Many are the factors that contribute 10 describing the year which rolled by as momentous. Change was perceptible in almost every aspect giving rise 19 a new social political and cultural milieu. Undeniably sport was a part of this spectrum charting out new areas of development. Ina sport like hockey the transformation was more pronounced simply on account of the fact that the year witnessed a remarkable measure of fecundity thanks to the two World Cups for men at Lahore and for women at Sydney apart from the Asian Games BMW tournament the Champions Trophy and the bold experiment of a continental competition.
Cataloguing the competitions by sheer numbers may not provide an accurate picture of the vibrant phase of the growth. The scenario should be studied against the emerging theories systems and growing emphasis on coaching True there is a hint of distortion prompting a certain measure of ambivalence in the approach. But the dichotomy cannot dispel the overall impression of hockey entering a euphoric era not withstanding doubts over its continued presence in the Olympiad.
“The year 1990 has seen our sport stage World Cups for men and women a Champions Trophy and a number of other competitions of varying importance all of which ore testimony to hockey’s vitality and development” was the assessment of the happy ‘State of affairs by Mr.Etienne Glichitch President of the International Hockey Federation. Perhaps the increase in the number in the FIH roster is the reason ‘Mr.Glichitch’s optimism. The number of “competitions have increased in every continent including Africa no doubt. But those in the FIH do realize that there numerical growth would breed frustration among members if adequate measures are not taken to expand the area of activity The 27th Statutory Congress at Brussels in October last addressed itself to this vital question of elevating standards wherever the game has taken root.
A survey of the contemporary scene brings up the question as to where a country like India stands in the present equation. Not with standing the appalling convulsions in the chaos that passes off as administration the country managed to regain o modicum of its image in the Asian Games. The high-point however has been the honor conferred on the players by the FIH through the Rene Frank Fair play Award. This was a fitting recognition of the travails the players were subjected to during the World Cup at Lahore
Even the Technical delegates were moved to sympathize with the Indian players’ plight in the face of the mob fury whose political overtones could not be missed by anyone present al the venue. At one point the Technical delegates asked the Indians to give up. But the players braved it out and rightly earned the accolade of the international media and influential members in the FH. The impact that the politically orchestrated demonstrations where even school children were enthusiastic participants had on the players was disastrous. Nothing went right for the warn members confined to their hotel rooms for security reasons. Even the 10th place secured seemed a bonus in the circumstances.
Instead of viewing the whole episode in the right perspective the Indian Hockey Federation exacerbated the feelings of the players. Coach Ganesh quit owning moral responsibility. But the top-brass in the ‘administration did everything to alienate the players. A new look outs fit with only two from the World Cup squad was fielded in the Indira Gandhi Gold Cup at Lucknow. Victory for this squad was no doubt hailed as a vindication of the stand taken by the THF against: the senior players but what brought the whole situation to a boil was the announcement of “Open Trials” for naming the squad for the BMW tournament in Amstelveen. What prompted this brain ware of the IHF President Mr.R Prasad is not clear but the proposal aroused passions all round. The jamboree of having a motley crowd of players at trials in Delhi with the section under training for the Asiad boycotting them provided a classic insurance of a crisis. The contribution of the SAI to this was no less. Finally it was the personal intervention of the Sports Minister Mr.B.C.Das that put an end to the ugly happenings.
Bouncing back: Resilience being the sine qua non of any system in this country the players were quick enough to recover from the trauma IHF’s search for a new coach took its own time its decision to rope in a veteran like Udham Singh sparking another round of debate. Mercifully Udham Singh distanced himself from the controversy. Jamanlal Sharma who was the manager of the team for the Olympiad and for quite a few tournaments before offered to take up the challenge With Inam-ur-Rehman contributing his expertise the duo managed to shape a fairly balanced combination The proof of the pudding came at Amstelveen where the team recorded a magnificent victory over Pakistan. At once almost everything bad said about the squad was forgotten. The fifth spot it secured in the seven-nation contest was seen as an indication of the team taking the crown in Asian Games.
