KUALA LUMPUR — A fresh start for the Speedy Tigers with an Olympian at the helm?
Former Indian national hockey head coach Graham Reid is among the favourites to take over the position of Speedy Tigers head coach, which has been left vacant since January 31.
The 59-year-old Australian, who won the bronze medal for India in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is among the 18 foreign candidates who have applied for the hot seat since the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) advertised the vacancy on its Facebook page, seeking a successor to potentially outgoing head coach Arul Selvaraj.
Before retiring from his playing career as a defensive midfielder in the mid-90s, he made a total of 130 appearances for Australia, winning the silver medal at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics and being a part of four Champions Trophy-winning teams.
He also holds a bronze from the 1990 Hockey World Cup.
Graham resigned from his role as the head coach of India after the conclusion of the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023, where the Men In Blue failed to make the quarter-finals.
Along with the foreign candidates, the governing body has also received applications from five local candidates.
Former national coaches Sarjit Singh and K. Dharmaraj are among the local coaches on the list.
Dharmaraj currently holds a contract with the Indonesian national team.
MHC has pledged to shortlist the total list of 23 candidates they have received to between five to seven individuals before making their final decision by the end of this month to ensure the national squad’s preparedness for the 2024 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
Speaking to Scoop, MHC coaching committee chairman Datuk Majid Manjit Abdullah said that whoever assumes the role will have four years to deliver and demonstrate their capability for the national team.
“We have a huge list of candidates to take the role of head coach, and among them is coach Graham, who is well known for his career as a player and also as a coach.
“We also have coach Arul reapplying for his position, and we didn’t have any objections as we welcome all the candidates to apply for the job.
“We will go through all the lists and see who is deserving to be shortlisted based on their experience and achievements in their coaching career.
“As a result-oriented sports association, we ensure that the coach that we choose has to provide us with the results, and they will be given four years to prove themselves.
“This method has been applied by MHC for many years in the past, and we will continue with the method. Even for coach Arul, we did the same,” said Majid.
Majid emphasised his strong belief in the coaching committee’s plan to propose the creation of three national teams — Speedy Tigers A, Speedy Tigers B, and Young Tigers — to the board, expressing confidence that this initiative will yield significant benefits for the national hockey landscape.
“I’m very sure that this suggestion will bring many benefits for the future of Malaysian hockey, and our president will definitely look into it as he welcomes new ideas for the game to grow in our country.
“There were always complaints in the past that we were lacking fresh faces in our national team, and through this idea, the coaching committee believes that we can provide a perfect platform for our pool of talents to excel.
“But even if the president agrees, it’s up to the new head coach if he wants to use our suggestion. We can always work together on something new if the head coach disagrees,” Majid added.
The new head coach will select his assistants and decide on coaches for the national junior team.
Aside from the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup to be played in Ipoh from May 4-11, the Speedy Tigers will also take part in the Nations Cup in Poland from May 31 to June 9. — February 18, 2024