At Last Indian Hockey Is Dead And Buried !, :-( we failed to Qualify for Beijing olympics Options

[oye_sonu]

Yaaron doston a very sad news. India has failed to Qualify for olympics for the first time !

Iam very upset over this news. Expected them to atleast draw with Great britain

I dont know whom to blame. Coach was doing fine . got us some good results in few tournaments.

Is it KPS gill who shd be blamed for all this failure ??



Britain end India's Olympic hockey hopes



Great Britain scored twice in the first-half and ended India's Olympic dreams with a 2-0 victory in the final of the World Hockey qualifying tournament at the Prince of Wales Country Club, in Santiago, Chile, on Sunday.

Barry Middleton (4th minute) and Richard Mantell (10th) scored for Britain, who then showed the discipline and character to withstand intense pressure in the late night match and win a ticket to the 2008 Beijing [Images] Olympics [Images].

Eight-time gold medallists India failed to make it to the Olympics for the first time since their debut in 1928.

While the British players celebrated to the accompaniment of the song We are the Champions, the Indians, heads bowed, could only watch the jubilant scenes of a team that played smarter if not better hockey.

On the day, it was Britain who showed a lot of steel in dealing with the massive pressure they were subjected to by the Indian forwards. The difference was that Britain, who had beaten India 3-2 in the league, capitalized on the two early chances that came their way, while the Indians did not.

India could never really settle down and the two yellow cards to their key players, midfielder Sardara Singh and forward Prabhjot Singh filled their cup of woe. It brought the number of yellow cards to five in three matches.

India also blew away five penalty-corners, with neither Ramachandra Raghunath, with his drag-flicks, nor Dilip Tirkey. with his direct hits, able to convert. In fact, their set-piece drill in the second-half was rather pathetic, as the ball was not even stopped cleanly.

Britain's first-half tactics were fairly obvious and that was to seize early initiative. Two goals within the first 10 minutes put them firmly in front while pushing India on the backfoot.

While Britain's performance was slick and sure, the Indians struggled to get going. The two teams were a study in contrast with Britain sticking to basics of close marking, quick release and positional play.

Middleton scrambled the ball in from a Ashley Jackson pass with the Indian defence caught square in the fourth minute and then Richard Mantell drag-flicked a 10th minute penalty-corner to put Britain on top.

India did knit together a few moves, but at the finish it was the same old tale of wrong passes and, at times, too much of individual play. With the time ticking by, India made desperate attempts force a penalty-corner and finally succeeded in the 31st minute. But Raghunath failed to beat goalkeeper Alistair McGregor.

A little earlier, Sardara Singh was sent out with two green cards in the 26th minute and his absence meant another round of reshuffling that affected Indian team balance.

In between the Indian attacks, Britain squeezed a couple of more raids and nearly scored twice with Jackson and then Tindall shooting wide of target.

On resumption, the Indians attacked with some urgency, but they suffered a setback when Prabhjot Singh was sent out with a yellow card suspension for deliberate stick-check. Yet again, it limited India's options while leaving a huge hole in the frontline.

India's persistence fetched them their second penalty-corner in the 47th minute, but goalkeeper McGregor easily blocked Dilip Tirkey's direct hit.

Seven minutes later, India forced three penalty-corners in quick succession, but twice Ignace Tirkey and then Shivendra Singh failed to stop the ball. Worse still, Ignace limped off the field after being struck on the knee by the British charger.

At the other end, goalkeeper Baljit Singh kept India in the game with some good saves as Britain wasted three penalty-corners.

Even as Indians grew in desperation, Britain kept their composure to survive the vital final moments of a match that barely rose to expectations in terms of quality though did not lack intensity and passion.

Earlier, Russia [Images] defeated Austria 6-3 to finish overall third while Chile overcame Mexico 9-3 in the play-off for 5-6 places.

http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/mar/10hock.htm

[parag_sankla]

Really sad news. Such a shame !

[oye_sonu]

Parag ji this is the main headline in each of the national dailies. :-(


India hockey coach Carvalho steps down

Chief hockey coach Joaquim Carvalho has decided to step down along with his support staff following India's failure to qualify for the 2008 Beijing [Images] Olympics [Images] for the first time in 80 years.

Following India's 2-0 loss to Great Britain in the final of the Olympic qualifying tournament in Santiago on Sunday, Carvalho said his failure to "deliver result" prompted him to resign.