For any percipient observer it was clear that Pakistan was far more equipped and pot much should be read into the victory apart from nothing the confidence it generated among the players indeed this proved right in the Asian Games although India as everyone agreed put up a splendid show keeping the Pakistanis on their toes till the final whistle. That only a solitary goal separated the victor and the vanquished conveyed in ample measure the thinning of the dividing line.
Though there was genuine regret that India could not make it to the Champions Trophy for three years the sense of despair gave way to a mood of optimism. This was mainly due to blossoming of youth in the team and the fervor displayed. Whether by accident or by design there is now a nucleus that can serve for quite some time. Goal-keeper Mark Patterson defenders Jagdev Singh Harendra Mohammad Ariff and Shakeel forwards Dhanraj Pillay Darryl D’Souza Jagbir Singh and Jude Felix form this core that should derive a lot of benefit from the experience and expertise of full back Pargat Singh the only world class player left.
It is some consolation that India is not isolated in wrestling with problems such as finding new players or coaches. A quick glance at the composition of teams in competitions held in the previous year will convince anyone of the dilemma confronting the federations. Despite its dazzling performance in the World Cup where it finished runner-up Pakistan too faced a piquant situation in the early part of the year. Islahuddin in offered to resign for the failure to win the World Cup. The difficulties in strengthening the defence continue. The frontline throve on the genius of Shahbaz easily the most outstanding player of the year. Wassim Feroze at the left flank formed a formidable duo with Shahbaz but the symmetry in the frontline suffered on account of the lack of a trustful Centre forward. Mohammad Irfan and Mussadiq alternated each with varying degree of success.
Pakistan almost grabbed the BMW Trophy when West Germany beat Australia but the better goal aggregate favored the Aussies. The team’s performances in the Asian Games were marked by a touch of fluency including the final where it recovered from conceding an early goal and striking two more immediately on resumption. It is quite probable that the Pakistanis had overstretched themselves in this year. Their fourth placing in the six-team Champions Trophy at Melbourne in November suggests this line of thinking. For a team that started in a blistering fashion drubbing the Germans 6-3 the final outcome was a bit of an anticlimax.
‘The year gone by confirmed two things for Pakistan. The first was its continuing status as the best in the continent and the other its automatic qualification for the Olympics in Barcelona.
The champion team: lf success is taken as the yardstick to measure the year then it overwhelmingly goes in favor of the Aussies. No other country in the last decade has shown such a measure of consistency as Australia. It is a pity that Olympics still lies in the realm of a dream but Australia’s fifth success in the Champions Trophy before the home crowd in Melbourne underscored its potential. There was a period of transition when the seniors faded as did the coach Richard Aggiss. Many were skeptical whether Frank Murray a school teacher from Perty could show the same measure of dynamism. But Murray proved that be meant business and helped the Aussies regain the Champions Trophy at Berlin. But the World Cup saw Australia surrendering its tithe to Pakistan in the semi-final.
But fighters that they have always been the Aussies regrouped themselves for the BMW Trophy. The return of that magnificent striker Mark Hager heralded a new dawn what with the newcomers like Stephen Davies Greg Corbitt and Jay Stacy giving the seniors Craig Davies and Warren Birmingham enough cause for cheer. In every sense it was a wonderful year for the Aussies saves for the failure in Lahore.
