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The Cedric Chat

'Mr Gill has changed hockey in this country. I do believe if he is voted out of office hockey will slide down the tubes again'

Cedric D'Souza is one of the most articulate men in Indian sport.

On Friday night, the national hockey coach had one helluva tough job, explaining why the Indian team, rated a dead cert for a medal before the Olympics, came a-cropper at the Atlanta Games.

Check out the transcript and you'll know why Indian hockey has some hope as long as Cedric is around.


vikas (Fri Aug 16 20:39:53 1996 IST):

Hello all.

Mr. D'Souza Do you think we can beat the Europeans at their own game - power hockey; or do you think we can beat them with traditional-style (formation) hockey? Pakistan was very successful with the traditional style; but they too have not been delivering of late. Do you think a co-coach should be brought in from Europe to teach our boys tricks from the west? Are you considering getting M.P. Singh out of retirement for the sake of our penalty corners?!

This is Rediff On The NeT at Mr Cedric D'Souza's residence .....so you can start shooting your questions.

hello all.this is ashwanth from miami

Mr D'Souza, this is Nikhil Lakshman, editor, Rediff On The NeT. Welcome to the Chat. Thank you for being with us tonight.

Mr D'Souza: What is your lasting memory of Atlanta - the one thing you will see in your dreams... or nightmares :-)... for all time?

Anurag Bajaj: I believe that aa blend of the East and the West [ traditional and the West] is best for modern hockey today . Paksitan have adapteed have adappted a lot of European tactics , so they ae playing their traditional game wth European tactics. If the IHF and those that hold Hockey at the highest levels feel that a co-coach [European] is beneficial for the betterment of hockey then so be it, I have no pproblem with it, the most important thing is Hockkey and not an indivdual wether it be a coach o a player, the game comes first.And as far as MP Singh is concerned I do not have him in my plan oof things

Hi, Cedric. So yet another disappointment. After all the hype, just disappointment. I am fed up with you guys. I think you guys should just stop playing competitive hockey for ten years.

A Japanese gymnastics coach thought it necessary to resign after his squad failed to win a medal at Atlanta, for the first time in decades. Don't you think, in light of India's worst ever Olympic hockey performance, you are morally bound to do the same? Irrespective, of course, of whether or not you are offered the job again?

Mr.D'Souza.What do you think was the most important factor in our dismal performance?

Cedric, you guys were doing so well at one point. Did the slide commence after Pargat was brought in as skipper? Did K P S Gill impose him on you?

Mr D'Souza: It is remarkable that at Atlanta, most of the major hockey nations recorded sub-standard performances. India and Pakistan slumped to their worst ever results, the defending champs couldn't make it to the finals, and so on. What, if any, is the reason for this phenomenon? Or is it just that everyone had an off day, for the whole fortnight?

Cedric: Just wanted to tell you that I've just returned from the hospital where your assistant MArcellus's father is in the ICU and he is recovering well. -dilip d'souza

Why dont u guys let Cedric answer!

Good evening, Mr D'Souza, and welcome...

Dilip, nice to see you here... :-)

Me: The most important thing what I saw was the sirit of oneness as well as the comrradrie and the mingling of athletes from alll ovver the world, that's what the spirit of Olympics is about. Stars lke Monica Seles eetc who ae multi billionares still tok the tram with us and stood in line wth all of us for food or for the phone etc nobody is too big or to small everybody is equal My nightmare was and is as to how we did not qualify after al the hard work over the last two years the chances that we missed out were really something which I never dreamt we could not capitalise on . At traning caps boys have ppumped in goals which would have astounded any person but I'm at a loss as to how the ball refused to go between the posts .

Hi Ashwanth

Cedric: Nobody watches hockey in India any more (the games at the BHA grounds are always graced with empty stands)...so why do you think so many people seem to care how we do in Atlanta or in the World Cup? Actually, my point is that the decline in hockey is because nobody watches it any more. Thoughts? -dilip d'souza

What's happened?

Hi Mr. D'Souza. what would you say are our key problem areas. Lack of killing instict.well, most Indians lack it :-(. Other known problem is inability to perform under pressure. What other aspects you can think of that can be realtically improved upon ? How many Astro-turf we have now ?

Cedric, I am waiting for the answer to my question... And don't hedge.

Hi Prem!

hi

Cedric, old chap, I think the Surds have ruined Indian hockey. When are we going to break out from the grip of the Punjab Mafia?

I see a lot of you have logged in from the US of A. Din't you guys feel like throwing up seeing these Indians play?

