{"id":11429,"date":"2011-10-29T10:11:00","date_gmt":"2011-10-29T10:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dwarkaparichay.com\/blog\/2011\/10\/we-will-be-competitive-colm-toa\/"},"modified":"2018-06-04T17:10:50","modified_gmt":"2018-06-04T17:10:50","slug":"we-will-be-competitive-colm-toa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dwarkaparichay.com\/blog\/we-will-be-competitive-colm-toa\/","title":{"rendered":"We will be competitive: Colm Toal"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\nNilanjan Datta<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

TEHRAN:<\/b> India\u2019s U-19 team stay focused on the AFC U-19 Qualifiers in Tehran at the moment. Clubbed in a strong group, Head Coach Colm Toal Joseph Toal assures, his boys will be competitive and stay positive against higher-ranked opponents. In a freewheeling chat with www.the-aiff.com<\/a>, Toal spoke at length about the present batch, the preparations and about how results shouldn\u2019t be the benchmark to judge Youth Development Programmes (YDP). EXCERPTS:<\/b><\/p>\n

\ufeff\ufeff\ufeff\ufeff <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Head Coach Colm Toal<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\ufeff\ufeff\ufeff\ufeffExpectations are running high back home after the U-16 squad qualified for the AFC Final Phase.<\/b><\/p>\n

\nIt\u2019s nice to get results but we need to remember the Youth Development Programme (YDP) is not all about results. Obviously, the fact that we qualified in 2007 and again in 2011 gives us that extra fillip and tell us that we are marching forward. More than results the YDP is all about producing Players who can go onto playing in the I-League and represent the Senior National Team. That we have been doing that consistently is satisfying indeed.<\/div>\n
\nThe more the boys win, the more confident they become. We need to maintain the right balance.<\/div>\n
\nHow has the preparation been for the AFC U-19 Qualifiers?<\/b><\/div>\n
\nWe have been training in Goa where everything is in place. Besides, the Camp in Shanghai was a very significant one for us. We made a lot of progress from where we performed reasonably well against some very tough teams in the Weifang Cup. Prior to landing in Tehran, we were based in Doha for around 12 days. I\u2019d say it came at the right time for us. The facilities were excellent and the practice matches further helped. The AIFF has done everything a Federation can do to help us train in the right manner.<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
U-19 boys at the breakfast table<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\n<\/b><\/p>\n

\nHow good is this bunch of U-19 boys?<\/b><\/b><\/div>\n
\nThey are as good as any other batch. But I don\u2019t believe in comparing teams. Batches which produce results don\u2019t always come out as better players in the long run. I want them to go and make a mark in the I-League for the Pailan Arrows after the U-19 Qualifiers end. That will define them for sure.<\/b><\/div>\n
\nIndia have been clubbed in a tough Group along with hosts Iran and Uzbekistan. How do you rate our chances?<\/b><\/b><\/div>\n
\nOur teams work hard and we need to be competitive. I can\u2019t guarantee we will win but we will play to win. You need to give yourself a chance against the best and stay positive. It\u2019s not for nothing that Iran and Uzbekistan are way ahead of us in the Rankings. Rankings don\u2019t only reflect the performance of the Senior Teams \u2013 rather, it filters down to the age-groups. And if we look there, you will see they have been doing a better job than us for a longer period of time.<\/b><\/div>\n
\nSince you took over the YDP, the face of Indian football is slowly but surely changing. What is the secret of Colm Toal\u2019s approach\/success?<\/b><\/b><\/div>\n
\nI have a strong objection to what you say. It\u2019s not about an individual; it\u2019s about team work. If Indian football is to move ahead, it\u2019s essential the Indian Coaches do well in the long term. I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by competent individuals who I believe, will change Indian football in the long run. YDP is not just about developing players — it\u2019s important the coaches also get the recognition.<\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n*********************<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
U-19 Team India – practice session<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\nAFC U-19 Qualifiers – FIXTURES<\/strong>
<\/strong>
<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nGroup C: Uzbekistan, Iran Pakistan, India, Turkmenistan (Takhti Stadium)<\/b><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nOct 31: Pakistan vs Uzbekistan \u2013 3.30pm<\/strong><\/div>\n
\nOct 31: India vs Turkmenistan \u2013 <\/b>6.30pm \u2013<\/b> IST: 8.30pm<\/b><\/strong><\/div>\n
\nNov 2: Pakistan vs Turkmenistan \u2013 2pm<\/strong><\/div>\n
\nNov 2: Iran vs India \u2013 <\/b>6.30pm \u2013 IST: 8.30pm<\/b><\/strong><\/div>\n
\nNov 4: India vs Uzbekistan \u2013 <\/b>3.30pm \u2013 IST: 5.30pm<\/b><\/strong><\/div>\n
\nNov 4: Turkmenistan vs Iran \u2013 6.30pm<\/strong><\/div>\n
\nNov 6: Turkmenistan vs Uzbekistan \u2013 3.30pm<\/strong><\/div>\n
\nNov 6: Iran vs Pakistan \u2013 6.30pm<\/strong><\/div>\n
\nNov 8: Pakistan vs India <\/b>\u2013 3.30pm<\/b> \u2013 IST: 5.30pm<\/b><\/strong><\/div>\n
\nNov 8: Uzbekistan vs Iran \u2013 6.30pm<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nilanjan Datta TEHRAN: India\u2019s U-19 team stay focused on the AFC U-19 Qualifiers in Tehran at the moment. Clubbed in a strong group, Head Coach Colm Toal Joseph Toal assures, his boys will be competitive and stay positive against higher-ranked opponents. In a freewheeling chat with www.the-aiff.com, Toal spoke at length about the present batch, the preparations and about how results shouldn\u2019t be the benchmark to judge Youth Development Programmes (YDP). EXCERPTS: \ufeff\ufeff\ufeff\ufeff Head Coach Colm Toal \ufeff\ufeff\ufeff\ufeffExpectations are running high back home after the U-16 squad qualified for the AFC Final Phase. It\u2019s nice to get results but we need to remember <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44590,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[92,1],"tags":[169,166,1879],"class_list":["post-11429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-better-india","category-update","tag-football","tag-sports","tag-update","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dwarkaparichay.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dwarkaparichay.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dwarkaparichay.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dwarkaparichay.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dwarkaparichay.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11429"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dwarkaparichay.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11429\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44593,"href":"https:\/\/dwarkaparichay.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11429\/revisions\/44593"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dwarkaparichay.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dwarkaparichay.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dwarkaparichay.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dwarkaparichay.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}