The Hindu : Sport : Players wielding greater clout in decision making

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Thursday, Oct 29, 2009
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Players wielding greater clout in decision making

Makarand Waingankar

The resignation of New Zealand coach Andy Moles and the dismissals of England coach Peter Moores, Indian fielding coach Robin Singh and bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad point to the growing player clout in decision making.

Moles feared that the players would not follow his instructions and Moores lost out because Pietersen didn’t appreciate his methods. Robin Singh and Venkatesh Prasad are yet to know where they erred.

Moles was, like any other coach, interviewed and selected. There was nothing that even the local media found objectionable and even if the captain Daniel Vettori found Moles’s methods difficult to digest, nothing was reported to the New Zealand CEO.

Moores was held responsible for England’s loss and the players felt he talked a bit too much and was ruthless in training. In the case of both Robin Singh and Venkatesh Prasad, the non-performance of players was apparently held against the coaches. Are coaches becoming all-too easy scapegoats?

Inter-personal relationship is part of the coach’s job, but if the players are unwilling to follow the methods for which the coach is selected by the board, why shouldn’t players be questioned for non-cooperation?

New trend

Even at the first class level in India renowned coaches are sacked because of player power. Not that the coaches are right all the time but the trend is that a coach who tries to get the players out of their comfort zone is the one who is shunted out and not the non-performing players.

Greg Chappell in his presentation to the BCCI had assured that he would get the team to excel once the players rise technically and fitness-wise to international standards. Obviously he expected the players to push themselves hard but when his methods clashed with the senior players’ egos, Chappell was criticised and eventually relieved of his responsibilities.

In all the cases no board got the coach and the senior players together for a solution. Coaches were sacked for non-performance but not a question was raised with regard to players and their fitness and commitment level.

Ray Jennings, the Royal Challengers Bangalore coach, was sacked by the South African board as the players thought he was too tough in fitness training but with RCB bosses backing him, the three South African players in the team are co-operating with him.

It’s part of the coach’s job to understand the mental make-up of players so that they accept the methods and give their best, but the coaches complain that players refuse to accept the advice of coaches even when their own methods are not successful.

Gone are the days when Ray Illingworth, who was the one-man selection committee and also the coach of the England team, would act like a dictator. Modern players want more of a say in strategy planning.

It’s the stature of international playing experience that the players now respect and not the coaching experience.

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