Britain end India's Olympic hockey hopes
"When I took over 11 months ago, I had said I would resign if I cannot deliver results. So, now, I am keeping my word. Yes, I am as disappointed and hurt as any other Indian hockey fan. Having said that, failure to qualify for the Olympics is not the end of the road for Indian hockey. We now have to start from scratch and renew our attempt to become one of the top teams in the world," he said.

Carvalho said he is yet to speak to Indian Hockey Federation president KPS Gill about his resignation, but asserted that his decision is final.

When asked whether he would re-consider his decision if asked by the IHF, Carvalho said: "I don't know. I will have to give everything a lot of thought. There are a few issues too that the IHF will first have to straighten out.

We played badly, says Carvalho
"In any case, for the moment, I am firm in my decision to step down along with assistant coaches Mohinder Pal Singh and Ramesh Parameswaran."

The coach opined that there is still a lot of potential in the current team and that there is no need to press the panic button.

"We must retain the core team and perhaps even induct a few junior players. Some of the seniors in the team might have to think hard about their future in international hockey," he said.



http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/mar/10hock2.htm

[suhana_safar]

It is indeed a sad day for Indian hockey. I sincerely belive the IHF should be sacked (infact they should have being sacked 10 years ago)

I hope this has opened the eyes of many who were giving a raw deal to a sport that is closely associated with our honor.

Over the years Hockey standards have being dropping due to poor funding and biased selctions. I also belive that too much emphasis is being given to cricket although this must not be an excuse for Indian hockey falling to such low depths.

[nasir]

With the glamourisation and pampering of the game of Cricket, what else can one expect? Go ahead for Cricket by all means, but hey, don't neglect Hockey by the step-motherly treatment.

Give Hockey its due and we can expect to find it reviving the past glory of this game.

[oye_sonu]

It is indeed a sad day for Indian hockey. I sincerely belive the IHF should be sacked (infact they should have being sacked 10 years ago)

I hope this has opened the eyes of many who were giving a raw deal to a sport that is closely associated with our honor.

Over the years Hockey standards have being dropping due to poor funding and biased selctions. I also belive that too much emphasis is being given to cricket although this must not be an excuse for Indian hockey falling to such low depths.

One Question arises how Pakistan managed to maintain Quality even they are not pumping lot money into it . Any paki bro would like to say??
I think Ans can be one of the clue to solution.

(BTY Lately Pakistan's std has also droped w r t early 90s...... and while there has been small increase in Indian w r t their 90s std)



Sonu

[oye_sonu]

With the glamourisation and pampering of the game of Cricket, what else can one expect? Go ahead for Cricket by all means, but hey, don't neglect Hockey by the step-motherly treatment.

Give Hockey its due and we can expect to find it reviving the past glory of this game.

Correct !
IPL aur ICL aur beda garak karega baaki games ka . earlier career in cricket meant to be in top 11 players of ur state or country.....now the no of options are huge. why will some one go for hocky???

I think Some one shd now pinch KPS gill's bu** hard now. time for him to quit his post.

koi bhi news paper utha lo.......sabne full front page iss news ko diya hai.




Sonu

[noorie]

I think Some one shd now pinch KPS gill's bu** hard now. time for him to quit his post.

Sonu

Never ever mess with a lady IAS officer. Honour once lost is lost Forever.

[venkat]

Yaaron doston a very sad news. India has failed to Qualify for olympics for the first time !

Iam very upset over this news. Expected them to atleast draw with Great britain

I dont know whom to blame. Coach was doing fine . got us some good results in few tournaments.

Is it KPS gill who shd be blamed for all this failure ??



Britain end India's Olympic hockey hopes



Great Britain scored twice in the first-half and ended India's Olympic dreams with a 2-0 victory in the final of the World Hockey qualifying tournament at the Prince of Wales Country Club, in Santiago, Chile, on Sunday.

Barry Middleton (4th minute) and Richard Mantell (10th) scored for Britain, who then showed the discipline and character to withstand intense pressure in the late night match and win a ticket to the 2008 Beijing [Images] Olympics [Images].

Eight-time gold medallists India failed to make it to the Olympics for the first time since their debut in 1928.

While the British players celebrated to the accompaniment of the song We are the Champions, the Indians, heads bowed, could only watch the jubilant scenes of a team that played smarter if not better hockey.

