Paul Wheeler over at Chasing the Dragons has written an interesting blog about what he feels is wrong with the current Team GB set-up, and what he feels should be done to improve it. Go read it here: http://chasingthedragons.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/gb-hockey-hits-the-crossroads/
Read it? Good.
First up. I feel that some of the article is somewhat inaccurate in its ‘facts’. So, here we go….
Tony Hand was not made Team GB coach as a ‘job for the boys’. He took the job on when asked after a number of other coaches (from the EIHL) had apparently turned it down. Just because he is a veteran of the British game, and well versed in its politics, it does not mean that the job was his as a ‘given’. Yes, he plays in the EPL, not the EIHL, but his assistant is Doug Christiansen, a highly respected EIHL coach, so its not as if Coach Hand makes his selections blind (but I guess it isn’t convenient to mention this when essentially trying to blame the coach for pretty much all of the teams failings). And believe you me, Tony hand takes the job extremely seriously. So seriously he got the entire EPL to alter its’ schedule to finish the same weekend as the EIHL so he could be available for the World Championship tournament in full, and have a chance to work with the players pre-tournament. He is also criticised because he still plays for the club he coaches, the implication being his playing/coaching duties are more important. Not the case. He left his injured, understrength team twice during the season to work with the GB squad in the Olympic qualifiers. Clearly not committed.
Paul then critiques the lack of young players in the squad, again suggesting something that is not strictly true. The players wh are in the GB squad are those who respond to the invitations issued by the coaching staff. Most (if not all) the young GB eligible players have jobs away from the ice, and I’m sure that given how much time they spend away from their families during the season, quite a few can not justify using up their holidays to play for Team GB and decline the opportunity. And some just plain won’t be able to afford it.
Add in the feeling I get of ‘Blaze tinted spectacles’ (parts of the article come accross as ‘When Paul Thompson wa sin charge it was great, but now he is not it sucks’), and i’m left feeling that some truly good insights are almost at risk of being ignored.
Paul is quite correct in his belief that Team GB needs to utilise the better Dual Nats available to it. Pretty much every other team who has them available does, and whilst being a ‘pure’ GB squad is certainly laudable, it will only get you so far (that being pretty much as far as we have gotten). He is also correct in stating that IHUK (and through them the EIHA, SIHL, etc) need to have more financial input into the Team GB system. Despite all the doom and gloom every summer, there is a significant amount of money floating around in the game, which if used wisely could benefit the national team, which inturn could bring in new money through success.
I’m sorry if this seems a little ‘ranty’, but parts of the article just rankled with me a bit.