Jamieson urges Britain to take time over coach

Olympic silver medallist Michael Jamieson has said there's no need for British Swimming to rush the appointment of a new head coach, so long as they get the right person for the job. Rebecca Adlington slammed the governing body last month in the delay over naming a successor to Dennis Pursley, who resigned following the host nation's poor performance in the pool at last year's London Olympic Games. Pursley has returned to his native United States while Australian Michael Scott quit as British Swimming's performance director after a review into the team's London results suggested he should live in the UK. However, the review suggested British Swimming was broadly on the right track although Adlington, who won two golds at the 2008 Games in Beijing, labelled the coaching situation an "absolute mess". Adlington and Jamieson were the only British swimmers to win medals in London, with the Beijing heroine winning bronze in both in the 400 metres and 800m freestyle, while Jamieson took silver in the 200m breaststroke. This contrasted with a return of six medals won by British swimmers in China and a minimum target of five podium places in London. Jamieson took issue Monday with Adlington over the importance of the delay, saying: "I think it's definitely about getting the right person in place. "As an athlete obviously I work with my own coach day to day and it's between myself and him. I wouldn't personally hold a head coach responsible if I had a bad swim. "It's definitely important to have a head coach, someone who can provide advice and guidance, and I have every faith in the people who are looking for the right person. "There's plenty of time. The next Olympics is a long way away." And Jamieson was less concerned than some, including Adlington, about the nationality of the British team's head coach, a post that has effectively been in foreign hands for several years since Scott replaced Australian swimming guru Bill Sweetenham in 2007. "For me it's not important as long as it's the right guy for the job," the 24-year-old Glaswegian added. "Obviously I want to see home-grown coaches progress but we've got a lot of young coaches doing a great job so, even if it was to be a foreign head coach, I don't think it's From : AFP