Newly-appointed men's national chief hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne says he is "willing to take the advice" of Roelant Oltmans, the former India women's coach replaced at the helm
Sjoerd Marijne
Newly-appointed men's national chief hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne says he is "willing to take the advice" of Roelant Oltmans, the former India women's coach replaced at the helm. "I spoke to Oltmans personally and informed him that I have been appointed. I respect him very much. I am willing to take his advise if he is open to the idea. But right now I want to give him space as he has just lost a job," he said. Marijne wants a cultural change in the way the sport is run in the country and said under him the approach would be "players driven and coach assisted".
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Soon after he got the official stamp on his appointment, Marijne said under him it is the players who will get to choose the style and structure of play. "It has to be players driven and coach assisted. The players have to set their goals and I will only help them to achieve their goals. Having been there for so many years, the players will very well know what style of play suits them," he said.
While a section of the media reported that Marijne was initially reluctant to take up the role because of lack of experience in coaching a senior men's international team, the Dutchman, 43, replied in the negative when queried. "I never said I am not interested or I am reluctant. I have plenty of experience of coaching a men's side at the senior level but I never coached an international team," Marijne said.
"I have coached two-third of the players in the Netherlands current senior team. I also follow the Indian men's team regularly so it would be wrong to say the players are not known to me or they don't know me," he added. Marijne said he will chart out his blue-print after joining in his new role on September 20. "It is too early to say right now," he said.
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