| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Douglas Houghton | ||
| Date of birth | 30 October 1947 | ||
| Place of birth | England | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1966–1969 | Fulham | ||
| 1969–1970 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| 1970–1971 | Hastings United | 65 | (14) |
| 1971–1975 | Maidstone United | ||
| Teams managed | |||
| 1970–1971 | Hastings United | ||
| 1971–1975 | Maidstone United | ||
| 1974–1980 | Malmö FF | ||
| 1980 | Ethnikos Piraeus | ||
| 1980–1982 | Bristol City | ||
| 1982–1984 | Toronto Blizzard | ||
| 1984–1986 | Al-Ittihad | ||
| 1987–1989 | Örgryte IS | ||
| 1990–1992 | Malmö FF | ||
| 1993 | Al-Ittihad | ||
| 1994–1995 | FC Zürich | ||
| 1996 | Colorado Rapids | ||
| 1997–1999 | China | ||
| 2000 | Shanghai Pudong | ||
| 2001 | Sichuan Quanxing | ||
| 2002-2003 | Zhejiang Greentown | ||
| 2005 | Uzbekistan | ||
| 2005-2006 | Changsha Ginde | ||
| 2006–2011 | India | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Robert Douglas Houghton (born 30 October 1947), commonly known as either Bob Houghton or Bobby Houghton, is an English football manager and former player, Houghton was most recently the head coach of India. His career has spanned over 30 years and 10 different countries. A tall and powerful striker, he was a prolific goal scorer for all four of his clubs, most notably for Fulham F.C.. He is most famous for taking Swedish club Malmö FF to the 1979 European Cup Final, where they lost to Nottingham Forest.
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During his brief playing career, Houghton was a midfielder for Fulham (1966–69) and Brighton & Hove Albion (1969–70). Houghton was one of the youngest coaches ever to manage in English senior football, being appointed player-manager of Hastings United in the Southern League at only 23. In the early 1970s he also managed Maidstone United and worked as an assistant to Bobby Robson at Ipswich Town.[1]
He became the manager of Swedish top flight side Malmö FF in 1974. Houghton guided them to success domestically and internationally, reaching the 1979 European Cup Final, losing 1–0 against Nottingham Forest. The team was all based on local players who came from within 60 km from Malmö. It was the first and so far only time a Swedish team has reached the European Cup final.
He also won the Swedish championship and Svenska Cupen several times and was runner-up in the Intercontinental Cup in 1979 (Nottingham Forest had declined to participate). Along with close friend Roy Hodgson he is widely regarded as being responsible for the transformation of Swedish football into a relative modern power.[2]
After a short spell in Greece with Ethnikos Piraeus, Houghton returned to his homeland in 1980 to manage Bristol City. His spell at Ashton Gate was unsuccessful as the financially stricken club were relegated and Houghton resigned after a defeat to Wimbledon. Houghton's next job was with North American Soccer League side Toronto Blizzard between 1982 and 1984. He then managed in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad before returning to Sweden at Örgryte IS and Malmö FF again. After another spell with Al-Ittihad in 1993, he joined Swiss side FC Zürich in April 1994 and remained in charge for just over a year before leaving in March 1995. In 1996 he became the first ever coach of Major League Soccer side Colorado Rapids before being sacked after just one season.
Houghton then assumed control of the Chinese national team in late 1997, who had just failed to qualify for the 1998 World Cup. Within weeks, Houghton was able to memorise the names of all his players, a rare feat in foreign coaches, and helped build the team's confidence and self-belief. China were placed second in the Dynasty Cup very shortly after Houghton took over, and he developed a reputation for being able to implement an effective technical football program for struggling teams. They also attained a bronze medal at the 1998 Asian Games. After failing to qualify for the 2000 Olympic football tournament, Houghton left as manager of the Chinese national team in 1999. He later had several spells as a club manager in China and was also a coaching instructor.
He had a spell in charge of Uzbekistan in 2005 when he was charged with qualifying for the 2006 World Cup though his attempt failed after losing a controversial play-off tie against Bahrain. Uzbekistan won the first match 1–0 but FIFA declared the result void after a refereeing mistake, and Uzbekistan were eliminated on the away goals rule.
After coaching Chinese side Changsha Ginde for a few months, Houghton was then appointed head coach of India in June 2006 by the All India Football Federation. His appointment saw a general progress in India's performances[3] crowned by victory in the Nehru Cup in August 2007. The following year India suffered a huge loss when Maldives defeated them at the final of SAFF Championship 2008, despite a 100% record in the group stage,[4] including a victory over the Maldives. However, Houghton led India to the AFC Challenge Cup title as they beat Tajikistan 4-1 in August 2008, which gave India a berth at the Asian cup 2011 in Doha. He also oversaw the Indian team to its second consecutive Nehru Cup trophy win in 2009. He resigned in 2010 after not being able to reach a new contract deal.[5] He later confirmed that his contract had been renewed till 2013, but hinted that he might review his decision after the 2011 Asian Cup.[6] At the Asian Cup, India lost all of their three group matches. As expected,India's football authorities expressed disappointment over the national team's performance and the All India Football Federation (AIFF) technical committee urged the executive committee to sack Houghton. On 23 April 2011, Bob Houghton handed in his immediate resignation as the Indian national team coach, which the AIFF accepted.[7]. Houghtons last assignment as Indian coach was the AFC challenge cup 2012 qualifiers in Malaysia, where India topped Group B which included Pakistan, Chinese Taipei and Turkmenistan.[8].
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Dave Turner |
Toronto Blizzard head coach 1982–1984 |
League defunct |
| Preceded by Vanderlei Luxemburgo |
Al-Ittihad (Jeddah) manager 1984–1986 |
Succeeded by Unknown |
| Preceded by Syed Nayeemuddin |
India national football team coach 2006–2011 |
Succeeded by Armando Colaco |
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