Reid won't last, says ex-India coach Michael Nobbs

Graham Reid

Hockey India (HI) was on familiar turf yesterday when they announced a new chief coach for the men's hockey team. Australian Graham Reid, 54, is the eighth such appointment since 2010. He has been handed a contract till the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with a provision for a performance-linked extension till the 2022 World Cup.

However, Reid's compatriot and a victim of HI's hire and fire policy, Michael Nobbs, is convinced he won't last that long. "Graham has a very tough job. I don't think he'll make it to 2022. He first needs to help India qualify for the Olympics. Though that's relatively easy as the qualifier will be played at home and teams will be ranked below India, he then has to ensure India win a medal in Tokyo. Anything less is an abject failure because India has spent a lot of money and time to develop a team worthy of a medal," Nobbs told mid-day from Sydney.

Michael Nobbs

Nobbs was hired by HI under similar circumstances eight years ago, and cleared his first hurdle of helping India qualify for the 2012 Olympics. But India finished last at the Games and he then began to feel the pressure, both mentally and physically, following which he returned home.

Nobbs also felt that Reid is not one of the best coaches available in the market now.

"Given the timing of coach Harendra Singh's removal [after India's quarter-final exit at the 2018 World Cup], the number of qualified and successful coaches available is limited. All the top coaches are already hired for the Olympics and any person taking the job now is a second choice. Graham is a nice guy but that won't help him in the lead-up to the qualifiers or Olympics. It's going to require tough handling of players and the politics that will ensue. Also, Graham's strategies have not been hugely successful. His sudden departure from Amsterdam due to poor results highlights this," explained Nobbs referring to Reid's exit as chief coach of Amsterdam Hockey Club last month soon after they lost 2-8 to Hague-based HGC.

Compounding Reid's problems is India's runner-up finish at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup recently which is proof that the team is not in best of shape. Nobbs blamed Hockey India for this: "I've been part of the Indian team's grooming process and with Harendra's work, we felt India would be a medal contender in Tokyo. But Hockey India's reckless changes have now made it a game of chance. Good luck to Graham."

Who is Graham Reid?

Graham Reid is a former Australian midfielder who won the silver medal at 1992 Barcelona Olympics. He also won back-to-back Champions Trophies in 1984, 1985 and 1989, 1990 and has 130 international caps. He began coaching in 2009 and was appointed Australia's assistant coach. He became head coach and guided the team to its fifth consecutive Champions Trophy title in 2012. He also helped the World No. 1 team win the World League Semi-Final in Antwerp and World League Final in Raipur in December 2015. He is a Queensland Hockey Hall of Famer. He moved to the Netherlands in 2017 and became head coach of the Amsterdam Hockey Club which he played for in 1993 and 1994. He was assistant coach of the Netherlands team that won the silver medal at the 2018 World Cup.