On the day, it was Britain who showed a lot of steel in dealing with the massive pressure they were subjected to by the Indian forwards. The difference was that Britain, who had beaten India 3-2 in the league, capitalized on the two early chances that came their way, while the Indians did not.

India could never really settle down and the two yellow cards to their key players, midfielder Sardara Singh and forward Prabhjot Singh filled their cup of woe. It brought the number of yellow cards to five in three matches.

India also blew away five penalty-corners, with neither Ramachandra Raghunath, with his drag-flicks, nor Dilip Tirkey. with his direct hits, able to convert. In fact, their set-piece drill in the second-half was rather pathetic, as the ball was not even stopped cleanly.

Britain's first-half tactics were fairly obvious and that was to seize early initiative. Two goals within the first 10 minutes put them firmly in front while pushing India on the backfoot.

While Britain's performance was slick and sure, the Indians struggled to get going. The two teams were a study in contrast with Britain sticking to basics of close marking, quick release and positional play.

Middleton scrambled the ball in from a Ashley Jackson pass with the Indian defence caught square in the fourth minute and then Richard Mantell drag-flicked a 10th minute penalty-corner to put Britain on top.

India did knit together a few moves, but at the finish it was the same old tale of wrong passes and, at times, too much of individual play. With the time ticking by, India made desperate attempts force a penalty-corner and finally succeeded in the 31st minute. But Raghunath failed to beat goalkeeper Alistair McGregor.

A little earlier, Sardara Singh was sent out with two green cards in the 26th minute and his absence meant another round of reshuffling that affected Indian team balance.

In between the Indian attacks, Britain squeezed a couple of more raids and nearly scored twice with Jackson and then Tindall shooting wide of target.

On resumption, the Indians attacked with some urgency, but they suffered a setback when Prabhjot Singh was sent out with a yellow card suspension for deliberate stick-check. Yet again, it limited India's options while leaving a huge hole in the frontline.

India's persistence fetched them their second penalty-corner in the 47th minute, but goalkeeper McGregor easily blocked Dilip Tirkey's direct hit.

Seven minutes later, India forced three penalty-corners in quick succession, but twice Ignace Tirkey and then Shivendra Singh failed to stop the ball. Worse still, Ignace limped off the field after being struck on the knee by the British charger.

At the other end, goalkeeper Baljit Singh kept India in the game with some good saves as Britain wasted three penalty-corners.

Even as Indians grew in desperation, Britain kept their composure to survive the vital final moments of a match that barely rose to expectations in terms of quality though did not lack intensity and passion.

Earlier, Russia [Images] defeated Austria 6-3 to finish overall third while Chile overcame Mexico 9-3 in the play-off for 5-6 places.

http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/mar/10hock.htm

Sonu Ji,

What is the use even of just scraping through and just about qualifying? Only for losing in the first round itself!

Indian Hockey was hovering just above the bottom-most level for many years and now, it has fallen to the bottom-most level. Nobody needs to be surprised as it was not sudden!

Venkat

[suhana_safar]

It is indeed a sad day for Indian hockey. I sincerely belive the IHF should be sacked (infact they should have being sacked 10 years ago)

I hope this has opened the eyes of many who were giving a raw deal to a sport that is closely associated with our honor.

Over the years Hockey standards have being dropping due to poor funding and biased selctions. I also belive that too much emphasis is being given to cricket although this must not be an excuse for Indian hockey falling to such low depths.

One Question arises how Pakistan managed to maintain Quality even they are not pumping lot money into it . Any paki bro would like to say??
I think Ans can be one of the clue to solution.

(BTY Lately Pakistan's std has also droped w r t early 90s...... and while there has been small increase in Indian w r t their 90s std)



Sonu

Valid points.

The issue of funding is not at a national level but at grass roots leve. KPS gill should be sacked without pay unless he has some shame left to resign.

[oye_sonu]

Sonu Ji,

What is the use even of just scraping through and just about qualifying? Only for losing in the first round itself!

Indian Hockey was hovering just above the bottom-most level for many years and now, it has fallen to the bottom-most level. Nobody needs to be surprised as it was not sudden!

Venkat

Sahi kaha.
Venkat ji sach poocho to saalo mein itna mood kharab hua hai. Football is my fav......and cricket and hockey follow closely.

Earlier I used to follow hocky a lot. but after india -poland match in sydney olympics my interest went down.

