Hockey India High Performance director David John has been swamped with calls since Tuesday afternoon. That's when men's coach Sjoerd Marijne, who was working with the women until last year, was asked to take up his former job while Harendra Singh, who was serving as women's coach, was handed the men's team job. It's the latest move in the bizarre game of musical chairs that has left the women's team feeling slighted.
Speaking to ESPN, John attempts to make the swapping sound necessary, even rational. He doesn't admit, though, that the latest coach-swapping episode between men's and women's teams could have been avoided with informed decisions in September last year when the same two names were up for the job. Or explain why coach change continues to be Indian hockey's easy, staid and predictable answer to all dismal performances by players at major tournaments.
But, in revealing a "solution" to Marijne's communication problems with players, John leaves the national federation open to further ridicule.
"If it wasn't such an important phase, particularly before the Asian Games and World Cup, then there would have been some consideration in giving Marijne more time [with the men's team]," David said.
"But communication was a major issue at the Commonwealth Games. A lot of players were confused or didn't understand instructions given by him and that was evident in some of the matches. We couldn't have let that happen in the next two tournaments. Also, Marijne relied on particular players to communicate with the others so some found that a problem because there was a feeling of favouritism. We have tried to address that in his new role now by getting in (former men's and women's team assistant coach) CR Kumar, who will serve as his assistant and a link between him and the women's team."
This gives rise to an obvious question: If communication was an issue and an Indian assistant coach was all that's needed to fix it, why wasn't that done while Marijne was with the men's team?
And the supplementary question: If Marijne's performance with the men's team was not up to scratch, why has he been moved to the women's team?
Actually, it's not clear exactly why Marijne lost his job with the men's team, becoming the fifth coach in as many years to be sacked. John puts the players in the dock for the dismal show in Gold Coast that prompted this decision.
"I think at this stage players still need to take responsibility for actions on the field. The fact that our strikers didn't score enough goals has resulted in another coach losing his job. Our statistics show that of the shots on goal, India only scored 10 percent and every other country got 26 percent so had we scored the goals we should have, we wouldn't be having this conversation now. We didn't think the performance was good enough and we've made the change now. If we waited till Champions Trophy (in June) and the results were poor again there wouldn't have been enough time to put a new coach in. It wouldn't have been fair to Harendra to have only two or three weeks before the Asian Games."
Marijne's first tournament with the women's team in his fresh stint will be the Asian Champions Trophy that begins on May 13 while Harendra's will be the Champions Trophy, starting on June 23.
Calling the latest coach swapping an 'awkward' decision, one that lays bare Hockey India's skewed sense of priorities, former women's coach MK Kaushik says, "I think the women's team deserves a better platform. It's odd that a coach has been sent back to the women's team for not performing well in his role with the men. Both teams deserve equal priority, irrespective of medals and results."
Former India captain V Baskaran concurs. He throws in a volley of questions to amplify his stand. "What is the kind of system that is being put into place with a decision like this? If someone is not considered fit for the men's team how come he's promptly put in charge of the women? We earlier had a very good coach in Terry Walsh, he had lovely drills and ethics and taught players how to play the backhand, the sweep shot but eventually he had to go. My question is who is taking these calls of who is good enough, who is not? Are we giving one man too much power? If our ambition is to be the world's best side, let's start thinking like one first."
David, though, says, he wouldn't have gone back in time and changed the decisions taken last September. The logic offered is wafer thin. "Then Sjoerd seemed right for the men's job, today he looks better suited to lead the women. If we're talking about the constant change in coaches, I think Indian players are used to it now."