Hockey has become such a physical game, that it is equal to rugby to some extent. Just look at the players from Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, Netherlands, Germany and even the Asian giant South Korea. These players are very tough and strong physically, not to mention their stamina and power. Indiand and Pakistanis lag far behind in the physical aspect of the game, especially when traditional skills are making way to the so-called 'Power Hockey'.
Re: Hockey is becoming equal to Rugby...
by Talisman on Mar 05, 2010 08:28 PM
Agree with that Manu. India and pakistan are not only playing the opponent. They are also playing against the rules that are designed to discourage using your dribbling skills.
The skill level of the teams that you mentioned is nowhere near india or pakistan.
The rule that allows penalty corners must be changed. You cannot get a penalty corner by simply and intentionally pushing into the opponent's legs. That is negative hockey. This is being played by all the teams that you mentioned.
The fact that this so called tournament director has not found any english player in voilation of his self-created rules shows me the bias the current offocialdom has for European and aussies.
There were many plays where englsih players almost tackled the pakistan players physically in the game between pakistan and England. If Read does not go to video and rule agaonst the english, there is something very wrong about the system.
Re: INDIAN CRICKET
by Jai Ho on Mar 05, 2010 03:23 PM
I suggest let the Indian Cricket Team master the game of cricket first, then we can think of hockey
Re: Re: Re: INDIAN CRICKET
by Jai Ho on Mar 05, 2010 03:29 PM
Indians are dying in India of poverty, hunger, terror, corruption...the list is endless. So it's no surprise that hockey too has joined the casualty list
Re: INDIAN CRICKET
by trivandrum padmanabhan on Mar 05, 2010 03:20 PM
Why this cricket obsession? Cricket is played by handful of countries and has no international standing leave alone Olympics!
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: INDIAN CRICKET
by Amit Sangekar on Mar 05, 2010 03:44 PM
trivandrum padmanabhan we are not perfomaing in Hockye for almost 20yrs now did u see the last 2matches that we played its our players who dont hav any intrest & it last 20yrs cricket has moved all along forget TIGERS they die due to starvation too wht abt Foolball
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: INDIAN CRICKET
by trivandrum padmanabhan on Mar 05, 2010 03:38 PM
Amit rightly said in few hanful of continents viz, Asia, Europe, America & Austrlia.In terms of countries 26( most of them developed). It has Olympic & Commonwealth standing apart from World championship.Incidently it is our national Game whether any one likes it or not! It is also becoming extinct like our National Animal " Tiger "!!
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: INDIAN CRICKET
by pradeep agarwal on Mar 05, 2010 03:43 PM
Asian continent has more hockey playing nations than cricket.Please have your facts in place before commenting on important issues.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: INDIAN CRICKET
by trivandrum padmanabhan on Mar 05, 2010 04:00 PM
Dear Amit - Speaking of cricket India started playing cicket from 1930s. It took India more than 20 years to win first test match in then Madras(1952).Again it took another 16 years to win a series in New Zealand under Pataudi in 1968! Then in 1971 we won abroad in WI & England.Then in 1983 we won world cup against Windies only to be thrashed by them in 5 - 0 subsequently. Well after nearly 6 decades today we are talking about this sport as if it is only the thing existing in this Universe.As a bottom line let us not overly gloat over cricket of which I am also an ardent fan!
The game has lost its charm. With all the restrictions the game was beautiful. Now, the west (IHF) has changed the rules to their benefit. Its not hockey any more. Its football with sticks. India and Pakistan should strive together to revive the old game charm. Countries like England, Australia and Netherlands cannot dream about playing the older version of the game. Stick work, dribbling, shot passes were the intricacies which we were known for. Halappa's goal against Australia was an example. I think we can still revive the game iff: 1. We keep politics out of it. 2. Administrators are hot made Indian HF's chief. 3. Old players come together to revive the game. 4. Don't compare the game with Cricket for any reasons. 5. We take care of our players properly (in all fronts)
Let us not cry unnecessarily. we were never good enough for any game with body contact .we were good when others donot play the game.e.g. cricket. same was the situation in hockey till 1960.we are very soft bodily,mentally and physically. this is a fact in every area not only sports.Look at the body language of the Aussies,Spaniards,englishmen and we will understand where we stand.Even we have started loosing to Pakistan,Bangladesh,Srilanka in many sports although they are our replica only.Without wasting time and money for such sports we should see whether Ludo,Carrom,Gilli danda etc can be included in Olympics.