I was watching tht match live India was leading by 1-0 and if they had won.........atleast bronze was sure. but EXACTLy in last mint poland scored a goal and denying india a semi final place. I was so shocked at tht time. Itna zabardast shock laga tha.........my heart beat became fast......at least for next 1 hour my heart beat remained like tht. This is when I realised why Iam spoling my health over these people. After tht I never tried to get too much emotional with any game.

But kal to inn logo ne had kar di. I think even now Indian politicians will remain silent.
( these are the same people who made pvt broadcasters share telecast with DD.........cricket matches are most imp. ! )



in lil hurry !


Sonu

[oye_sonu]

dropping due to poor funding and biased selctions.

Selection criteria ek kaafi bada problem area hai . kaafi galtiyan hoti hai iske wajah se.

There is Regional bais as well across deptts and within IHF as well.

Punjab lobby, Bombay lobby , Tribal belt. etc and then Within Diff depts like Airlines Vs Oil Firms Vs Railways ( at least earlier it used to be there........not sure now ).

and also rifts over preferances of IHF officials Vs coach or captiain !


Will write more on it laterz

in lil hurry !

Sonu]

[Marcilo]

Bhatti comes out with 'Cric-Hockey' stick
Courtesy - Tribune News Service

Mohali, March 10
“With the Santiago debacle, our hockey team has made our national game a joke. So, we have decided to design a special hockey stick at our Joke Factory”, said renowned satirist Jaspal Bhatti here today.

At his factory, Bhatti put on display his new invention, which he called ‘Cric-Hockey’ stick for the lovers of the sport.

“The new low, which the Indian hockey has touched, has forced us to invent a new game, having half the rules of hockey and half of cricket. This is a ‘morale booster’ stick”, Bhatti said.

“As of today, the younger generation feels ashamed to move around carrying hockey sticks. But, this new hybrid stick could be proudly carried along. The Cric-Hockey stick would also attract advertisers as it has a portion of cricket bat attached to it”, viewed the satirist. The mass production of the new stick would start soon at our Joke Factory, as there are bright chances that one-day Cric-Hockey could be embraced by the BCCI, Bhatti said.


Bhatti... He beats them all….

[pradeepvishwakarma]

Bhatti comes out with 'Cric-Hockey' stick
Courtesy - Tribune News Service

Mohali, March 10
�With the Santiago debacle, our hockey team has made our national game a joke. So, we have decided to design a special hockey stick at our Joke Factory�, said renowned satirist Jaspal Bhatti here today.

At his factory, Bhatti put on display his new invention, which he called �Cric-Hockey� stick for the lovers of the sport.

�The new low, which the Indian hockey has touched, has forced us to invent a new game, having half the rules of hockey and half of cricket. This is a �morale booster� stick�, Bhatti said.

�As of today, the younger generation feels ashamed to move around carrying hockey sticks. But, this new hybrid stick could be proudly carried along. The Cric-Hockey stick would also attract advertisers as it has a portion of cricket bat attached to it�, viewed the satirist. The mass production of the new stick would start soon at our Joke Factory, as there are bright chances that one-day Cric-Hockey could be embraced by the BCCI, Bhatti said.


Bhatti... He beats them all�.

Joke . . !!
I think if u kown birth of both cric n hockey u know everything.
In my point of view..
Both r good games. .Win n loss. .Have no meaning its a game dear. .

[pradeepvishwakarma]

Bhatti comes out with 'Cric-Hockey' stick
Courtesy - Tribune News Service

Mohali, March 10
�With the Santiago debacle, our hockey team has made our national game a joke. So, we have decided to design a special hockey stick at our Joke Factory�, said renowned satirist Jaspal Bhatti here today.

At his factory, Bhatti put on display his new invention, which he called �Cric-Hockey� stick for the lovers of the sport.

�The new low, which the Indian hockey has touched, has forced us to invent a new game, having half the rules of hockey and half of cricket. This is a �morale booster� stick�, Bhatti said.

�As of today, the younger generation feels ashamed to move around carrying hockey sticks. But, this new hybrid stick could be proudly carried along. The Cric-Hockey stick would also attract advertisers as it has a portion of cricket bat attached to it�, viewed the satirist. The mass production of the new stick would start soon at our Joke Factory, as there are bright chances that one-day Cric-Hockey could be embraced by the BCCI, Bhatti said.


Bhatti... He beats them all�.

Joke . . !!
I think if u kown birth of both cric n hockey u know everything.
In my point of view..
Both r good games. .Win n loss. .Have no meaning its a game dear. .