The Bob Houghton era in Indian football is over as the Englishman's five year tenure as India coach came to anunfortunate end on Saturday. There were both highs and lows during the Englishman's reign as India's head coach.
Goal.com's Amoy Ghoshal lists the top five achievements of Bob Houghton during his fiver year spell.
A Players’ Coach
For any coach at any level it is important to have the full backing and trust of the players. In his five year tenure, Bob Houghton managed to do that with immense success. One of the big reasons for that was the fact that he kept faith in his players in good and bad times. Subrata Paul is a primary example as the custodian from Sodepur had a difficult time at club level with East Bengal in the 2008-09 season but Houghton still kept insisting that Paul is the best goalkeeper in the country. The current Pune FC keeper repaid that faith by producing a match winning display in the 2009 Nehru Cup final and also went to win the AIFF Player of the Year award that same year. There are several other players who were not necessarily doing well for their clubs but Houghton still showed confidence in them and eventually those individuals did live up to the British coach’s expectations.
Also despite heavy defeats in the international friendlies leading up to the Asian Cup, Bob Houghton maintained his trust on the same group of players and that brought out fighting displays from the Team India in Qatar 2011. Normally we see stars being produced by clubs but under Houghton the likes of Subrata Paul, Sunil Chhetri and Gouramangi Moirangthem developed into indispensable figures. And let’s not also forget that it was Houghton who convinced Indian football icon Bhaichung Bhutia to not retire. The players also supported Houghton during difficult times. Like they defended the Englishman and pointed the finger at former team manager Pradip Chowdhury for causing unrest by his sudden resignation. Even when Houghton parted ways, several national team players expressed disappointment and thanked the 63 year for his contribution to Indian football.
Twin Nehru Cup Success
The two Nehru Cups that took place during the Bob Houghton era didn’t have the same level of competition like it used to in the past but winning both times certainly helped to build a winning mentality and also brought unknown players into prominence. The first of those took place in 2007 with five teams taking part. Cambodia, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan and Syria were the other participating nations. Syria was the only team ranked higher above India so Bob Houghton’s side was expected to at least reach the final. India started off with a 6-0 hammering of Cambodia and followed it up with a labouring 1-0 victory over Bangladesh. India lost to tournament favourites Syria 3-2 in the next match with Krishnan Ajayan scoring one of the goals of the tournament. India defeated Kyrgyzstan 3-0 to progress to the final where they beat Syria 1-0 thanks to a first half goal from N.P. Pradeep, to lift their first trophy under Bob Houghton.
The 2009 edition also had a similar round robin format with five teams taking part but instead of Cambodia and Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Lebanon participated. India got off to a nightmare start as Lebanon beat them 1-0. However Bob Houghton’s side bounce backed with a 2-1 win over Kyrgyzstan and then in the next game defeated Sri Lanka 3-1 to reach the final. Bob Houghton rested the regular starters in the final round robin game against Syria, which they lost 1-0. Syria were the opponents in the final also, which didn’t produce any goal in the 90 minutes but a delightful curling freekick from Renedy Singh gave India the lead in extra time. However Syria defender Ali Diab dramatically equalized in the last minute of extra time to take the match to penalties. In the shootout Subrata Paul proved to be the hero by stopping three spot-kicks as India won 5-4 on penalties to lift their second successive Nehru Cup crown.
Promoting Youth
One of the biggest positives during the Bob Houghton era was the Englishman’s willingness to promote the younger players. Firstly in the senior national team he gave the likes of Subrata Paul, Gouaramangi Moirangthem, Anwar Ali, Sunil Chhetri the nod ahead of many senior players and kept faith in them throughout. Realizing that the future of the national team is the various age group sides, Houghton recommended the AIFF to send the under-23 side to the 2009 SAFF Cup. It proved to be a successful plan as India won the tournament in Bangladesh after beating holders Maldives in the final on penalties. Even for the 2010 AFC Challenge Cup, an under-23 side represented India and although they got knocked out from the group stage, many of the members of that squad were the nucleus of the team that did well to reach the round of 16 at the 2010 Asian Games.
The formation of the Indian Arrows team was also Houghton’s idea as the former India Under-19 side was kept together to constitute an I-League club without foreigners. The plan was to give those youngsters maximum exposure and their improved showing in the I-League shows that the idea was right. That exposure has already started producing results on the international stage also as the Indian Olympic side, which comprises largely of Indian Arrows players, defeated Myanmar 3-2 on aggregate to progress to the next round where they will face Qatar. Even in the senior national team, there are quite a few Indian Arrows players who already look ready for a regular place in the side.
Winning AFC Challenge Cup 2012 Qualifying Group
When Bob Houghton named a new-look India squad for the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers 2012, there were doubts on whether India can produce results with youngsters. With the qualifiers being held in Malaysia and India being placed in a tricky group alongside Turkmenistan, Chinese Taipei and Pakistan, Houghton had a point to prove. There was added pressure because of AIFF’s disappointment at India’s early exit from Asian Cup 2011 and with rumours about Houghton’s end as India coach gaining momentum. Also, the fact that India didn’t have a good record abroad under the Englishman raised concerns on whether they would qualify for the competition that could once again open the door for an Asian Cup berth.
But like any good experienced coach, Houghton did the talking by producing results on the pitch. India won their group with two wins and a draw to silence their doubters. Sunil Chhetri led by example in the absence of Bhaichung Bhutia as India defeated Chinese Taipei 3-0 in their first game but the 3-1 victory over arch-rivals Pakistan was possibly the best performance as India came back from a goal down to win the match. Despite fielding a weakened side, Team India still managed to draw 1-1 with Turkmenistan to finish first in the group. A new star in striker Jeje Lalpekhlua, who scored in each of the three games, was born. The likes of Raju Gaekwad, Jewel Raja and Shilton D’Silva also impressed with Subrata Paul, Gouramangi Moirangthem and Steven Dias taking extra responsibility. The team had a perfect mix of experience and youth but Houghton would only be rewarded with a show cause from the AIFF just hours after their 1-1 stalemate with Turkmenistan.
Qualifying For Asian Cup 2011
Undoubtedly Bob Houghton’s greatest achievement as India coach was qualifying for Asian Cup 2011 by winning the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup. India had not competed in Asia’s biggest competition since 1984 but had a great chance of qualifying for Qatar 2011 when AFC announced that the winners of the 2008 and 2010 Challenge Cups, a competition for the emerging nations of the continent, will earn an automatic berth. With the 2008 edition taking place in India, Bob Houghton’s side had a great opportunity to qualify for the Asian Cup for the first time in nearly three decades. But with the presence of North Korea, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in the tournament, India had their work cut out.
Team India kicked off their campaign with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Afghanistan and then earned a hard fought 1-1 draw with defending champions Tajikistan. Bhaichung Bhutia inspired the Men in Blue to a 2-1 victory over Turkmenistan in the final group game to progress to the semis. In the semi-final India were up against a hard working Myanmar side on a muddy pitch at Hyderabad’s Gachibowli Stadium. Sunil Chhetri showed great bravery to score a late winner as India progressed to the final where they would face Tajikistan. Bob Houghton’s side produced a fantastic display as India thrashed the Central Asians 4-1 with Sunil Chhetri scoring an impressive hat-trick in front of a packed Ambedkar Stadium crowd. It was Houghton’s second trophy as India coach but most importantly India had finally earned a place at the biggest stage of the continent.
