While Irish hockey fans have to wait a couple of weeks to meet the new men’s national coach, Paul Revington, Corinthian coach John McInroy (pictured left), who has had firsthand experience of his work, believes his appointment is a massive boost.
The pair first met when Revington was coaching at the University of Cape Town and McInroy subsequently gained all his South African international caps under Revington between 2003 and 2006 and is quite clearly believes he is the man needed to take Irish hockey up a level.
“When I saw the appointment, I thought ‘Wow’; these are exciting times for Irish hockey. He is absolutely world class and I couldn’t think of a better guy. His attention to detail, his knowledge, his leadership qualities, he is a very learned man when it comes to hockey and his life is about coaching.”
Revington oversaw an impressive progression from 14th to 10th in the world rankings up until 2006, however there was no love lost between himself and his employers at the end of his tenure.
Revington said at the time, “Every national coach in South African sport, no matter how technically or tactically proficient they are, requires the support and leadership of their governing body.
“After doing well to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, I obviously frustrated various SA Hockey officials and progressively lost support from key members ofthe SAHA executive.”
His protégé, though, feels that such issues should not hold him back.“There’s lot of politics in South African hockey. As a player, you hear bits and pieces but you can only know so much.
“I think he’ll be looking forward to working from a clean piece of paper and having a full reign to put everything in place.”
Revington will take on the role fully in January but visits Ireland for nine-days at the end of November for the three-game series with Scotland.
30 comments:
intresting article
pretty harsh comment there. i soppose your class.
I wish the new coach well and hope that he will 'work with a clean piece of paper'. This should include a new backroom staff with hopefully (in my opinion ) an Irish
assistant coach and not the existing one.
Obviously Irish hockey has improved a lot lately why is everyone so keen for a big clear out of the "backroom staff" craig fulton is a class coach and his success with Pembroke is nearly second to none. So why replace him, in my opinion if he stays on Ireland are lucky. Why are Irish people so quick to want to get rid of or become jealous of none nationalists playing or coaching in this country! It freshens things up and brings new ideas. People should want what makes hockey better for everyone even if it comes to a level where they themselves cant achieve but can watch their fellow country men taking on the top clubs in the EHL or even qualifying for the 2012 Olympics. Seriously people thinking otherwise need to grow up and get over themselves.
well said,Ned has already brought the level of hockey up in this country by a big margin,just ask the players who train week in week out regionally with him,his ideas are spot on and his sessions are thoroughly thought out and run very well,no doubt he has the same input in the senior camps and with the new coach i can only imagine this will be a successful partnership.
Success with Pembroke?They havent won the league in 2 years yet have the best players at their disposal?Id hardly call that success.But maybe you are basing it on something else?
maybe two club championships and an ISC?
Maybe yeh.Liverpool won a Champions league and numerous 'cup' comps in the last few years.But they are judged on their league standings.Id liken them to Pembroke.Except Pembroke have the best players but have underperformed in the league.Dont think u can have any arguments otherwise.The best team wins the league.And Pembroke havent done that under Fulton.Full stop
i think its harsh to say pembroke havent performed in the league,unbeaten in it last season just pipped at the finish by TRR,hats off to rovers for staying in it and they got their rewards for this but for a team to have a season like that and not win the league will never happen again i don't think.
The usual stuff Pembroke blah blah bla! Listen if your gonna make a decent remark fell free but dont waste everyones time with your small mindedness. What had Pembroke achieved in the 3 years before Ned now compare that to the amount of finals and cups he's won in the space of 3 years considering the dramatic increase in the quality of the leinster league. Pembroke didnt lose a game in normal time last year...thats a big achievement when they had a lot of injuries.
Haha great joke mate Leinster league on the same par as the premiership and the club champs like champions league. Get realistic. Leinster league is like the league cup and the club champs is like the premiership and maybe the EHL is like the champions league. Thats a bit more realistic. Pembroke and 3 rock are the top 2 teams in the country. FULL STOP.
End of conversation no one wants to hear Pembroke are under-achievers broken record. Play somethin new
McInroy played International???What's the big hype with South Africa-he wouldn't get close to the Irish squad; far better fowards around the place.Get the Dutch in(need advice from one of the Powers of hockey).
McInroy is a quality striker
maybe someday irish coach...
I must say I have serious reservations about some of the "spin" on some of these guys. Lets not forget that for South Africa to get to the Olympics etc it is a MUCH easier passage than that of any Irish team. They only had to beat Egypt in a one off game. Thats not to say the guy doesnt know his stuff BUT lets not set all players/coaches who have been to an Olympics etc as something extraordinary.I truely believe that McInroy et al would have struggled to make a good Irish side of the past. Due to circumstances its not always possible to play or coach on the biggest stage...look at George Best for eg. Having said that I also heard that there were VERY few applications from Irish born coaches....why?
I agree Craig is a good coach, but i do feel that Ireland have the coaches with ability necessary. To help the development of these coaches i do feel that they have to be included.
Even at under age we have fewer opportunities for Irish coaches to develop.
It would also take away the appearance that you have a better chance of playing for Ireland if you play for his club.
If you train with his club you will be doing the Irish training, and not all the clubs i would think have this type of option or input.
I think the Assistant coach should be in a paid position and the person involved should not be allowed to coach for a mens club. This i think would maybe encourage Irish coaches to go for the position.
what a load of rubbish,i don't think any of the pembroke guys would be considered not to be worthy of their places in the irish squad,do you?
