Long goodbye for Michael Nobbs

Thomson said the SAI saw merit in using Nobbs’s services after agreeing to pay up and the best way to do was to send him to NIS to help young coaches. “We were anyway paying him for this month so we thought how could we use him for this period. Final details are yet to be worked out but we all felt helping young coaches in Patiala would be ideal,” Thomson said. “But only the North Zone coaches will be assembled for this special session with Nobbs. Notification will be issued shortly.”

Nobbs’ contract will officially end this month. The details were worked out during the three-hour long meeting at the SAI office,where among others present were the director (teams) Rajinder Singh and the regional director of NIS Patiala L S Ranawat.

“I agreed as this was the best use of whatever time I had left here. I’m supposed to reach Patiala by the 20th or 21st of this month. Once there,I will also look at their programmes and try to help them,” Nobbs said.

Once there,the 47-year-old Australian will not only conduct sessions with young coaches but will also train the women’s team. “Neil (Hawgood) is away with the junior team in Monchengladbach,for the World Cup,so I will train the women’s team,” Nobbs said.

seeing off the boys

Before leaving the country,Nobbs will spend some time with the men’s team,currently in Bangalore. “I will see off my boys before flying off,” he said. “After that I’m back home and will look to regain my health.”

Hockey India,is keen to host some sort of farewell for the coach,who took over the reins of the team in 2011 and restored India’s place in the Olympics in 2012.