Despair... :-) Are you really in tears, or are you merely trying to live up to your handle? Hey, I personally thought the boys played well, all over the field except in front of the goalmouth... *sigh* So what else is new?

Dear Mr. D'Souza: Are there any plans for a) professionalizing the domestic hockey leagues in India (with support ftom the TV networks)? b) long term sponsorship of the national team by corporations?

How many of you guys shooting questions at the coach have ever been to see a hockey match? If not, why are you really bothered about what happened in sunny Atlanta? Just curious, dudes. -dilip d'souza

hello

hell again

Dilip: Hey, I never did take part in the Miss India contest, didn't even get to go see one, but didn't stop me from asking Namrata Shirodkar some questions... :-)

Hi, are we still there. I'm more keen to know a) how the players felt ? b) whom do they think is to be blaimed? c) what can motivate new comers? Waiting for reply...

Blackface: Hi... why the makeup?

Pisces: Of course, I am in DESPAIR! I have followed Indian hockey for the last thirty years, and I am tired of waiting for us to win a genuine gold at the Olympics. The last time they did, I wasn't born, and I am not counting Bhaskaran's victory at Moscow. I just think Cedric was wrecked by Pargat.

.

I used to be a regular spectator at the Bombay Gold Gup, and the Aga Khan hockey tournaments in the 1980s...

3D: Marcelus Gomes has been morre than a assst to me we are very close off the ground too. Im thankful that you have given me tthe good news that his father is on the road to recovery, oks like our prayers were answered :-)

Me: The disparity between teams which was predominant in the near past has now become marginal so much so that at this Olympics there were no teams where one could say they had the direct edge over the next especially between the top six to eight nations .Asfar as India is cocerned we were very close to the semi-final berth which was our 1st objective . In the fiveleague matches we concceded jest 3 goals playing ouur best match against Spain. Once we did not qualify for he semi-finals the booys really were deflated and went limp and iinspite of the team psychologist as well as us the coaching staff tried to psyche the boys to atleast to a fifth ranking which was not to be I think the main reason being after really foussing on a semi-final berth over the last 6 months it pprobably felt ike a withdrawl symptom and they crashed.As far as PPakistan is concerned their slump f you wnat to call it a slump .for hat I do not have comment. Our team coming 8th does nott necessarily mean we are a bad team because this was the sam team that was in the reckoning for the semifinal berth

Despair... hmmm, interesting... thirty years, huh? From that perspective, what do YOU suppose is the reason why we've stopped winning? is it that the new style of play has dished us, or don't we care enough, or... what?

3D: I think Prem Pannikar is right.

How is , in your opinion, the new offside-rule going to change the game, both defensive and offensive ?

Prem: You DIDN'T take part in the Miss India contest? Who was it I saw up there then? More seriously, my point is: no audiences, no sponsorship (or little), no money, young guys have less incentive to take up hockey, the game declines. As I see it, it's a very clear story. Then again, that's how I see it, maybe others see it another way... -dilip d'souza

let the man speak

Hi Dilip, I for one have watched Indian hockey team in action during its tour to Melbourne(Australia), the match when we lost to RedBacks by 3-1 margin. that was 91-92.

Dilip: *s* I was just having you on... actually, I think that given the empty stands you find when a hockey match is on, it's a bit thick when we begin bemoaning the decline of a game none of us ever takes the trouble to follow in the first place...

Widespread TV coverage, and a professional league should do a lot of good - only then will young kids think hockey is as "cool" as cricket...

Mr D'Souza, thanks for your replies, they were as elaborate as I hoped they'd be...

My dear Pisces, as someone who knows a couple of Olympians, I know our hockey administrators are no good. If they would only stop putting region before country. I believe this team was the best we have had in a long time, but everything came apart after Pargat came in. That man should never have been allowed near a hockey ground after what happened at the Aga Khan tournament.

Ravi: good point, but do you see all that happening?

As far as sports is concerned we Indians only have two problems -- no 1, we do not have the competitive spirit. No 2, we are lazy. But the latter, I think, could apply to us in every other sphere. Obviously, our hockey team as the same affliction. Don't you agree, Mr D'Souza?

Despair: I'm going off on a tangent, but you should stop looking to hockey for an Olympic gold. We should learn a lesson from KEnya/Ethiopia/Algeria/ etc, take up long distance running to earn medals. Or basketball...it is a pet theory of mine that if we begin a basketball programme, we should become competitive in 10-15 years.

