Ric Charlesworth believes it would be a good outcome if India reach the semis at Rio

Ric Charlesworth wants coaching to be left to the coaches

India may have shown the door to Paul van Ass withing 6 months in charge of the Indian hockey team, but if former technical advisor of the Indian Men’s and women’s hockey team is to be believed, then the Men’s team will not be as badly affected as one assumes it could be since they have in Roelant Oltmans, a man who knows the players well.

“You are lucky I suppose that Roelant Oltmans (now the chief coach) is still there. He has been known to the players and has been around for a while (as High Performance Manager) but yes too much chopping and changing can't be good for the team," Charlesworth said on Tuesday, according to the Times of India.

“In the end, you should leave the coaching up to the coaches. You put them in charge and you let them do it. There have been good things happening in Indian hockey of late but then you hear of something like this (Van Ass ouster) happening.

When asked if the change in the coaching staff would have any bearing on the players, the 63-year-old said that they would be professional enough to keep the off-field issues off their minds and instead focus on the job on the pitch.

"The players can handle it, that is not a huge issue. It has not happened one month before the Olympics. The Olympics is still an year away. They have a better preparation chance than anyone else," he said in the interview.

Charlesworth, though, felt that it was very difficult to build a side when there is a constant changes made to the coaching staff.

“Jose Brasa did a good job, he did not last. Then you had Michael Nobbs and Terry Walsh, who also did a very good job and team was making progress under him before another change took place. It is very difficult to build a team while all that is happening around you,” the Western Australian said.

He further said that India will need to strike a balance between their style of play and the way the world plays and feels that the Hockey India League could play an important role as it helps many young Indians play alongside some of best international players.

"India's style has to be a hybrid between how they used to play while adapting to the fast-paced modern game. You have to adjust to the new rules and the way the game is played. Hockey India League has been good to India with locals playing with lots of overseas players. So, the style is not such a critical thing anymore. It is the individual skill, the combination, the tactics. These are the areas India need to work on,” Charlesworth said.

Talking about India’s chances at the Olympics next year, Charlesworth felt that while India were making good progress, it would be difficult to expect them to win a medal from that position.

"They have a pretty useful team but expectations are unrealistic often. The team has gone from 10 to 8th in the world, so it is making progress. But from that position you don't expect that they would be medallists in Rio. I think to get to the semifinals will be a good outcome," he concluded.