India hockey coach Graham Reid quits after poor World Cup show; analytical coach Clark, scientific adviser Pemberton resign too
BHUBANESWAR: Hiring and firing coaches is nothing new. In fact, that’s the only constant in Indian hockey. Less than 24 hours after the conclusion of the FIH World Cup, Indian hockey’s off-field magnum opus began on Monday with the ‘resignation’ of chief coach Graham Reid and his team including analytical coach Greg Clark and scientific advisor Mitchell David Pemberton. This curtails their contract which is until the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Hockey India has said that they will serve a three-month notice period, which probably gives the former time to work out the new coaching team. That said, this knee-jerk reaction leaves the team in the lurch, especially with eight months to go for the Asian Games. While the cracks in the Indian think-tank started to appear last year, the cookie crumbled following the hosts’ ninth-place finish at the World Cup.

The Hockey India press release stated Reid and his staff submitted their resignation to federation president Dilip Tirkey on Monday. But, the doors on their Indian sojourn were shut a day earlier with HI leaving them with no option but to put in their papers for an amicable exit. This was following a meeting the coaches had with Tirkey.
Like in the case with most new coaches, Reid too skated on thin ice for a while, forming his core group while leaving out some seasoned players, who believed they still had a lot of hockey left in them.
In terms of results, Reid is by far the most successful foreign coach, having guided India to a bronze medal at the Tokyo Games, the country’s first podium finish in 41 years at the quadrennial extravaganza. The Australian took over the reins of the team in April 2019 following the exit of Harendra Singh after the eight-place finish at the Word Cup in 2018. Pemberton came in place of Robin Arkell in 2021 and incidentally, the South African played a key role in Germany’s winning show.
Reid stated, “It is now time for me to step aside and hand over the reins to the next management. It has been an honour and privilege to work with the team and Hockey India and I have enjoyed every moment of this epic journey. I wish the team all the very best.”

WHO IS NEXT IN LINE?
While HI is tight-lipped about the 58-year-old’s successor, among those being approached is current Spanish coach Max Caldas. The much-acclaimed Argentine, who coached the Netherlands until the Tokyo Games, guided the Spanish team to the sixth spot in this year’s World Cup. It is learnt that Caldas has been approached but his contract is up until 2024. Among those who may throw their hat in the ring are former High-Performance director and coach Roelant Oltmans and Pakistan coach Siegfried Aikman.

PLAYERS NEXT?
It is learnt that Tirkey, along with secretary Bola Nath Singh, met the team on Sunday. Tirkey, a former India skipper, spoke about their performance and the way forward. A performance review is expected to be held soon, following which senior players will meet with Tirkey and selectors in New Delhi before the next camp on February 12. With a few players’ performances at the World Cup under the scanner, the camp for the FIH Pro League could see some younger players being drafted in.