Despair: I thought we had a good team this time, too... but one thing niggles - is it fair to blame Pargat for everything? After all, Mukesh, Dhanraj, all of them had enough chances in front of open goals and they hit out - why blame Pargat for that? Wonder what Mr D'Souza thinks of this, by the way...

Yogendra Sharma: I think killer instit comes from within each erson , we have started psychology sessions with our team where in the boys are made to learn the arrt of relaxation uunder pressure how to cope with pressurehow to visualise match situatons and how to project oneself as a winner , I believe that the players need tro do more work on themselves using these aids. Self inrospection is the key word. There are about 20 oodd turfs in the country

pisces: I have heard that the All India Football Federation is in the process of doing that with the support of either ESPN or Prime...surely the IHF can do something similar...??!

Hi, I was going thru' the Indian team players Vitae and it looks like none of them has played for European clubs, matter of fact very few have had stints with foreign clubs, and those few who have had some have all played for little known leagues in Malaysia or Singapore. I think allowing these players to go and play in European leagues would be a good start by the IHF

pisces i am in mourning for our team ofcourse

pisces i am in mourning for our team ofcourse

Sir, whom do you think was the hockey player of the Olympics. (Both, our best player and the best player overall)

Hi, Cedric, seems like the biggest problem with the Indian team at the olympics was their lack of physical conditioning. They seem to have enough skills, but the above problem does not let them play as a team for full 70 minutes, your comments???

Hi, I was going thru' the Indian team players Vitae and it looks like none of them has played for European clubs, matter of fact very few have had stints with foreign clubs, and those few who have had some have all played for little known leagues in Malaysia or Singapore. I think allowing these players to go and play in European leagues would be a good start by the IHF

3D: Um... ain't you forgetting that when India does get to the Olympics in basketball, they'll be up against the children of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Karim Abdul Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neil and the rest... Dream Team VI, or is that VII?

QE2... ain't we all? :-)

DEspair: Excellent point about PArgat. That Aga Khan episode was a blot on hockey, and the whole Punjab Police team should have been banned for life. But what can we expect with KPS Gill in charge? He didn't want to take action against them because it would "lower their morale"! How about MY morale which was extremely lowered by watching what happened there? -dilip d'souza

Hello Mr.Cedric D'Souza,what exactly went wrong for the Indian team?

Ravi: Prime Sports has sponsored the AIFF. Reebok has sponsored the hockey team. This team got a lot of money and did not lack for support. Mr Gill ensured that the players stopped living in lousy dorms and lived in good hotels. Granted he did that much, but then it appears he also hoisted Pargat on Cedric, now if Cedric would answer...

3D: I think Pargat and the Punjab Police should have been arrested for what happened that Saturday. It was shameful. Bringing someone like him to captain the side was pathetic and shocking. Whatever Gill did for the biys, he undid by bringing in Pargat. How could he?

Ravi: we already have professional leagues, some sponsorship, some TV coverage. There's still nobody who watches. Why should a young athlete take up a sport just to play in front of empty stands? -dilip d'souza

I saw the match between India and Pakistan and in the second half there was absolutely no cohesion between the forward line, or I should say Pillay, and the half backs, It looked like even the other forward were playing like backs, this in a match where India had to win was simplly disgusting. Were they tired???

Cedric, Glad to know that we r working on the 'killer instinct' part. How are we doing on the fitness Plus body strength part fo players ? During the test-match in Melbourne in 91-92 against RedBAcks, I was there, and one could see that our team as usual has artistry but players lack speed and reflexes.

Hello Cedric, I am in the UAE. All of us out here were really dissapointed with the Indian remas performance at Atlanta. After their impressive performance at the warmup tourney all around the world do you think that the team peaked too early?

Pisces: I just saw your response. I believe that there was something wrong with the Indian team which we don't know about. There was, to quote the Bard, something rotten in the state of Denmark...

Pieces/Despair: I believe that everybody loves a winner and when does not live up to the exectationss the hue and cry that is made is sometimes out of proportion and also loses perspective . I believe blaming one and another is not going to rectify what has happened yes we ost but we have to accept that phenomenon . I'm not one who has ever blamed my players to the Press or on the net. I pat them on the back or kick them on the backsides in the confiness of our close room meetings. So wether the forward line missed goals or the defense did not feed them enough , today it doesn't matter becauuse what has hapened has already happened , what we have to do now is to learn from this mistake. I take moral responsibility for my team and what hs hapened in the Olympics I would requestt you not to find scapegoats wthin my players. Life is tough but we can only get better