I think every one is worth their place but can you not see that as he is the assistant coach and the TRR coach works with the international squad as well. DO YOU think it is a coincidence that they are the two best teams. The clubs through their coaches are getting all the most upto date information that is definately not available to the other coaches in the Leinster or for that matter Ireland. Does anyone think that, that is fair on the other clubs. Again i feel it is best for IRELAND that either the assistants are paid by the IHA and cannot take part in club hockey or that every senior mens club coach gets access to all the same information as the assistants do. That is all the new techniques and skills that the international set up use so that these can be practised by all the clubs as soon as the international set up get them. Not as it is at the minute two clubs are getting them and the other clubs have to video the matches, work out drills and coaching methods on how to utilise them and then put them into practise, and then use them in matches.
Would that not be fairer and better for Irish hockey, it would make the league even stronger and more competative and keep it in front of Ulster.
I think you missed the posters point, not that they did not deserve their place but that they had an advantage due to the coaches involvement.
Which they feel is not fair on the rest of the players and teams min the League
interesting to see whether new man will realise there are 4 provinces, noy just leinster
In Irish hockey as it stands today in the mens game, only Leinster and Ulster count, Connaght is dead and Munster is dying.
I have been speaking recently to two senior South African internationals who were coached by Revington and they on an unbiased level have told me that he is an exceptional appointment. This talk about how he left the South African team was all to do with politics within their hockey association. Apparently he followed players all the way from U15 levels, he attended almost every tournament and match possible trying to find the most inform players. I believe this is a massive appointment by the IHA.
"The most innovative coach South Africa ever had"
I understand your comment on the assistant coaches and how you feel their clubs have a greater advantage using skills and techniques that the national squad may use but you also have to add in the factor that these clubs have the talent within their squads to use these skills and techniques,i would also be of the opinion that its not top secret information what the national squad train and if coaches around leinster spent time watching footage of any international hockey like the TRR and PWHC coach do they would find that they would pick up new ideas very quickly
I agree with some of that but TV hockey coverage is poor. Most Irish club coaches use their holidays coaching their clubs. They cannot afford to go to international tournaments as a rule due to costs and very few clubs can afford to send them, i just feel that every Senior Mens team should be able to get the sameinformation at the exactly the same time. So if the national coach sees something it should be sent out emmediately. If this happened it would raise the standard a bit quicker and would filter down to all the clubs.
I think it should be a completely level field for all.
What we need is to avoid the league becoming a two team league. This will not happen for a while but it may if all the upto date info goes to two clubs only and as you have said they seem to get the most talent. The main reason for this has to be they have the most up to date information first.
I do applaude both clubs and all their coaches but would you not agree that it would be great if Munster especially had access to this to help in their efforts to stay competative.
This is just a thought for the good of hockey in Ireland it is not against any of the clubs as i admire what they have done over the years.
this info doesnt have to be gotten first hand by attending top events,majority of international games can be gotten from the internet nowadays via torrent files or streaming,and theres a vast amount of articles written on current international hockey and its innovative ways,all it takes is a little time to search through the internet
That i agree with, but i am not that lierate with the internet and i do not know what a bit torent is. But i watched eurosport coverage on line and it was very poor quality and followed the ball.
What the coaches need is the footage Ireland gets and the points that Ireland are going to work on. It is these specific points that the club coaches should be given.
The other factor why they should not be allowed to be assistant coaches is that they are seeing players strengths and weaknesses from other clubs. No doubt they are trying to improve these weaknesses but in a competative match it must be very handy to know if a player they are now coaching against has a problem.
Please do not say that the coaches involved do not let their greater knowlage of these weaknesses not influence their tackics and how their teams approach matches.
yes,they do,but doesn't every coach of every team do this about opposition players,surely they do,i can't imagine a coach in a team briefing praising an opposition player and pointing out what he does well just because he's an international,i would think they would look to what their weaknesses may be and try to pressurise them in these areas,if not then their value as a coach isn't much in my opinion.
This is also true. But i do not think that is the point. No club coach should have an advantage over another club coach due to the fact that they are coaching Ireland and have access to information the opposition do not have.
Obviously you are a member of one of these teams or a supporter, and see no problem with either coach having more information than their opponents so as to keep them as more successful than the other clubs they play. Thus attracting players to their clubs and so on and so on.
My argument is for fairness for all and if the Ireland wanted a stronger club and league structure they would hand over every tape and all the information that only three coaches have so far have had and have used to great effect.
maybe you can just understand that teams like rovers and pembroke work hard, have the talent to do well and can then have coaches who the international teams see as beneficial to them as well as their respective clubs put everything together and get results. turloch and fulton can coach as much as they know, but it comes down to the players to do the work. nevermind all this bullsh*t of not getting enough of the right information, i know rovers and pembroke are willing (and have done in the past) to give videos of themselves to opposition. the reason why they are so good is that they work around what is put in front of them. if fingal/monkstown etc come and think they have them sussed, they adapt and go around another way.
quit all this nonsense about not getting the right information.
It may be nonsence to you, but i know that Mick Mc Kinnin had started this idea in his role as development officer. He felt that all information from all national squads should be made available to every senior club coach. He aslo wanted every league match to be available to every coach in the country. This would be of great benifit to all involved and would help bring up the standard of coaching and playing all over the country. I hope the new development officer follows this up.
But then i talk bulls**t.Bye i see no point in trying to have an open and constructive discussion for the good of Irish hockey and to try and see why two clubs are successful and why.
Do not bother replying as i will not be reading any more on this blog. Sorry Stephen.
I wish you success but i am not interested in the closed minds of some people and this closed attitude may explain why the numbers of men and boys playing the sport has shrunk in all the provinces.
Post a Comment