Hockey's go-to man
Though Mahbub Harun started coaching in 2003 after having called time on his playing career in the previous year, it took the former national player three years to get in charge of the national team, which happened in the 2006 Asian Games. But since then Harun has proved himself as the go-to man for the federation and he has delivered on each of his assignments quite well, even better than most of the foreign coaches over the last one decade.
The former midfielder has once again been called up to guide the national team in the upcoming Asia Cup, which is being hosted by Bangladesh for the second time since 1985. Harun takes charge following the Bangladesh Hockey Federation's (BHF) decision to release German coach Oliver Kurtz due to a breach of the code of conduct.
In the last decade, the local game's governing body roped in four foreign coaches – German Gerhard Peter Rach, Malaysian Gopinath Krishnamurti, Pakistani Naveed Alam and lastly Kurtz, with the aim of taking the team a step ahead. However, the ultimate goal was hardly ever achieved under their guidance.
In his first assignment at the 2006 Asian Games, Harun met his target of leading the side to a seventh-place finish and achieved the same result in the Asia Cup in the following year. After having guided the side to the title in the 2008 AHF Cup, Harun was replaced by Rach ahead of the 2010 South Asian Games. The German, however, failed to bring any mentionable success during his three-year tenure.
It was again Harun, who guided Bangladesh to the 2012 AHF Cup title and then went on to produce their best-ever result in the inaugural Hockey World League (HWL) Round-2 in Delhi after leading the side to championship win in Round-1 in Singapore.
But the hockey administrators again looked for a foreign coach, and replaced Harun with Naveed, who guided Bangladesh to qualification for the Asian Games. However, the performance of the team in the 2013 Asia Cup and the 2014 Asian Games were poor. Consequently, Naveed was released of his charge and Harun was again the man the federation resorted to. Harun's charges beat South Korea 2-0 to earn direct entry into the AHF U-21 Cup with a sixth-place finish.
Then came Kurtz, who guided the national team to the AHF Cup title, but the team produced frustrating results under him in the HWL Round-2 in Dhaka, with a defeat against Oman proving very frustrating. Now in charge again, Harun looks to do what he has always succeeded in doing.
“Whenever the national team was in trouble, I was called up and then I worked hard to bring the team in shape. However, the team was handed to foreign coaches again and again over the last 10 years,” Harun said. “I have been appointed the head coach on June 15 but I am still confused whether to take the charge as there is a whisper that Kurtz might return to his job.”
Harun, however, is motivated to guide the team to seventh position in the upcoming Asia Cup.
“I achieved the target whenever I was given the responsibility. Let's wait and see what happens this time on our home soil. It will be tough to finish sixth, and we will have to beat Oman to regain the seventh position,” said a confident Harun, who wants to sit with the selection committee and BHF general secretary to talk about the players he needs to get the results.
Before entering the competition, Harun wants to play at least six practices matches -- three in early August and three in late September -- as he wants to bank on a squad with a mixture of experienced and young players.
Harun also promised that his side would put up scintillating performances like they did in Delhi in 2013.
“I want the boys to put up eye-catching performances like they did at the 2013 Hockey World League Round-2 in Delhi so that the spectators can return home with the satisfaction that Bangladesh really played well,” hoped Harun, who also believes that foreign coaches should be given long-term contracts to bring changes in Bangladesh's playing style.