Pisces: this is a hockey discussion, so I'll be brief...basketball is one of the cheapest team sports to get going on a large scale. Much cheaper than cricket, hockey, volleyball, etc. If that happens, we should be able to get a team to compete with the Chinas and Greeces and Croatias....the Dream Team? They'll always be out of reach. -dilip d'souza

Cedric: I think viewrship problems can be solved by hosting a lot of international matches, generating media hype and giving a lot of publicity to hockey events. I think it all depends on how the event is marketed. Look at how Packer generated a lot of hype about his WSC by building up hype about players and pitting them against the others when national interests were not the motivation. Similar things can be done for Indian hockey. I hope you would be in a position to moot this to the IHF.

Despair: Billy Bard comes to the aid of all of us, doesn't he? :) But then, what do you figure went wrong with Pakistan? Germany? Australia? I mean, I found it funny that the top-ranked teams came up with the worst results?

Cedric: I think viewrship problems can be solved by hosting a lot of international matches, generating media hype and giving a lot of publicity to hockey events. I think it all depends on how the event is marketed. Look at how Packer generated a lot of hype about his WSC by building up hype about players and pitting them against the others when national interests were not the motivation. Similar things can be done for Indian hockey. I hope you would be in a position to moot this to the IHF.

3D: I agree- no athelete would want to perform before empty stands. In this regard, I draw an analogy to cricket. The cricket boom in India truly began after the Indian audience was exposed to Channel 9 coverage and day/night cricket. I dont know about these days (ihave been away from India), but in the old days, Doordarshan's coverage was soooo bad, that even an avid hockey fan like me was put off....So I think it is not just coverage, but its quality... In the modern age, TV is everything (as evidenced by the Olympic games)

hI Mr D'Souza, while i personally never got to watch matches, from the reports i think it wasnt a very bad performance.the thing we lacked was to play good for 70 mins . we had good matches against spain korea we led 3-1 and germany 1-0 until 8 mins to go. But what i cannot underrrstand is why is pargat brought back from retirement to lead us to debacle time and time again ? all the players who palyed before why were they aent back, sandeep somesh, ravi nayakar etc parrrgat because of his ego has created more problems than solved, to say the least with his penalty corner record he would not qualify for most of the teams in the world. has we forgotten what his ave. was in conversion throughout his career ? how then can we allow pargat to take the corners.In agame where everyone is bringing in specialists he was a starkingly mediocre. Your comments pl.

Cedric, I still don't understand why Indian team won't try harder in the second half against Pakistan, they should have been trying all out to win, and there just did'nt seem to be enough effort. Why??? Physically tired or lack of mental strength?

What about our "Achilles Heel". Penalty corners .. both our conversion and our defence strategy was found totally inadequate on several or should I say numerous occassions. Son't you think its high time that we should try and get in some of the europeans to help us out in this area. I know for a fact that the IHF held out on appinting you as the Indian coach because of your style what chances do we have in this area?

Cedric: I think viewrship problems can be solved by hosting a lot of international matches, generating media hype and giving a lot of publicity to hockey events. I think it all depends on how the event is marketed. Look at how Packer generated a lot of hype about his WSC by building up hype about players and pitting them against the others when national interests were not the motivation. Similar things can be done for Indian hockey. I hope you would be in a position to moot this to the IHF.

There appears a dearth of young upcoming talents in the sport of Hockey compared to other sports like cricket.Has any thought been given in this aspect?.

Mr D'Souza: Judging by what happened in Atlanta, you must have worn out a few pairs of shoes with all those kicks on backsides you had to administer... *grin* Er... which player got the most of the kicks? (I'm just being sneaky here and trying to get at the same thing in another way... *l*

KP Mohan: I''ve aken moal resonsbility for what hapened at the Olympics Mrr Gill has gone on rrecord daying that there would be no change in the team , IIf the Japanese coach has resigned that's his way of doing things but as far as I'm conncerned I'm dirrectly responsible to Mr Giill and I have to follow his instructions and if he feels that I'm incapable of dong my job or that there is someone with beter credentials dont you think he would have chosen that person afterall we are here as professionals and to do our best

Cedric: I think viewrship problems can be solved by hosting a lot of international matches, generating media hype and giving a lot of publicity to hockey events. I think it all depends on how the event is marketed. Look at how Packer generated a lot of hype about his WSC by building up hype about players and pitting them against the others when national interests were not the motivation. Similar things can be done for Indian hockey. I hope you would be in a position to moot this to the IHF.

