2016 Rio Olympics.

– August, 2015: India had a good start under new coach Oltmans as they put up impressive shows against France and Spain during their Europe tour.

– December, 2015: Oltmans oversaw India's remarkable outing in the Hockey World League in which they defeated Netherlands in penalty shootout to clinch the bronze medal.

– April, 2016: Oltmans guided India to the final of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup where they lost to Australia 0-4.

– June, 2016: India and Australia once again met in the final of the Champions Trophy in London and Oltmans' team once again faced defeat in penalty shootout.

– August, 2016: At the Rio Olympics, India qualified for the quarter-finals where they lost to eventual silver medallists Belgium.

– October, 2016: Oltmans' team won the Asian Champions Trophy in Malaysia. In the final, they overcame Pakistan's challenge by beating them 3-2.

– June, 2017: India finished a disappointing sixth in the Hockey World League Semi-Final. Oltmans came under pressure after his team suffered losses against lower-ranked sides like Malaysia and Canada.

– August, 2017: Oltmans faced severe criticism when India lost both their matches to Belgium, but victories over Netherlands and Austria gave him some respite.

– September, 2017: Hockey India removed Oltmans as head coach for lack of a proper vision and under-performance of the national team.

Firstpost



Trial for national hockey teams

Zanzeer Singh


Participants during the hockey trials at Nadovu grounds in Lautoka yesterday. Picture: BALJEET SINGH

THE Fiji Hockey Federation held its final trials for the national under-18, U21 and senior squad for the upcoming international commitments.

The Fiji U21 and senior squads will participate in the Fiji Open Championship in December which will attract teams from Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

The Fiji U18 team will participate in the Oceania Men's and Women's Continental Qualification in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in May next year to book a spot at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires in Argentina from October 6-18.

Lautoka Hockey Association president Marcel Hicks said they received overwhelming response during the trials.

Hicks said a 22-member training squad would be named in each division.

"The players went through the normal trial drills like the yard sticks, beep test and 40-metre dash," he said.

"This is preparation for the national under-18, national U21 and senior teams. The response was good.

"We had players from Nadi, Lautoka and Ba. The secondary schools students dominated the U18 trials. A 22-member squad will be named in each category.

"The squad will be reduced gradually before the final squad is selected for the international competitions," he said.

The Fiji Times



T&T Hockey turf delay

Manufacturers awaiting Govt money

After the fanfare of the Minister of Sports Darryl Smith’s promise, since March, to deliver a brand new $1.3 million turf for local hockey, the turf’s delivery has been stalled for more about six weeks at a port in Germany as manufacturer Polytan is awaiting payment.

According to Trinidad and Tobago Hockey Board (TTHB) president Douglas Camacho, the turf has been ready to ship since mid-July but First Citizens Bank needs to provide a letter of comfort to the German company, a manufacturer and installer of synthetic sport surfaces.

That process is being delayed because FCB, citing their fiduciary responsibility, wants the Government to deposit the money to cover the letter of comfort (LC) to Polytan.

“The only issue with the turf is it needs to get an LC. We have been in constant contact and with all that happened in SPORTT (Sports Company of Trinidad and Tobago), with some eight persons sent on administrative leave last month. That did slow down the process a bit,” Camacho said, adding that of course, the manufacturers Polytan are upset by this current situation.

Trinidad & Tobago Express

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