Walsh could be man to stir up Dutch treat

It's certainly grand news for world hockey and promises to turn the defensive style of play of the Dutch right around. Australian Terry Wals...

It’s certainly grand news for world hockey and promises to turn the defensive style of play of the Dutch right around. Australian Terry Walsh is taking over as the new coach of the defending Olympic champions, which means, potentially, that the attacking style of play popular only in Australia (outside the subcontinent) will now be mingled with the more staid Dutch variety.

Holland is known for their defensive and physical game. Besides, their game follows set drawing-board patterns which leaves minimal scope for instinctive play. It’s not something that finds a lot of takers here in the subcontinent, but it sure is effective — they have won the last two Olympics, the 1998 World Cup, and have dominated the Champions Trophy for the past five years or so.

But all’s not well with Dutch hockey at the moment. Joost Bellaart had no alternative but to quit as coach after six of his players refused to play under him. There is also the additional presure to perform — the Dutch disappointed at the European Championships and will now have to qualify for their title-defence at Athens.

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Walsh, who representated Australia at the Olympics in 1976 and 1984, was the coach of the Australians for the 2000 Olympics but was fired after they failed to win the gold in Sydney. And experts here in India feel that Walsh will most certainly try and change things around while he is in charge of the Holland team.

A possible reason why the Dutch have chosen Walsh ahead of credible home-grown options is that globally, hockey is changing. There is tremendous pressure on the IFH to make the game more spectator-friendly and that is possible only if teams play an open, attacking game. Except for Germany and Korea, almost all major teams in the world are shifting to attack mode, more like that of India and Pakistan — five forwards up front — which allows for more attacking play by either side.

And now, with Walsh’s appointment, former India captain Pargat Singh feels, ‘‘The debate on respective playing styles can’t be there anymore.’’ At the same time, Pargat warns, ‘‘No coach can afford to ignore the basics as followed by the players who he is coaching. Terry was with the Malaysians for some time and their performance didn’t really improve despite the Australian method he used on them.’’

Former Olympian, and probably the first Indian to play in the German league, Jagbir Singh contends, ‘‘The top teams want to win and style does not matter. The Dutch have started playing attractive hockey recently, and now with an Australian coach there will be more entertainment for the fans.’’

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In either scenario, exciting times appear ahead for world hockey. The last few teams that have stuck to defensive hockey are making a move towards a change. With the Australia-Holland combo in place now, if it works, there can only be more excitement in store for hockey fans.

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