KUALA LUMPUR: Honesty is the best policy.
And that’s why national doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi wasted no time in conducting an early analysis of his players’ performances in the All-England and admitted that they had failed.
Herry, who just joined the team on Feb 2, now has a clearer picture on where the players are and what needs to be done.
“Coaching the players for a new coach is a process that takes time, possibly six months to a year,” said Herry.
“The training methods and playing styles are slightly different, and not all players can adapt quickly.
“Having said that, it is still one of the worst setbacks in my career as a badminton coach.”
Malaysia fielded six men’s doubles pairs in this year’s All-England, with three under the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM), namely Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik, Man Wei Chong-Tee Kai Wun, and debutants Wan Arif Wan Junaidi-Yap Roy King.
All of them suffered early exits in the first round, including professional pairs Tan Wee Kiong-Nur Azriyn Ayub and Teo Ee Yi-Ong Yew Sin.
Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzuddin Rumsani were the only pair to advance beyond the opening round but bowed out in the second round against South Korea’s Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae.
With their early exits, Malaysia’s 18-year title drought in the All-England men’s doubles continued, which was last won by Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong in 2007.
Herry was sympathetic towards former world champions Aaron and Wooi Yik.
“Aaron is still dealing with a slight problem with his hand, and he has yet to recover fully,” said Herry. “Secondly, based on what I observed during the match, Aaron usually plays more at the back, but this time, he was moving forward more often. Regardless of the reason, they lost.
“As for Wei Chong-Kai Wun, I thought they had a good chance of overcoming the Chinese pair, but their performance in the second game was not up to par as they ended up following their opponents’ pace. There is still a lot to improve.
“As for Arif-Roy King, it was their first time playing at the All England.
“According to (Muhammad) Miftakh, they struggled to control their emotions as they were too excited. On top of that, they could not shake off their nerves,” said Herry when met at Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM), Bukit Kiara yesterday.
However, he will wait for a full report from coach Miftakh before conducting a post-mortem.
