Looking to resuscitate Indian soccer from its predicament, the national governing body -- AIFF -- decided to change its guard in the team management in September. A coach hunt ended with Syed Nayeemuddin returning to the helm of the country's soccer as the national coach. Faced with this challenge, Nayeeuddin spoke at length to TWF correspondent Kushal Chakraborty on various issues concerning coaching.…

Syed Nayeeduddin is one of the best defenders the country has ever seen. It was under his leadership the country won the Asian Games bronze in 1970. That was the last creditable finishing by the country's football in the continental games. The three decades since then have marked the degeneration of the sport to its present state except for the glimpses of a resurrection in 2002 August when the squad conquered host Vietnam in the final to lift the glittering LG Cup under the guidance of coach Stephen Constantine. Indian football, lolling at 134th place in the world hierarchy, stands emaciated and exposed to ravages even at the hands of its immediate neighbours like Pakistan and Maldives. Though Nayeem had been the national coach in 1998 this time the challenges are much steep. He now has the task of getting the sub-continental leadership back for the country with the SAFF Cup tournament scheduled in the second week of December.

The Timeless Derby The sharp shooter 90 minutes to soccer mainstream Soccer sulks A perfect swing! "Performance is the only mantra" ‘Delhi is a fertile virgin land for football’ The Bong connection Foreign remedy A ball and a bat India is not ready for World Cup yet Bend it like Jess Sport it like Beckham The disciplinarian Return of the silken assassin 'Satisfaction means death' Eves on a leather hunt Life's sweet spot Still a student of the game Such a long journey ‘Pillai is unfit for modern hockey' ‘Marriage will not change my football’ ‘Singles has always been my priority’ ‘Once people discover the charm of fast bowling, a trend develops’ ‘The coach is always in the line of fire’ ‘All athletes should be out competing now’

What are your experiences as a player, especially in Kolkata where you touched the peak of your career?
I tried my best to get nearest to perfection. But despite that there were shortcomings. We were missing so many things. I now feel that as players we did not heed the words of our `gurus' (mentors) in true spirit. If we had done that we would have been much better players. My gurus, Rahim Sahab (Syed Abdul Rahim) and J. C. Ghua Sahab, have played a great role in shaping up my career. I miss their guidance now.

What is your opinion about the present day players?
There is talent but I find devotion to the sport lacking in the modern day footballers. I think the role of the media, especially some journalists, has come up as a deterrent. They are spoiling the players with unnecessary hype and criticism. There is a saying 'you are born great but the society makes you worse.' Even some officials at different levels of the administration are inciting indiscipline. Hardly anyone tells the players that `the coach is your real teacher, your Gurudev.' In our days coaches like Rahim Sahab, Bagaha Da (Bagha Shome) were ruthless about discipline. They would at times thrash a player to make work hard, practise hard. The mentality of the players has under gone a sea change. Take the example of great P.K. Banerjee. He would practise for hours on end to perfect his shots. Jarnail Singh used to say it is better to practise in a ploughed field. He felt that such practice methods sharpened the reflexes of a player as the ball would behave oddly on an uneven surface. Now, if you make the players run an extra mile they will complain to the officials about cruelty and get the coach sacked.

Why do you insist on implementing discipline rigorously?
Discipline is the foundation of any training. That is quintessential part of the learning process. Can you learn the language without knowing the alphabets? The teams all over the world are very strict about discipline. The players are professional there and they do not complain as they are conscious about it. Football is mostly about passing and receiving and to perfect this art you need a disciplined training. The art of perfecting it is discipline. All the big and famous coaches in the world like Alex Ferguson or Gerrard Houlier are known disciplinarians. If I insist on discipline, I am not going beyond coaching ethics followed around the world. I have been to many places in Europe and Asia and discipline is a major element of professionalism. Football is a simple game. To succeed in a simple game you have to do simple things very well through out the 90 minutes. To succeed in a match you read the game and change some patterns according to situations. This is what football is all about.

You started coaching big clubs becoming the coach of East Bengal in 1989. Ever since then you have handled many assignments, including the job of the national coach. How do you look back at that?
I earned lot of honour and fame as a player. I wanted to give back the new generations of players what I learnt as a footballer. Teaching football is not that easy, playing is much easier. All these years my efforts have to educate myself while teaching and training the players. I want to learn more and visit many more countries, like France, Italy, Spain or Germany, to get trained on the newer techniques. It requires lot of money, so I am buying lottery tickets hoping for windfall that will ensure my trip. I want to start my own academy. I have been to places around the world and I think with the knowledge I have gained on coaching, my academy will be able to stand on its own.

Can you please elaborate your plans about the academy?
I have big plan for a good academy. I have been working on the blue print. But I have no money for that. I once approached the Andhra Pradesh government some years back. Maybe I will try that again. I want to go back to my home state (AP) and start working on building the new generation players.

How do you think our players will be able to match the international standards? Is it only technique?
Technique and skill are essential parts that come from practice. But more than that, we need to work on the physique of the players. Take the example of China and Japan. They have tackled this problem through genetic science. We can also do that in our country, which has advanced lot in the field of science and technology. It will be not easy but we need to try. We need robust players who have the right height-weight ratio. Another aspect is introducing the sport in a systematic manner at the school level. This will involve the parents, who will look after the diet of their children from an early stage. The developmental thrust should start from schools and then work up through blocks, districts, state and then finally to the national stage.

It can be said now that whenever a team at any level is in distress, it looks for Syed Nayeemuddin. What do you say about this?
I cannot specify any reason. I think the administrators always have it in their minds that discipline is good for the players and the team. I can mould the players and guide them properly. My last assignment with Brothers Union in Bangladesh was a success because I was given the independence to enforce discipline. That team had German and Austrian coaches before. But once the team became the league topper of the country, they said I was better than the foreigners. The mayor of Dhaka, Mr. Sadik Hussain Khoka, who is the patron of the club, wanted me to stay back. That was a great honour for me as a coach and teaching technique.

After being made the national coach, what kind of cooperation are you expecting from the national federation?
I need more time and encouragement from the national federation. I have already talked to them about my needs and they are ready to give it now that they have money for development. The AIFF will be giving performance related incentives to the players and would be organizing more exposure trips. These are very positive indications. I want the players to work hard now. Apart from this, I would be happy if the AIFF organizes international friendlies for players starting from the age group of 16. I would also propose that the best two teams of the age-group nationals starting from the junior stage should be allowed to play in the bigger competitive tournaments like Durand Cup, Rovers Cup or the IFA Shield. That will help the boys stand up to the challenge more effectively.

Finally, who would you prefer to have as the technical director of the team?
In the given circumstances, an Indian stalwart like P.K. Banerjee is good. A player or a coach like him has a very good grasp of the Indian conditions. Many former players and football lovers have the same feeling. I think, the think-tank in the national federation is competent enough and any decision on the technical director will be taken with due consideration.