View source for Bob Houghton

{{Short description|English footballer and manager (born 1947)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2014}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name        = Bobby Houghton
| image       = Bob Houghton (1979).jpg
| caption     = Houghton in 1979
| fullname    = Robert Douglas Houghton
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1947|10|30|df=y}}
| birth_place = England
| years1 = 1966–1969
| years2 = 1969–1970
| years3 = 1970–1971
| years4 = 1971–1972
| clubs1 = [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]]
| clubs2 = [[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion]]
| clubs3 = [[Hastings United F.C. (1948)|Hastings United]]
| clubs4 = [[Maidstone United F.C. (1897)|Maidstone United]]
| caps1  = 0  | goals1 = 0
| caps2  = 0  | goals2 = 0
| caps3  = 65 | goals3 = 14
| caps4  =    | goals4 = 
| manageryears1  = 1970–1971
| manageryears2  = 1971–1972
| manageryears3  = 1974–1980
| manageryears4  = 1980
| manageryears5  = 1980–1982
| manageryears6  = 1982–1984
| manageryears7  = 1984–1986
| manageryears8  = 1987–1988
| manageryears9  = 1989
| manageryears10 = 1990–1992
| manageryears11 = 1993
| manageryears12 = 1994–1995
| manageryears13 = 1996
| manageryears14 = 1997–1999
| manageryears15 = 2000
| manageryears16 = 2001
| manageryears17 = 2002–2003
| manageryears18 = 2005
| manageryears19 = 2005–2006
| manageryears20 = 2006–2011
| managerclubs1  = [[Hastings United F.C. (1948)|Hastings United]]
| managerclubs2  = [[Maidstone United F.C.|Maidstone United]]
| managerclubs3  = [[Malmö FF]]
| managerclubs4  = [[Ethnikos Piraeus F.C.|Ethnikos Piraeus]]
| managerclubs5  = [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]]
| managerclubs6  = [[Toronto Blizzard (1971–84)|Toronto Blizzard]]
| managerclubs7  = [[Ittihad FC|Al-Ittihad]]
| managerclubs8  = [[Örgryte IS]]
| managerclubs9 = [[Ittihad FC|Al-Ittihad]]
| managerclubs10  = [[Malmö FF]]
| managerclubs11 = [[Ittihad FC|Al-Ittihad]]
| managerclubs12 = [[FC Zürich]]
| managerclubs13 = [[Colorado Rapids]]
| managerclubs14 = [[China PR national football team|China]]
| managerclubs15 = [[Shaanxi Renhe Commercial Chanba F.C.|Shanghai Pudong]]
| managerclubs16 = [[Sichuan Guancheng F.C.|Sichuan Quanxing]]
| managerclubs17 = [[Hangzhou Nabel Greentown F.C.|Zhejiang Greentown]]
| managerclubs18 = [[Uzbekistan national football team|Uzbekistan]]
| managerclubs19 = [[Guangzhou R&F F.C.|Changsha Ginde]]
| managerclubs20 = [[India men's national football team|India]]
| medaltemplates = {{medalSport|Men's [[Association football|football]]}}
{{Medal|Country|{{fb|IND}}}} <small>(as manager)</small>
{{MedalComp|[[AFC Challenge Cup]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[2008 AFC Challenge Cup|2008]]|}}
}}

'''Robert Douglas Houghton''' (born 30 October 1947) is an English [[manager (association football)|football manager]] and former player. His career has spanned over 30 years and 10 countries. He is most famous for taking Swedish club [[Malmö FF]] to the [[1979 European Cup final]], where they lost to [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]].