Pisces, who cares about the Kangaroos, the Krauts and the Pakis? When their coaches appear on this Chat, we'll ask them. We want to know what the hell happened to our boys.

Cedric, what kind of physical conditioning exercise the hockey playere do in India?

Cedric, what kind of physical conditioning exercise the hockey playere do in India?

Hey, Cedric, that's the easy way out. What about the responsibility you owe to the Indian people? Don't you have any honour, man?

Ravi: Cricket was HUGE in India right through the '70s, well before Channel 9 and TV. Ever try getting a ticket to a match in those years? Even Ranjimatches used to attract spectators then. -dilip d'souza

Aries: In another context, someone said, "No man is an island" - I reckon that's true of hockey teams too. Understanding what went wrong for Germany and Australia might help us understand what went wrong for us, right?

Cedric, just saying that you take moral responsibility is not enough for most of us here today. While there is no dobt in my mind that you are the best available coach in India, and you have done a lot for indian hockey, still we wanna know, what specifically were the problems???

Aries, dude: I don't think Cedric owes anything to the Indian people. Like it or lump it. -dilip d'souza

Pisces, the Aussies and the Germans didn't come apart the way we did. Look at the game against the Koreans, the Limeys. No sir, our problems were unique!and if Cedric would be mor eloquent rather than beat around the bush we could get somewhere

3D: Spoken like a macapao!So whom does he owe anything to?

Mr D'Souza: On the Rediff site, I read a report of your press conference in Bombay a couple of days ago. You say you just can't understand, or explain, why after banging in a 100 goals a day during the coaching camps, the boys failed to do it out there in the matches. If that is so, what then is the point of all those coaching sessions anyway?

Cedric, I am from Bombay .. S'cruz. I know that you used to always be reading some sort of books on Hockey all the time when you were coaching Air India. You must have compiled some sort of statistics about our penalty corner conversions at Atlanta. Waht were they and where did we stand amongst the rest in the competition?

Cedric, when you say proudly that there were only 3 goals scored against India in 5 league matches, was'nt it because team was heavy on defense, I mean there were only three real forwards. Why don't we srtick to basic 5-3-2-1, especially now when 3 points will be awardeed for a win, and only 1 for a tie.

Aries: With no pretensions to expertise, I did think the Germans were pretty pathetic almost throughout the tournament... I mean, those guys were supposed to be defending champions, right?

Cedric, please you really need to talk.

Hedzer: The offside ule willl definately change hockey , what you gonna see now is Indo hockey being played on an outdoo field wth a lot of the of off the ball running , and releasing of the ball in saces instead of on the stick. Penalty corners and open mid field play will be another faactor which will be predominant, those who tend to carrry the ball and lose it in the opposition 25 may make themselves susceptible to quick counters hence the long hits will also become a dominant feature.

Satyan: We have started a program apart from the national team which is under 21 , under 18 , under 16 and we are in the process of an under 14. This will hellp us in an smooth transition in one age grouup to the nxt so that when they become national players they have already been taught what the national team is doing. Uniform coaching right through the various age groups is the key factor. In short we ae forming a structure.

Pisces - they still reached the semi-finals, India has'nt made it that far for a long time.

Aries: Macapao or not (and I'm not), Cedric owes things to himself and his team, that's all. If the other teams were better, they were better, period. Nothing Cedric can do or not can change that. -dilip d'souza

Things are pretty slow here...

Hello Cedric, What about a reply to my Q?

hI Mr D'Souza, while i personally never got to watch matches, from the reports i think it wasnt a very bad performance.the thing we lacked was to play good for 70 mins . we had good matches against spain korea we led 3-1 and germany 1-0 until 8 mins to go. But what i cannot underrrstand is why is pargat brought back from retirement to lead us to debacle time and time again ? all the players who palyed before why were they aent back, sandeep somesh, ravi nayakar etc parrrgat because of his ego has created more problems than solved, to say the least with his penalty corner record he would not qualify for most of the teams in the world. has we forgotten what his ave. was in conversion throughout his career ? how then can we allow pargat to take the corners.In agame where everyone is bringing in specialists he was a starkingly mediocre. Your comments pl.

What do I have to do to get heard???

Vikas: Hey, I ain't trying to come up with some new excuse here, like mass failure or some such. I was just wondering, in context of the fact that so many top teams did not live up to potential - hey, come on, would you have, before the tournament or even midway through it, predicted a Spain vs Netherlands final? Be honest! - was there something, say in the rules, the ball used, the ground, the conditions, whatever, that added its own spin to the proceedings? Like I said, just looking for answers...

