I was at Police Park last week, hoping the star-studded hosts would give the high riding Kandy a good run for their money.
Unfortunately, the encounter fell far below expectations, with the contest all but over by half time. Kandy ended the game racking up fifty points, the third time in as many games this season. As for Police, they looked woefully devoid of any game plan. To add insult to injury, their indiscipline left much to be desired. With so much money pumped into this outfit, the returns have fallen well short of expectation. At certain points of the game they looked as if they didn’t know what to do next.
This brings me to the importance of a coach, and a supporting coaching structure. Going back to the Police game, I made it to the grounds about half hour earlier and witnessed both sides go through their warm-ups. Kandy looked well organized, with Sean Wijesinghe seemingly well in charge. As for the Cops, there were many individuals hovering around the team. Exactly what role they played, I do not know. But the point is, there was no single channel form which the shots were called. They looked directionless, for want of a better word, which got progressively worse as the game wore on.
In the world of professional sport the role played by a Head Coach has been richly debated, with opinions being divided. With trainers, and physiotherapists, a mainstay in any outfit, some feel it is more up to the players and the senior leadership group to devise a winning formula, with the coach restricted to a supporting role. However, we have seen time and time again that great teams, which are consistently successful have great coaches.
What are the key attributes that make up a great coach?
That would vary depending on what level, as in age group, or competitiveness. At school / junior age group categories, the primary role of a coach is to identify and fine tune the skill of the individuals entrusted to their care. It is essential that institutions get this right, as coaching and mentoring a sportsman / woman during their formative years can make or break them. The best have the gift of spotting talent early, and having the patience to harness that talent. Exercising strict discipline, but at the same time being approachable is a fine balancing act that needs to be managed. Unfortunately, coaches of this quality, be it in any sport is a dying breed in Sri Lanka.
At a professional level the makeup is quite different. I recently saw an interview with Gary Kirsten, the man at the helm when India surmounted cricket’s Mount Everest by winning the 2011 World Cup. Under his tenure, India also reached the pinnacle of the Test rankings. This was a first since the introduction of the ranking system. The question and answer session provided some great insight into his role with the Indian team. It was his first job as an international Head Coach, over a team that consisted world class players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, and Anil Kumble. How can any Coach attempt to teach someone like Tendulkar, considered a cricketing God in India, how to bat? Or which strokes to play? One of the first things Kirsten did when he assumed duties was to meet with each of the senior players individually. During which he asked each of them, what they expected of him as their Head Coach. Interesting enough, when the question was put to Tendulkar, his answer had supposedly been – ‘I want you to be my friend’.
This approach will not necessarily work across other groups of players. The individual will need to use good judgment, and discretion. In the case of Kirsten, he was able to win the respect of his charges as they reacted positively to his philosophy and methods. Having the buy in of your charges, especially the senior players, is essential to succeed.
Coaching is also very much a journey. Graham Henry, one of the most experienced rugby coaches in the modern era, signed off his international career in style having led the All Blacks to Rugby World Cup glory in 2011, ending a 14 year wait since New Zealand won the first RWC edition in 1987. However, what is lost on most is that a key part of that success was put down to the learning taken on board having being dumped out of the tournament at the first knock-out phase four years earlier. Against all odds, the authorities in rugby-mad New Zealand persisted with Henry. And his journey since has gone down in rugby folklore. What did Henry and his support staff do differently? For starters, they established a code of ethics that governed behaviour on, and off the field. And get this, it was not monitored by the coaches. Rather a leadership group within the team was established that kept everyone in check. Not like roaming policemen, but rather on a level of brotherhood that further cultivated team ethos. With the World Cup won, and Henry retired, all eyes were on Steve Hansen who took over. Surely, there would be some element of a drop in performance after reaching such a high? In contrast, Hansen took the All Blacks to a different dimension. To my memory, he lost only three games since taking charge, going into the 2015 RWC, and ended the campaign undefeated. They are a nation blessed with rich rugby talent no doubt. But not once did New Zealand look like they were going off the boil. In fact, their performances have been unparalleled by any sporting team. For this, credit must be given to Hansen and his team.
The All Black success story is a classic case of patience, putting the right support structures in place (domestically), and long term thinking. The results are undeniable. It is a common occurrence in this age to see organizations have a knee jerk reaction to failure. What’s the first thing they do? Sack the Coach. Appoint an ‘interim’ Coach or Manager. This is usually done whilst a long-term appointment is sought. However, a cardinal sin is then committed when the interim candidate is given the job long term. Based, purely on short term improvements in performance. Stuart Lancaster, the former England rugby coach is one such. Appointed to take temporary charge following a disappointing RWC campaign in 2011, the Union (RFU) decided to stay the course with him, with the hope that he would do the job for England at their home RWC this year. We all know what happened, and Lancaster was tossed out on the street sighting his lack of international experience. Er..
The Sri Lankan cricket authorities are seemingly going down the same path as the RFU. Jerome Jayaratne was appointed to take charge of the West Indies visit, following Marvan Attapattu’s resignation. Jayaratne, in his own right is an experienced coach, having been in the game for a very long time now. He also seems to have won the hearts of his charges. The Windies, arrived, got thrashed for the most part, and have moved on to Australia, where another slaughtering is imminent. They are just that poor at the moment. With that admission, the Sri Lankan team did play well. However, the tour to New Zealand, which just got underway will be a whole new proposition altogether. By Jayaratne’s own admission, this series will prove a more accurate assessment of where we are in terms of prowess. I believe SLC have to act wisely in the coming months. If Jayaratne is not deemed to be the part, a long term, permanent coach needs to be brought in ASAP. A foreign coach with a proven international track record. If not, Chandika Hathurusinghe apart, I don’t see any better options locally, than to persist with Jayaratne. However, in the case of the latter option, he needs to be provided with the needed time and patience. It will be a bumpy road for a while, till the corner is turned. Unfortunately, patience is not a virtue many seem to have.
