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Journalism of Courage
Even as the Indian football team, under English coach Bob Houghton embarks on its first assignment to Vancouver8217;s White Caps National Cup from July 19, the 58-year-old Briton says his good and fast learners will stand them in good stead.
Houghton, who took over from Syed Nayeemuddin, said at a press briefing here Thursday: 8220;I have had a first look of the team at the camp in Goa, and they are a dedicated bunch of fast learners. They have the talent, though physically they are not at a good level.8221;
He also talked about the players8217; height. He said supremacy in air was a deciding factor at the recently-concluded FIFA World Cup finals.
8220;A relatively inexperienced Germany reached the semis and that had a lot to with their superiority in the air. Even in the final we saw how the height of Italian players helped them in lifting the Cup. Most of the matches now are decided from dead ball situations, and it is here we fall short. We need players with good height,8221; said Houghton.
That was one reason that prompted Houghton to include two players 8212; Freddy Mascarenhas and Mickey Fernandes 8212; in the squad, although the duo was not a part of the Goa camp. Both are over six feet tall.
The Indian coach singled out Sushil Kumar Singh as a talent to look out for in the future. The Under-20 player is a part of the team leaving for Vancouver.
Houghton said the Vancouver tourney where the team will rub shoulders with Vancouver City Club, Cardiff City Club from England and the Chinese u-20 team, will be sort of litmus test for the squad.
8220;The tourney will give us an idea of where we actually stand at the moment. I will get an idea of where they belong skill-wise, tactically, physically and psychologically,8221; added Houghton.
The Indian team will hold another camp at Kolkata from August 5, ahead of their Asian Cup match up with Saudi Arabia scheduled for August 16. the return leg of that, at Jeddah, is on September 4.
India will also play Japan in October, before taking on Yemen at Sana8217;a in November in another Asian Cup match.
8226; THE SQUAD
S Venkatesh Captain,Mahesh Gawli, Narendra Singh, N. S. Manju, Surkumar Singh, Renedy Singh, Steven Dias, Mehrajuddin Waddoo, Sushil Kumar Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Sandeep Nandy Goalkeeper, Subhasis Chaudhary GK, N. P Pradeep, Habibur R. Mondal, Anupam Sarkar, Manjit Singh, Samir Naik, Bibiano Fernandes, Freddy Mascarenhas, Mickey Fernandes.
Chief Coach-Bob Houghton, Asst Coach Maurice Affonso, Goalkeeping Coach -Marcus Pacheco, Team Doctor-Dr. Manav Bhattacharya, Physical Doctor-Pradeep Dutta, Manager-P K Choudhary
HIS PLANS
8226; 8220;Itinerary loaded till the Asian Games in Doha in December. By then we can identify a core group of players. Also looking at players of Indian origin plying their trade in different parts of the world. So lets be positive.8221;
8226; Need for streamlining football structure for sustainable development. 8220;Players spend more time at their clubs than at camps. So it is necessary to have a more professional and co-operative attitude. Results will show in a year or so,8221; eh said.
8226; More matches: The AIFF is also planning more matches with teams ranked just above India.
