Ambitious Commenee believes changes will yield medals

But the Dutchman is equally happy to make a typically bold statement about the targets he will set.

"I have said from day one we need eight medals, including at least one gold, because that would be better than before in non-boycotted Games," he said.

"If it doesn't happen you can wave me goodbye at Heathrow."

Whether Van Commenee leaves Britain judged a hero or a failure remains to be seen, but there is no doubt he has been given every opportunity to do things his own way.

"I think we are heading in the right direction," he added.

"I'm happy that we have these two years because we would not be ready if the Games take place next week.

"I have put some structures in place and we are building on that. First of all I got rid of a lot of managers and replaced them with coaches, foreign coaches, and emphasised coach education along with Kevin Tyler.

"We use also the foreign coaches to teach and educate other coaches in the country. We centralised at Lee Valley and Loughborough where more athletes base themselves to work with these really good people and support staff on a day-to-day basis.

"We implemented a higher degree of accountability among athletes, coaches and other staff members. Those are the four areas focused on change. I'm not going to change more, this is it, we're just going to make sure these things work better.

"The next two years I will focus on individual development. For every athlete it's different. Some need to develop tactically, (sprinter) James Dasaolu has to get more robust in order to be at his very best in the third round in the London Games and not in the first round.

"He should be so good that he should run the heats and semis sort of comfortably, or at least be so strong that he doesn't carry that with him to the final. These are the things I'm employed to do."

Van Commenee's medal target – which is higher than that of UK Sport – looks pretty ambitious considering Britain won just four athletics medals in Beijing; one gold, two silver and one bronze. But the 52-year-old can point to the haul of six medals – two of each colour – from the World Championships in Berlin last year as evidence that results are improving, and is well aware of the potential power of a home Olympics.

"It's a great opportunity," he added. "These successes are not built overnight. That's probably the advantage of having a home Olympics. Yes, the support of the people in the stadium at the moment, you can't measure that.

"But what you see is that athletes commit themselves for a special event four or six years out. Athletes are moving and changing, they are more eager to do that for a home Olympics than any other event.

"Not many athletes will move house or change coach because of the worlds in Moscow in 2013. But where there is an Olympics around the corner they don't want to miss out on that opportunity so they make changes for a long period, commit themselves and that makes a difference.

"Athletes come to the start line better prepared and there is funding available to do that, more than having a world champs or Olympics somewhere else."

Better prepared means mentally as well as physically, and Van Commenee will do whatever necessary to help athletes achieve their medal goals in London.

That includes moving them out of the country just before the Games and enlisting the help of the likes of Australia's Cathy Freeman, 400m champion in 2000 in Sydney, to talk about the pressures of a home Olympics.

"The difference between winning and being close to winning is mostly a mental thing," he added.

"Performing under pressure is the nature of the sport.

"Pressure is actually only coming in when you think about failure."