I wonder where the supporters of the cry babies of the Indian hockey team are hiding now.....Where is Dhanraj Pillai, Michael Feriera and others..These players knew that they were mediocre and theirs would be a lost case in case tehy lost in the world cup and hence struck work when should have been practising...Now it is out in teh open...Coach says that there wasn't enough exposure..but where was time from all the drama???? Exposure??/Should they have been exposed to more money???? more TV cameras and more media???? Mediocrity has ruled Indian hockey for a long time...and it continues to be so....
Re: Where are the apologists??
by Jai Ho on Mar 05, 2010 02:31 PM
Swami, it's always about money. Would any of us work for free? Anyways, we Indians have mediocrity our USP. That's why we run call centers and backoffice processes, and not innovate like Apple or RIM.
Re: Where are the apologists??
by Pradip Rabindranath on Mar 05, 2010 02:30 PM
Let's get back to cricket guys ...so much for the Indian hockey team's podiuim finish ...
Re: Re: Where are the apologists??
by venkatapaty swami on Mar 05, 2010 02:33 PM
nobody will work for free...but we expect our national reprenstatives to be a little mindful of exalted things like honour, patriotism and camaraderie...They buried the first two and strutted the third one for a wrong case..I have problem with that...
Re: Re: Re: Where are the apologists??
by Jai Ho on Mar 05, 2010 02:37 PM
But they were following set principles, weren't they. Our governments, babus, unions, and we the people have all ignored honour and patriotism for camaradrie and that too for the wrong reasons. So expecting our Hockey team to do what a billion other Indians have not is not a rational expectation.
Re: Re: Re: Re: Where are the apologists??
by venkatapaty swami on Mar 05, 2010 02:42 PM
but indians have succeeded in other fields...right??? so to apply the Hockey example and generalise it in my opinion is a little unfair....my basic funda is this...This hockey team is a mediocre bunch..only greed matters to these guys..We shouldn't be backing people who are losers in their hearts...
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Where are the apologists??
by Jai Ho on Mar 05, 2010 02:47 PM
Yes, Indians have succeeded, but mostly as individuals. But how many of them have succeeded collectively as a Team, barring cricket? And even in cricket, have we won as often as we should have, given the money that sloshes around? That, my dear friend, is our tragedy. Singular we stand, United we fall
Re: Re: Where are the apologists??
by dev ped on Mar 05, 2010 03:10 PM
Do you remember last cricket world cup. Dhoni, Toni, Sachin wachin were all there when even Bangladesh humiliated us. We could not reach even top six. Why the hell we give so much importance to Cricket. Lets support Hockey
Re: Re: Where are the apologists??
by pradeep agarwal on Mar 05, 2010 02:35 PM
It is unfair on players to expect podium finish when they wre not even paid till media intervened against past dues.Hockey in India has been ruined by government apathy & senile officials who used federation as safe retirement heaven.We need to support players who are young & should be able to win once they are allowed to compete against European teams under new coach & necessary financial help from sponsors.