==Career==

===Early career===
During his brief playing career, Houghton was a midfielder for [[Fulham F.C.|Fulham]] (1966–69) and [[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|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 F.C. (1948)|Hastings United]] in the [[Southern Football League|Southern League]] at only 23. During that period, he was a star pupil of coaching guru Allen Wade, who was the technical director of the Football Association between 1963 and 83.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/7945895/Liverpool-manager-Roy-Hodgson-ready-to-take-on-the-role-of-a-lifetime.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Duncan | last=White | title=Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson ready to take on the role of a lifetime | date=14 August 2010 | access-date=3 April 2018 | archive-date=12 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312075633/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/7945895/Liverpool-manager-Roy-Hodgson-ready-to-take-on-the-role-of-a-lifetime.html | url-status=live }}</ref> In the early 1970s Houghton also managed [[Maidstone United F.C.|Maidstone United]] and worked as an assistant to [[Bobby Robson]] at [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]].<ref>[http://www.canadakicks.com/blizzard/profiles/b_houghton.htm Houghton the new troubleshooter for the Blizzard] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070825001637/http://www.canadakicks.com/blizzard/profiles/b_houghton.htm |date=25 August 2007 }}, Soccer Illustrated Magazine.</ref>

===Malmö FF===
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 F.C.|Nottingham Forest]]. The team was all based on local players who came from within 60&nbsp;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 (1960–2004)|Intercontinental Cup]] in [[1979 Intercontinental Cup|1979]] as Nottingham Forest declined to participate, losing against [[Club Olimpia|Olimpia]] from Paraguay.

===Revolution in Sweden===
Houghton's early coaching career was closely linked to that of his friend [[Roy Hodgson]]. They worked together at Maidstone, Stranraer and Bristol City. They also managed different teams in [[Allsvenskan|Swedish football]] at the same time.

Houghton moved to Sweden with Malmö in 1974 and two years later installed Hodgson at [[Halmstads BK|Halmstad]]. The pair are credited with transforming football in Sweden<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/jun/18/worldcup2006.sport3 guardian.co.uk]  Lagerback faces familiar foes], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 18 June 2006</ref> and bringing in [[zonal marking]] for the first time to Swedish football.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/jun/18/worldcup2006.sport3| title = Lagerback faces familiar foes| work = The Observer| date = 18 June 2006| access-date = 13 January 2009| location = London| archive-date = 20 October 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131020104908/http://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/jun/18/worldcup2006.sport3| url-status = live}}</ref> Swedish teams at the time used a sweeper with 3 or 5 in defence favouring man-marking.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/3081|title=Roy Hodgson's coaching philosophy and tactics - LFChistory - Stats galore for Liverpool FC!|access-date=5 June 2012|archive-date=14 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514064526/http://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/3081|url-status=live}}</ref> The two were known in Sweden as English Roy and English Bob.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/9248237/From-Halmstad-to-Wembley-how-Swedish-icon-Roy-Hodgson-ended-up-as-England-manager.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Simon | last=Briggs | title=From Halmstad to Wembley: how 'Swedish icon' Roy Hodgson ended up as England manager | date=5 May 2012 | access-date=3 April 2018 | archive-date=3 July 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703135242/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/england/9248237/From-Halmstad-to-Wembley-how-Swedish-icon-Roy-Hodgson-ended-up-as-England-manager.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

Besides zonal marking, the defence pressed hard and maintained a high offside line. Their teams counter-attacked with long passes played in behind the opposition defence. Instead of playing with a team that was very spread out from one end of the field to the other, with a libero who stayed in his penalty area and a centre-forward who never tracked back, they set up a system of zonal defence, a back four, people pushing up and getting the ball forward into the final area much more quickly.<ref name="4–4–2-England">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/jun/05/euro-2012-roy-hodgson-england-tactics | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Jonathan | last=Wilson | title=The Question: Does 4-4-2 work for England? | date=5 June 2012 | access-date=11 December 2016 | archive-date=16 May 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516175440/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2012/jun/05/euro-2012-roy-hodgson-england-tactics | url-status=live }}</ref>

===1980s and '90s===
After a short spell in Greece with [[Ethnikos Piraeus F.C.|Ethnikos Piraeus]], Houghton returned to his homeland in 1980 to manage [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]]. His spell at [[Ashton Gate Stadium]] was unsuccessful as the financially stricken club were relegated and Houghton resigned after a defeat to [[Wimbledon F.C.|Wimbledon]]. Houghton's next job was with [[North American Soccer League (1968–84)|North American Soccer League]] side [[Toronto Blizzard (NASL)|Toronto Blizzard]] between 1982 and 1984. He then managed in [[Saudi Arabia]] with [[Al-Ittihad (Jeddah)|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.

