Newly appointed Indian Coach Michael Jack Nobbs not 100 percent optimistic for Olympic Qualifiers
Michael Jack Nobbs, the newly appointed trainer of the Indian hockey team, is not optimistic for Olympic qualifiers. However, he stated that the team's first objective would be to get a berth in the 2012 London Olympics. In his views the squad has fifty percent chances in booking a spot in the mega event.
Nobbs, who has more than 20 years of coaching experience, was named as the chief trainer of the Indian team. It is worth mentioning here that the Indian squad was playing hockey without a chief coach since 2010 Asian Games.
The coach, who donned the colours for Kookaburras in the 1984 Olympic Games held in Los Angles, was of the opinion that it would not be an easy task to prepare the hockey squad in seven months for the Olympic qualifiers. Speaking to the media the Indian trainer stated, “It is a bumpy road, plenty of ups and downs, particularly in the next 12 months. Hopefully, given the time, I am confident India will be on the podium at the Brazil Olympics in 2016. But there is a lot of work to be done.”
The players from India are impressive, but they only need a fine-tuning in order to improve their game.
It is vital to mention here that the Indian team stood at a disappointing 6th spot out of total seven teams in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which was held in Malaysia a couple of months back.
Commenting on the selection criteria, the chief coach was of the view that they would finalise the line-up after mutual consultation. He maintained, “It will be a collective decision. At this stage I have to rely on people who know the players. We all agree, it won't be a problem when we have a structure in place and the talent shows. I will have the final say but not just yet.”
Nobbs expressed that they would have to look for the best in the team in order to further hone their skills. In his views, the existing lot comprises of many players. The trainer wanted to reduce the core group down to 29 persons in a bid to make healthy competition among the best sports athletes. The players would have to participate in the games from heart and soul to improve their game status.
The Australian was of the opinion that he had never desired to be trainer of international squads but to coach the fresh talent. He further stated that the real learning techniques come through working at the beginning level.
The trainer is also thinking to develop a website in order to make the game more interactive. As per his suggestion, the website will engage all the stakeholders including players, fans, media and administrators.
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