Hey, Cedric, you are as slow as your boys...

Cedric: Just one question. Do you believe that with the game in the situation it is in in India now, India can win a hockey medal any time soon? -dilip d'souza

Alexander: Hey, friend, Mr D'Souza is chatting from his home, you know just how slow a phone line can be, right? Bear with him, pal... and BTW, there's some pretty good conversations going in here, wade right in and join the party... :-)

Once again, Cedric, What about a reply to my Q's. Whoce stoopid idea was it in the first place to have a cg1 chat? Sheeeesh. No wonder we are in the dumps in everything

Pisces - You are right about that, Spain definitely surprised everybody, but they have never been pushovers. I think most playeres were pretty happy with the ground, ball, and conditions. No surprises there.

Vikas: Oh? Well, just wondered is all... :-)

The biggest problems with hockey are still the amateur status of the game and the total lack of coverage given to hockey in the media as compared to other sports like cricket. Countries that are addressing this problem are starting to become more powerful in world hockey. In South Africa the authorities demand full time dedication to hockey hence the reason why Jonty Rhodes did not make the Olympic side (he is a better hockey player than cricket player, but cricket pays the bills). I don't believe, Cedric, that you need to take full responsibility for India's performance at the Olympics. Not everybody can be a Ric Charlesworth (Australian women's coach), but at the end of the day it is what the players themselves are doing on the field at the time of playing that counts. You cannot control this and you cannot always identify the tactics of the opposition before it is too late, especially when it comes to short corners. As for media coverage I am trying to correct this on the Internet with my site Http://www.fieldhockey.com.

3D:Dilip _ about `nobody watching hockey matches in India anymore' ... well, the 1994 National Championship final drew 8,000 spectators at the Mahindra Stadium. The semis some 6,000. The 1995 Ranji Trophy cricket final had no more than 1,000 spectators on any given day _ despite the presence of Sachin Tendulkar. So there's the potential that hockey can be a spectator sport. Unfortunatley international performance has a direct bearing on the turnout at hockey grounds. Our golden era (1928-56) had perhaps made us believe we have sole rights to the topmost position on the victory podium. A bad performance at the Olympics/World Cup and a depression sets in. We're back to square one then _ win a medal at the Olympics and perhaps the turnstiles will start clicking.

Prem, Cedric: gotta go. Thanks all. I hope Cedric feels like answering my question, I'll catch the transcript some other time. Best, dilip d'souza

Hey Frank, what's your problem? What's wrong with a cgi (not cg1 like you say) chat? Do you even know what it is? -CGI Chat Fan

Anybody knows what's the astroturf situation in India. I read in India Today, about 25, if that's right, lack of proper ground is not tha tbig a problem anymore.

Anybody knows what's the astroturf situation in India. I read in India Today, about 25, if that's right, lack of proper ground is not tha tbig a problem anymore.

Dilip: Hey, nice having you on board, stay in touch... good night...

...

Vikas: I think what the people in the game are complaining about is not the numbers - like, how many budding hockey players have access to any one of the supposed 25 astro-turf stadia? Point here is, there are not enough grounds for those who are taking to the game to play on... and by the time they have made it to a big club or state side or whatever and get onto an astro-turf ground, they're pretty much set in their ways anyway, so what's the use?

Hey Suresh, Have you ever heard of IRC or had a typo? Huh?

Murali: Selection of the team is done with the president and the secreatary and the selection committee . Pargat was chosen for his vast experiennce and really by asking me questions of him causing rifts in the team or in the past there have been problems when he was there does not help, we nneed to think positvely, not dwell in the past. Picking up the good from the criticsm meted out to us. I have never commented on he selction nor on players when thy have played welll or bad so you'll have to use your own judgement without getting any endorsement from me.

Vikas Sood: I do not believe and categoriallly deny that we played a strategy . With todays modern hockey one has to be an atracker or an defender. If one tries to take a liberty or push in more people upfront then the chances of an counteratttack on you becomes a high risk, Europeans known for this basic play as well as for their lethal finish makes us a little more sceptical about keeping our mid field open hence it may have looked at times that we had only three forwards upfront. Apart from this we may have been laying on counter atacks on specific periods where in the inners were under instructions hold conserve and just release up front without doing unnessary running, in a nutshell every match has to be planned differently. Some with open with play some with countters.