===International management===

====China====
Houghton then assumed control of the [[China national football team|Chinese national team]] in late 1997, who had just failed to qualify for the [[FIFA World Cup|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 [[Football at the 2000 Summer Olympics|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.

====Uzbekistan====
He had a spell in charge of [[Uzbekistan national football team|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 national football team|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]].

====India====
After coaching Chinese side [[Changsha Ginde]] for a few months, Houghton was then appointed head coach of [[India men's national football team|India]] in June 2006 by the [[All India Football Federation]]. His appointment saw a general progress in India's performances<ref>[http://www.rediff.com/sports/2007/aug/23ind.htm Valiant India go down to Syria] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303165036/http://www.rediff.com/sports/2007/aug/23ind.htm |date=3 March 2016 }}, Rediff News, 23 August 2007.</ref> crowned by victory in the [[Nehru Cup International Football Tournament 2007|Nehru Cup]] in August 2007. The following year India suffered a huge loss when [[Maldives national football team|Maldives]] defeated them at the final of [[2008 SAFF Championship]], despite a 100% record in the group stage,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sassco.co.uk/indias-football-team-in-the-saff-championships-in-maldives-2008|title=Article and photos on India's two opening games at SAFF 2008|publisher=Sassco.co.uk website| access-date = 29 July 2009}}</ref> including a victory over the Maldives. However, Houghton led India to the AFC Challenge Cup title as they beat [[Tajikistan national football team|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.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100507084952/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100504/jsp/sports/story_12409021.jsp Houghton resigns as national coach – AIFF trying hard to change bob's mind], ''[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph]]'' (Kolkata), 4 May 2010.</ref> 
He later confirmed that his contract had been renewed until 2013, but hinted that he might review his decision after the [[2011 Asian Cup]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/My-contract-renewed-with-AIFF-till-2013-Houghton/articleshow/6110558.cms | work=The Times of India | title=My contract renewed with AIFF till 2013: Houghton | date=30 June 2010 | access-date=1 July 2010 | archive-date=3 July 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703112517/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sports/Football/Top-Stories/My-contract-renewed-with-AIFF-till-2013-Houghton/articleshow/6110558.cms | url-status=live }}</ref> 
At the Asian Cup, India, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, lost all of their [[2011 AFC Asian Cup Group C|three group matches]] as predicted. Despite this, India's football authorities expressed disappointment over the national team's performance and the [[All India Football Federation|All India Football Federation (AIFF)]] technical committee urged the executive committee to sack Houghton.
On 23 April 2011, Bob Houghton tendered his immediate resignation as the India national team coach, which the AIFF accepted.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/afc-challenge-cup/34474-india-coach-houghton-quits | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130111095119/http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/afc-challenge-cup/34474-india-coach-houghton-quits | url-status=dead | archive-date=11 January 2013 | work=AFC | title=India coach Houghton quits | date=24 April 2011 }}</ref> Houghton's 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.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/afc-challenge-cup/34014-turkmenistan-v-india | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913024538/http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournaments/men-a-youth/afc-challenge-cup/34014-turkmenistan-v-india | url-status=dead | archive-date=13 September 2012 | work=AFC | title=Turkmenistan 1–1 India | date=25 March 2011 }}</ref>

==Style of management==
In a 2012 article for ''[[The Guardian]]'', [[Jonathan Wilson (writer)|Jonathan Wilson]] noted that Houghton, like his compatriot Roy Hodgson, employed a zonal defence while coaching in the Allsvenskan, and that his teams pressed hard and maintained a high back-line, making use of the offside trap. They also utilised counter-attacks that were initiated with long passes played in behind the opposing defensive line.<ref name="4–4–2-England"/> Swedish academic Tomas Peterson believed that the managers "threaded together a number of principles, which could be used in a series of combinations and compositions, and moulded them into an organic totality — an indivisible project about how to play football. Every moment of the match was theorised, and placed as an object-lesson for training-teaching, and was looked at in a totality."<ref name="4–4–2-England"/>