‘The change of guard in the Netherlands after the World Cup and in Germany following the BMW event triggered some debate. When Rob Bianchi took over from Hans Jorritsna who helped the Dutch take the World Cup through the splendid hitter in penalty corners called Floris Bovelander the move by the Netherlands Hockey Board missed many an eyebrow The change was considered very revolutionary since Bianchi had no experience in hockey coaching. He was a professional footballer A player with 350 appearances for FC Amsterdam his limitations as far as hockey was concerned were apparent. But the way he handled to local club sides thanks to the support lest by his wife who had donned the Dutch colors convinced the authorities. Bianchi emphatically believes that “hockey is nothing but football with a stick.” His predecessor Jorritsma brushes this aside as pure nonsense. Bianchi’s work in the BMW as also in the Champions Trophy was anything but outstanding. His acid test lies in the forthcoming European Cup in Paris where the Dutch will defend the title. Though Jorritsma deserves credit for shaping the Dutch outfit out of a shambles after the 1986 World Cup the fact that he was blessed with such accomplished players as Bovelander Marc Delissen and Gis Weterings cannot be ignored. Bovelander scored nine goals two in the final against Pakistan at Lahore. That the Dutchmen finished second without the presence of Bovelander and Dilissen should be seen as a mark of improvement from the third place they obtained in the BMW tournament.
In more ways than one it was a year of reckoning for the Germans. Hockey may not be high in the priority in the euphoria of unification and the triumph in the World Cup soccer. But the striking factor has been the emergence of youth As the three-time winner of the Junior World Cup Germany has & reservoir of talent to choose from. Almost the whole combination today is reshuffled though the younger players had the benefit of advice from seniors like Stevan Blocher and Carsten Fischer For all the high level proficiency and consistency Germany failed in the World Cup taking only the fourth spot. Its record in the BMW and Champions Trophy was also nothing to write home about. The exit of Klaus Kiciter after being associated with the team for over a decade and half before the Champions Trophy at Melbourne surprised many. Andreas Keller Thomas Reck and Stevan Saligar were the few who had links with the old set-up beaded by that splendid attacker Heiner Dopp.
Another team that had not sufficiently tuned up after the top players quit the scene in the aftermath of the Olympic medal triumph was Great Britain. Even the highly rated Sean Kerly had « poor year missing the BMW after a none too impressive record in the World Cup. The former skipper Norman Hughes took over as coach with veteran Bernie Cotton as manager in place of Roger Seif in 1989. Neither has succeeded in shaping a strong combination Britain playing as England in the World Cup finished fifth three spots below its 1986 rating. Its showing touched an all-time low in Melbourne despite of flashy display against the Pakistanis
Apart from what is usually referred to as the elite group there was palpable improvement in the rating of teams like France Argentina and of course Soviet Union and Spain. Malaysia in the Asian continent was another striving to join the big league. To aid their ambitions the authorities in Malaysia inducted Terry Walsh the Ausace as the coach. Malaysia picked up a bronze in the Asiad. So coaching as an integral part of promotion has received a lot of emphasis during the year which mercifully saw very little alternations in the rules.
Rapid development: It was suggested in the FTH circles that the rate of progress in the women’s section was faster than in the men’s No less a person that Mr. Glichitch warns that “if trainers and coaches are not careful there is a danger’ that the men’s game will lose a part of its attraction becoming altogether mechanical and predictable.” After a spell of uncertainty the Dutch got back on the pedestal in the World Cup at Sydney thanks to the brilliance of striker Lisanne Lejeune who had a tally of eight goals. What however was striking was the progress made by Asians particularly the South Koreans Japanese and Chinese Evidence of this came not only in the Asian Games in Beijing but in the World Cup where Korea finished third China sixth and Japan 11th.
South Korea which won the Champions Trophy at Frankfurt in 1989 is seen 45 a major threat to traditional powers in the game. One player who symbolized this threat was Lim Gye Sook who topped the list of scorers in the Asian Games. She Betted four along with compatriots Won Sim Jin and Eun-jung Jang at the Sydney World Cup.
Clearly women seem to have given a Dew orientation to hockey last year than men. But what is galling is that India does not figure high on either side. A pity indeed!
Hockey is looking up the world over. The number of tournaments has increased and there is more awareness for the sport. The women too are developing rapidly and their rate of progress is far better than that of the men. Here’s an assessment of the year by A hockey correspondent in New Delhi.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 1, 1991