Re: Re: Re: Where are the apologists??
by venkatapaty swami on Mar 05, 2010 02:39 PM
People like Vijender Kumar, Sushil Kumar and others showed that they had in them...tehy won internationally and made pots of money....They were not complaining that they weren't being paid...Boss you win international tournaments...everybody will behind you, sponsors, governments, people...But if you are on a losing streak and you don't qualify even for the olympics and still you expected that you will be treated on par with the cricket team...you are being foolish....This hockey team is a bunch of losers....they don't deserve any sympathy
Re: Re: Re: Re: Where are the apologists??
by rexberry on Mar 05, 2010 02:51 PM
vijender kumar sushil kumar... can you add any more name.. thank god you didnt say abhinav bindra.. critising is the most easiest job sitting inside an AC office but without any knowledge abt hockey and half baked knowledge frm other blogs is defined as foolishness.. which is always allowed in rediff....nothing new... junior team won the world cup in 2003 who were suppose to be seniors now... why suddenly they r nt able to cope up with european teams....where is gagan ajit singh... where is jugraj singh... where is rajiv mishra.......i am damn sure you may never even heard these names....better stick to that cricket..pray sachin or dravid ...dont try to cross your boundaries by talkin abt indian hockey or football.. coz it looks funny
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Where are the apologists??
by venkatapaty swami on Mar 05, 2010 03:22 PM
sorry...people can have other things to do....as for being sadistic...I think the shoe is on the otehr foot....Had you been a rational chap you would have argued your case with cogent arguments..not by denigrating others...I guess you are one of those guys who think that they can never be wrong...and concede ground with a snide remark the going gets tough.....but all the best you loser
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Where are the apologists??
by venkatapaty swami on Mar 05, 2010 03:04 PM
Mr Berry....your nuts are yet to mature....Our junior teams always do well, especually in hockey, wrestling and boxing.....Here it is easy to pass off seniors as juniors.... If we look at the number of wrold tournaments where our juniors do well..we should be world champions everywhere...While western countries field juniors for junior tournaments we Indians ans pakistanis field seniors in the garb of juniors..thats they vanish in front of seniors.... I hope your nuts have been crushed and your spirits recked.....
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Where are the apologists??
by venkatapaty swami on Mar 05, 2010 03:09 PM
How come Mr berry is on rediff if he despises it so much...people with half baked ideas read and influenced by blogs.....Understandable that you do follow them.... Rajiv mishra suffered a nervous break down and gagan ajit singh simply vanished....whose fault was that.....Don;t get personal MR Nuts....
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Where are the apologists??
by V Kumara Swamy on Mar 05, 2010 03:32 PM | Hide message
You are one who is coming to conclusions not me....You are one who is imaginging that I was googling for answers.....people can have other things to do right??? Not searching for answers to questions of an odd ball on the net....You are on rediff and you are denigrating...ABCD and Z????? You are a sadist and get some pleasure by calling others sadist.. Lobby??? Which lobby do you belong???? Aryan lobby???
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Where are the apologists??
by Dev Kumar on Mar 05, 2010 03:29 PM
I agree. Even Ranji teams won't put up with the kind of treatment being meted out to the hockey team. If we wanted a podium finish then we should have prepared the team likewise. These guys are often made to travel by train, cook their own food, wash their clothes to name just a few. If we want output we must ensure proper inputs. That's basic isn't it? Add to that, the other hurdles like biased umpiring, and fitter and stronger European sides and you have a mountain to climb. Having said that, from whatever I've seen of our guys, they have the ability to match these foreign teams in every aspect. But like in cricket, a team has to win the big moments of the game to win the match. To do that, they'll have to be consistent performers on the international stage which in turn will happen only if they're given the facilities and the opportunities. That's not happening right now and so we aren't getting the results. We all know how long it took for our cricketers to reach the top bracket. We need not dismiss our hockey players just like that because they have it in them to make it to the top. But for that they must also be supported adequately. Where's that support???
The decision on Shivendra was necessary on two counts: First he was an Asian and secondly, an important match with Australia was coming up. So Ken Read cracked the whip. Don't expect him to act " fairly " on Pakistan's complaints, becuase the accused are English.
Re: Don't expect any action
by Venugopalan on Mar 05, 2010 03:12 PM
WELL said. The disciplinary action is only applicable for asian players. they cannot touch european players. for such a small foul(?) shivendra got a three match suspension (later reduced to 2) but european players can get away with even murder..
