And now for the men

13/03/1999

THE bid to host 2002 World Cup hockey championship is over and now comes the more difficult part - prepare the Malaysian team to win honours.
Not that the Malaysia Hockey Federation (MHF) and the National Sports
Council (NSC) have been sitting pretty all this while, only that a more
concerted effort must be made now if the nightmare of Utrecht is to be
erased.
Although a visiting consultant in Paul Lissek is fine, Malaysian hockey
now needs a permanent coach to plan and execute programmes to bring out the best in the current batch.
In the words of team manager R. Yogeswaran, "we need a brain" to whip up a good side.
"The current batch of players are young and will definitely make the
2002 squad if they have the right attitude towards training and personal
fitness. Now we need one man who has the power to call the shots."
Yogeswaran and Ho Koh Chye were the coaches who took the 1975 World Cup team to a fourth finishing on home soil. They now manage the national pool of 40 players while a group of coaches comprising Yahya Atan, Colin sta Maria, Stephen van Huizen and Wallace Tan train the players.
"The NSC and MHF must see the problem of a head coach as serious and
solve it as early as possible because we have a string of important
assignments ahead. The Junior World Cup Qualifier, the Olympic Qualifier and then the 2002 World Cup itself are not far off."
Then there is the problem of a team leader.
After Nor Saiful Zaini retired, the team have been without a capable
leader who can co-ordinate and execute game plans. S. Kuhan sometimes makes an effort but he has to be more serious and stake a claim.
"We also lack a powerful hitter who can strike fear in our opponents.
Someone like that is needed to convert half-chances into goals and only
Maninderjit Singh has shown promise."
The door is wide open for national call-ups as seen in the match against
the Australian Institute of Sports (AIS) team yesterday. S. Shankar made
his debut in the senior ranks and was praised for his never-say-die
attitude.
A host of other players also got a chance, never mind that it was only
for a few minutes.
"The coaches can only do so much. It is the commitment of the players
that matters most right now.
"If the coach is late for training because he had to attend a meeting,
the players must start training on their own."
Training facilities-wise, NSC and MHF have provided the best available.
Now it is up to the players to utilise them and bring glory to the nation.
Finishing 11th out of 12 in Utrecht will look like an achievement if we
fail at home.
(END)