FORMER AUSTRALIA Worldwide Graham Reid grew to become the primary and, maybe, the largest casualty of India’s debacle on the hockey World Cup after he resigned Monday as chief coach with Hockey India saying this marked the start of a “new strategy” for the lads’s group.
Reid, who guided India to a bronze medal on the Tokyo Olympics, knowledgeable the gamers about his resolution Sunday evening. On Monday morning, he met Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey to submit his resignation.
Together with Reid, the international teaching help workers — analytical coach Gregg Clark and scientific advisor Mitchell Pemberton — has put in its papers, too.
The trio’s resignation comes within the aftermath of India’s embarrassing World Cup marketing campaign on dwelling soil after they misplaced to lower-ranked New Zealand within the playoff for the quarterfinals. The group completed joint ninth together with Argentina whereas Germany went on to be champions after they defeated Belgium within the ultimate Sunday.
🥇2002 🥇2006 🥇2023
Congratulations to Germany for successful the FIH Odisha Hockey Males’s World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar-Rourkela and claiming Gold.#HockeyIndia #StarsBecomeLegends #HockeyWorldCup2023 #HWC2023 @CMO_Odisha @sports_odisha @IndiaSports @Media_SAI @DHB_hockey pic.twitter.com/gbWNwRN3be
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) January 29, 2023
After his resignation, the 58-year-old Reid mentioned he had “loved each second of this epic journey”. “It’s now time for me to step apart and hand over the reins to the subsequent administration,” he mentioned in an announcement.
Whereas the World Cup efficiency is being thought of a direct set off for the transfer, rigidity had been brewing behind the scenes inside the hockey camp for some time.
It’s learnt that the gamers, in a closed-door assembly late final 12 months with Hockey India officers, had expressed dissatisfaction over Reid’s choices and ways. A few of these factors had been reiterated following the exit from the World Cup, it’s learnt. The coach, however, was mentioned to be pissed off after a few of his selections — particularly with regard to help workers — had been overruled by Hockey India.
At that time, the nationwide governing physique believed a change of coach near a World Cup would have negatively impacted the group. However after a shock loss to New Zealand in a marketing campaign the place India started strongly however misplaced their manner, Reid’s place grew to become untenable.
Reid grew to become India’s coach in mid-2019 on the again of one other disappointing World Cup. On the time, he was the group’s twenty sixth chief coach in 25 years.
In a latest interview with The Indian Specific, he had joked that he anticipated to get fired inside the first three months of taking on however he ended up changing into the longest-serving international coach of the group and injected Indian hockey with stability and self-confidence.
The group’s Tokyo bronze was India’s first Olympic medal after 40 years. Nonetheless, the performances since then had been combined and the untimely exit on the World Cup got here as the ultimate straw.
Final week, when requested if he would proceed because the India coach, Reid was non-committal. “I’ve signed by until Paris (Olympics in 2024). I’ve signed a contract. However we’ll be reviewing, I assume, on the finish of this (World Cup),” he had mentioned.
In his assembly with the group Sunday evening, Reid is learnt to have advised the gamers to place the frustration of the World Cup past them. “He advised the gamers to work more durable than ever and keep dedicated. He mentioned he had full religion of their potential to win greater medals,” a group supply mentioned. “It was an amicable assembly. He advised the gamers he shall be resigning, however didn’t get into the explanations behind it.”
Tirkey, the nation’s most-capped worldwide and a former India captain, mentioned it “is now time for us to maneuver on in the direction of a brand new strategy for our group”. He, nonetheless, didn’t elaborate on the technique.
India are scheduled to host world champions Germany and Australia within the FIH Professional League in March however the 12 months’s subsequent large goal is the Asian Video games, which is an Olympic qualifier.
A training change so near the multi-discipline occasion can get tough however Hockey India secretary-general Bhola Nath Singh mentioned it was executed in the very best pursuits of the group. “No matter is occurring is for the nice. And going ahead, too, we are going to take selections that shall be in the very best curiosity of the game,” he mentioned.