In an article with ''The Blizzard'', Hodgson noted that he and Houghton were attempting to introduce a different style of defending in Swedish football, rather than elements of English football, such as the long-ball game, stating: "Instead of playing with a team that was very spread out from one end of the field to the other, with a libero who stays in his penalty area and a centre-forward who never tracks back, we set up a system of zonal defence, a back four, people pushing up and, of course, getting the ball forward into the final area much more quickly." He also believed that [[Sven-Göran Eriksson]]'s tactical innovations in the Swedish game were inspired by their own work.<ref name="4–4–2-England"/>

==Honours==
===Manager===
'''Malmö FF'''
*[[Allsvenskan]]: [[1974 Allsvenskan|1974]], [[1975 Allsvenskan|1975]], [[1977 Allsvenskan|1977]]
*[[Svenska Cupen]]: 1973–74, [[1974–75 Svenska Cupen|1974–75]], 1977–78, 1979–80
*[[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]]: runner-up: [[1979 European Cup final|1978–79]]

'''India'''
* [[AFC Challenge Cup]]: [[2008 AFC Challenge Cup|2008]]
* [[SAFF Championship]] runner-up: [[2008 SAFF Championship|2008]]
* [[Nehru Cup]]: [[2007 Nehru Cup|2007]], [[2009 Nehru Cup|2009]]

'''Al-Ittihad'''
*Saudi Federation Cup: 1987

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite web|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/greatest-indian-football-xi-of-all-time|title=All time Indian XI|date=23 November 2016|access-date=21 June 2021|archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201149/https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/greatest-indian-football-xi-of-all-time|website=sportskeeda.com|publisher=Sportskeeda|first=Amoy|last=Ghoshal}}

==External links==
*[http://igang3.ch/dbfcz/spieler.php?spieler_id=2464 FC Zürich stats]

{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Dave Turner (footballer, born 1943)|Dave Turner]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Toronto Blizzard (NASL)|Toronto Blizzard]] head coach|years=1982–1984}}
{{s-non|reason=League defunct}}
{{succession box|
 before=[[Vanderlei Luxemburgo]]|
 title=[[Al-Ittihad (Jeddah)]] manager|
 years= 1984–1986|
 after=Walter Skocik}}
{{succession box|
 before=[[Syed Nayeemuddin]]|
 title=[[India men's national football team|India national football team]] coach|
 years= 2006–2011|
 after=[[Armando Colaco]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Navboxes
|title= Bob Houghton managerial positions
|list1=
{{Malmö FF managers}}
{{Ethnikos Piraeus F.C. managers}}
{{Al-Ittihad managers}}
{{Bristol City F.C. managers}}
{{Örgryte IS managers}}
{{FC Zürich managers}}
{{Colorado Rapids managers}}
{{China national football team managers}}
{{Uzbekistan national football team managers}}
{{Guangzhou R&F F.C. managers}}
{{India national football team managers}}
}}

{{India squad 2011 AFC Asian Cup}}
{{AFC Challenge Cup Winning Manager}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Houghton, Bob}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:Fulham F.C. players]]
[[Category:Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players]]
[[Category:Hastings United F.C. (1948) players]]
[[Category:Hastings United F.C. (1948) managers]]
[[Category:English football managers]]
[[Category:English expatriate football managers]]
[[Category:Malmö FF managers]]
[[Category:Bristol City F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Toronto Blizzard (1971–1984) head coaches]]
[[Category:Ethnikos Piraeus F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Örgryte IS managers]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) head coaches]]
[[Category:Colorado Rapids head coaches]]
[[Category:China national football team managers]]
[[Category:India national football team managers]]
[[Category:Uzbekistan national football team managers]]
[[Category:FC Zürich managers]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in Greece]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in Saudi Arabia]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in Sweden]]
[[Category:Guangzhou City F.C. managers]]
[[Category:2011 AFC Asian Cup managers]]
[[Category:Maidstone United F.C. (1897) players]]
[[Category:Al-Ittihad Club (Jeddah) managers]]
[[Category:Expatriate football managers in China]]
[[Category:Major League Soccer head coaches]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in China]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Sweden]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Greece]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in India]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Uzbekistan]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in the United States]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Canada]]
[[Category:Place of birth missing (living people)]]