Frank V Farrell: Penalty corners are meticuously planned and practised over the last 6 months however during the Olympiics it is common knowledge now that we were not sucessful, honestly speaking most of the team did not capitaise on the penalty corner awards, to quote Germany known for their powress got 8 against us and didn't score with teams like Holland were in my opinion the most sucessful in this competition but they too were not at what they used to be, percentage wise as for us I think we probably hit an all time low as for the stats I don't have it so I can't give you the ppercentage

Hey Cedric, you there?. What about my questions on penalty corner conversions?

Pisces - That's absolutely true. But what would you think is the biggest obstacvle in adjusting to astroturf play after playing in younger years on grass - lack of speed, right. I mean its easier to dribble, trap and all on astroturf, its just harder to keep up with the pace o f the ball, that's why I am saying won't a better physical conditioning help???

THANKS! to the guys who orgainsed the chat. This may be a good beginning to get media coverage....and tehre is a hockey page.. I'll be still optimistic to see one more medal. Yogi.

Mr D'Souza: I guess my question must have fallen off your screen while you were sending that jumbo post... so, reposting. You are quoted in a press conference in Bombay as saying that the boys hammered in 100 brilliant goals a day in set piece situations in practise, and can't explain why they didn't do that even once in actual play. Given this, is there any point to having these long coaching camps at all?

Cedric, hurry up man, we haven't got all night.

Hey Frank: can you imagine having an interview on an IRC? It's realtime you know. What you key in will be lost in a flood of other conversation and poor Cedric or any other guest who's new to the Net will be left gasping for words...

Vikas: Speed, yes. Style of running, I think is another... grass is easier and more grippy, astroturf is hell on your ankles and calves, your way of balancing changes... trapping is another... a savage crack on grass gets the sting taken out of it before it gets to you, but on astro it's coming like a bullet, so your trapping goes awry... I remember in Atlanta, several times, Dhanraj and Mukesh got great through balls from the deep and the half line, and gave it away because they couldn't trap clean...

Suresh, Absolutely right!

Suresh: ACtually, I agree with you, IRC is, like, mind-bending for speed... :)

Is Cedric logged in as Pisces? Or is Pisces a side act? Come on man, go fish! We are here to listen to Cedric, not some gasbag!

Cedric, thanks for answering the question, I still believe that with a better physical conditioning the forwards can fall back to help defense and vice versa, like in the first halves of most matches.

Alex: Right. And the rest is silence! And while CEdric is readying another of his jumbo answers, pal, YOU can go fish!

Goerge Brink: Amatuer status is sitll very much an FIH ruling there has been talk that they wanted to change this but it hasn't happened yet, In my opinion large sponsors come into hockey and money trickles down to the layers and then it will become some thought of same professional status , maybe not on par with crickket but atleast what the scenario is today as wel as a step in the poositive direction. I would llike o thank you for your good words about my taking the whole responsibility.

3D: The 1st thing to do is change to the modern game as well as adappt to the changing rules immediatly this wll atleast bring us closer to ataining our objective . TThere are no gaurantees in life no matter how hard you work, so when we are gong to win the nxt medal your better ask the Almighty that.

Folks I'm way ppast my bedtime so I'll answer only 5 more questions

Pisces, very touchy!

Alexander: Small point. Rediff left the chat site the way it is, without the moderator in the middle, so people can talk to each other while waiting for the guest of the day to respond... so why jump Pisces' bones, friend? Live and let live, like... :-)

Pisces - I am not so sure whether the style of running would be different, they probably wear different kind of shoes on artificial turfs. I see players playing interchangeably on grass and artificial pitches in different games in american football. You are right about a few times when Mukesh and Dhanraj did'nt trap, but in general, this was the best trapping performance I have seen from any indian team.

Cedric .. The problem with cgi is that you never know you've received a reply until you check .Thanks for the reply and sorry for the impatience. It's good to know that you will still be carrying on with the Indian team. What international tournaments are we participating in the near future and what are we doing about our penalty corners. Are we still going to say that we have been practicsing it only to find out that after a tournament was over we did not get it right or are the IHF planning a solution to it. Don't you agree that we have utilised every Indian idea that we've had and now it's time for us to look elsewhere. Lets swallow some pride here for the sake of reviving our status and getting back our lost glory.

Cedric, what's the matter? Gill told you to go to sleep at 11?

Alex: no.just practical. i thought I would chat with others while waiting for cedric - but hey, if i am being a pain in the ear then silence is indicated, right? Right. So, mum's the word, and bob's your uncle... *grin*

Vikas... OIC!

Cedric, why don't you answer the questions that are yet to be responded to, and then take five more questions. I am keen to know jow much you and the boys will be paid for Atlanta.

