India's new football coach Bob Houghton Friday said tall and well-built players can make a difference in the country's soccer fortunes.Two days after India slipped 13 places to 130th rank in world football, Houghton made a fervent appeal for tall players who could make a difference in scoring goals.
"I have found the boys dedicated and hard working," said Houghton, a former China and Uzbekistan coach, two days before leaving with the team to Vancouver for the four-nation Nations Cup.
"But, physically, I would like to have bigger players," he said at his maiden press conference here.
To pursue his mission, Houghton, 58, said he would travel across the country looking for tall and well-built players after he returns from Vancouver July 28.
While giving the example of the just concluded World Cup in Germany, he said tall players in most of the 32 competing teams dominated the tournament.
"Most of these players were about 182-183 cm tall," pointed out the man who replaced Syed Nayeemuddin as national coach.
"I am sure when the World Cup statistics will be out, most of the goals - six out of ten - will be from these players, the mid-fielders who would come up front to score goals."
Asked about his role in the selection of the team, Houghton said it was not an issue.
"The 20 that have been pruned down (from 35 probables) are solely my and my assistants' choice," he said, trying to underplay the issue with AIFF president Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi sitting beside him.
"It's not difficult to select the best players."
Houghton also avoided commenting on the fitness of the players - the 35 who were picked for the initial camp and the pruned 20 who will be travelling to Canada.
"Fitness...," Houghton smiled and said after a pause, "when they return from Vancouver, will be good".
The Indian team, led by S. Venkatesh and without star striker Baichung Bhutia who has pulled out, is having a brief session at the Ambedkar Stadium with Houghton before flying out Sunday.
The four teams participating in the maiden Nations Cup, to be played between July 19 and July 23 are India, a Chinese under-20 team, Cardiff City Football Club of England and hosts Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
After he returns from Canada, Houghton said he would like to interact with physiotherapists, medicos and coaches around the country to establish a good "working relationship".
SQUAD: S. Venkatesh (captain), Sandeep Nandy and Subhasis Chaudhary (goal-keepers), Mahesh Gawli, Narender Singh, N.S. Manju, Surkumar Singh, Renedy Singh, Steven Dias, Mehrajuddin Waddoo, Sushil Kumar Singh, Sunil Chetri, Anupam Sarkar, Manjit Singh, Samir Naik, Bibiano Fernandes, Freddy Mascarenhas, Micky Fernades, N.P. Pradeep and Habibur R. Mondal
SUPPORT STAFF: Bob Houghton (chief coach), Maurice Affonso (assistant coach), Marcus Pacheco (goal-keepers' coach), Mannav Bhattacharya (doctor), Pradeep Dutta (physical doctor) and Pradip Kumar Choudhary (manager)
FIXTURES:
July 19: India vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FCJuly 21: Cardiff City FC vs. China under-20 teamJuly 23: Third place playoffJuly 23: Final
(IANS)
