Since his playing days, Indian hockey has slumped to an abysmal low. But newly-appointed coach Joaquim Carvalho is confident that he can arrest the slide and mastermind a resurgence.
Having been part of the 1984 Olympics squad, considered one of the strongest ever to leave Indian shores in the modern era, Carvalho finds himself in the hot seat as he attempts to resurrect the national team's fortunes.
Carvalho, or 'Jack' to his friends, admitted that he was caught off-guard when the Indian Hockey Federation offered him the post.
"It did take me by surprise, but after giving it a lot of thought and discussing with my close friends and family, I decided to take up the offer. In turn, the IHF agreed to give me the support staff that I wanted and also a say in team selection," he said.
He opted for two of his closest friends and former India team-mates, M M Sommaya and Mervyn Fernandis, as members of his support staff to look into technical matters with Mohinder Pal Singh, the former ace penalty-corner hitter, and Ramesh Parameswaran as assistant coaches.
In many ways Carvalho is a self-made coach who believes that players learn more and quicker on the field than through computers and whiteboards. Unlike a typical modern day coach, he hates to be "wired" or "stay connected" 24/7 and treats his mobile phone as an unavoidable nuisance than a necessity. His baggage does not include a laptop.
"I am not against modern technology but you need to understand that a player can absorb only so much of information at a time. During my playing days I spent boring hours listening to lectures from my coaches or watching match videos and promptly forgot them the minute I left the room.
"It is no different these days. So I prefer to keep my sessions short, precise and to the point. No frills or fancy words. Keep it simple and talk to the players in a language they understand."
The video sessions are short and specific to errors committed on the field. These video analyses are usually done closer to the match rather than days in advance so that it would remain fresh in their mind.
"No player can sit through an entire 70-minute video recording of a match. I pick out certain segments or specific situations to help the player analyse his mistakes. The same when we do our homework on our opponents. We target specifics, devise a plan and allot individual responsibility. That way, each player is aware of his role in our overall scheme," he said.
During on-field training sessions, he directs the proceedings with authority and woe betide the player who is slack or late to report.
"I like to see energetic players whether in training or a match and of course, punctual. There has to be a sense of purpose," was his assertion.
Asked whether he is being too dominant or over-bearing, pat came the reply: "No way. But there has to be some discipline at all times, and since I am put in charge, I would like to ensure that everything is in order and the way I want them to be.
"After all, I am aware that when the team is doing well, then everyone sings praises of you, but the same people will knock you down when we do not perform to expectations.
"In the present case, you need to appreciate the fact that it is a young team with a lot of fresh faces. Some of them take time to mature as international players and there are others who are quick learners and develop faster. At the end of the day, coaching is about man-management, knowing the players' attitudes, moods and ability."
At his peak, Carvalho was one of the few Indian players who courageously stood up to the man-mountain Europeans. Never hesitant to use his body to break up an attack, he occupied the key central position in the midfield when Balkishen Singh introduced the fourth half-back concept, back in 1980s.
"I consider Balkishen as my guru and I owe him a lot. I still follow his coaching techniques and strategies," said Carvalho, who had a two-year stint with Oman prior to taking charge of the Indian Oil team.
Aware of the talk that he favoured mostly Indian Oil players in the current Indian team, Carvalho said: "And why not? There was a time when the National team had about 11 to 12 players from Indian Airlines. As for me, I do not play favourites. If a player has merit or performance to back him, then he is in. If he happens to be from Indian Oil, so be it."
His present coaching assignment is up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
"I am not the sort who aspires a plum post or hang on to it. There is certain amount of pressure being the chief coach of a national team, but it does not worry me a bit. I have a job to do and the day I feel I am not performing, I will quit. It's as simple as that."
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