Cedric, good luck on the future tournaments, especially champions trophy. Its great that you will be continuing aas the head coach. All the best.

How much are you paid? is it worthwhile playing hockey in India? At the state or university level.

Pisces - what's that?

Could we get a sneak preview into your report to Gill?

Vikas: What's what? "OIC"? Net-shorthand, for "Oh I see" - I was just nodding my head at your answer... :-)

Why was Asish kept out of the team? What pangas did you have with him?

Pieces: Camps will conttinue as part of training because we believe that only hard work can help us to attain our objectives, honing on a skill and making them repeat it will we bellieve become part of their sub conscious so that when it comes to a match situation they arre already attuned to scoring, no matter what hapened at the end result but they have to keep working at it and attain perfection and this can happen only at training camps ,In the next camp they'll be probably hitting 250 a day not 100 and that still does not gaurantee you sucess.

Frank V Farell: Penalty corners are what gets you victories today and so although we did not capitailse on the chances not because we didn't try or because we didn't train hard enough we will still work our buttts off in the future .

Come on Cedric... How many occassions do we the avid hockey fan get to chat with a National coach? Huh? Don't give us any bull that you have to go to bed. If you don't feel like answering any more questions just say so man. We are already frustrated as it is, waiting to watch our boys play thinking that maybe this time they'll win and guess what.. they never let us down ... either it's a draw or the lose. Come on Ceddo give us a break

Pisces - Interesrting. Hey, what do u think about Jude Felix, the guy wants money to be paid to his sponsors to play for his country.

Frank, I agree with you. A good Goan lad going to sleep at 11. That must be a first!

Cedric - Hard work is definitely the key to success. So make 'em work hard.

Will the way Indian hockey is run change if Mr Gill is voted out of office? Are hockey coaches and players in this country too dependant on the caprices of our administrators?

Yeah man, we Indians are really stubborn .. I guess we'll never learn from all the mistakes. Everybody on this chat knows that our penalty corner conversions and defence was deplorable. But what does our National cpach say.. "We'll work our butts off" Hey Cedric wsn't six months long enough to get something right. I guess its going to be the same old situation as before. You'll be appointed as a coach for the next few seasons.. our pnalty corner strategy will still be the same as it has been. They then will sack you, then they'll appoint another coach who'll say that he's got the key to success and as usual the europeans will walk all over us with their penalty corners. Come on man learn from your mistakes, swallow some pride. Hello Mr. Gill. This goes out to you also.

Juhmri Talaiya: Balal Isssue ask Gill. No sneak preview ask Maddhhuuri Dixit if she will give you one and i she agrees then cal me SOS. We get allowances but we are not paid any money specifically for the Olympics , as far as coachhes are concerned we don't get a salary we do it for the love of hockey not for our country.

Frank, I have just logged in. I agree absolutel.

WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You aren't paid a salary. Astonishing! I think you deserve a cheer for whatever you have achieved so far. You muct be the only Indian coach who has done so much. Now, why don't you give us your all time Indian XI?

You imply that Gill was responsible for Ballal"s exit. Does that mean that Gill told you what team to select?

Hey Ceddo, Personal message.. Please give my regards to Floyd

Frank: We don't make excuses for not converting our enalty corners iits just that it diidn't click for whatever reasons if you think your frustrated then you can imaginne what I am cause you are an ardent fan and I'm he person who has puut this team together. It's tough man to accept something you thought was a winner .

Jhumri Talaiya: Mr Gilll has been one erson who has changed hockey around in this country I've been fortunate enough to have his fl support. I do believe that if he is voted out of ofice hockey wll slide down the tubes again

Hey Ceddo, Personal message.. Please give my regards to Floyd

In what way has Mr Gill changed Indian hockey? Is he actually above partisanship?

Bye for now flks thanks a lot every crowd has a silver lining , I have already apologised to the country for what happened we can only get better...............By the way Il talk to you all again in the near future [in the next two weeks] :-)

Gufran-e-Azam and Co-- if they took charge, would they wreck Indian hockey? Do you think we should someone like Scindia in charge? Maybe someone as great as Shahid? Maybe yourself? Why don't you become IHF secretary? You would be above all this bias crap

Cedric, good to talk with you. See you latter. Good night.

Mr D'Souza, thank you very much. It was a pleasure having someone as articulate as you on our Chat. Se do hope to have you again with us next fortnight. I am sure all of us would love to Chat with you again. God bless and Good night.