Robert Allison Bootland (died 13 June 2007) was an English professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach active primarily in India. He was the first foreign club coach in India. Bootland was described as "a taskmaster with a no-nonsense attitude."

Career

Robert Allison Bootland was born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, England. He first arrived in India in 1977 as a tourist, and after being invited to watch a senior league game involving

Dempo SC Dempo Sports Club, or simply known as Dempo, is an Indian professional football club based in Panjim, Goa, that competes in the Goa Professional League. The club is owned and sponsored by the Dempo Mining Corporation Limited. Popularly known a ...

, Bootland decided to stay in India and become a full-time professional football coach. Bootland began his football coaching career with

, the same club which had inspired his new-found career. Bootland said, " had been to this wonderful land to meet my friend's parents. Dempo management invited to me to watch the game. I found the Goans good footballers. Soon the coaching offer came and I accepted it." Bootland won the

Rovers Cup The Rovers Cup was an annual football tournament held in India, organized by the Western India Football Association. It was the second oldest tournament in India after Durand Cup. History Rovers Cup was incorporated by some British football e ...

with Dempo in only his second year in charge, 1978, after introducing a 4–3–3 formation; the side was described as " well balanced side" who were "in peak physical condition." After a brief spell as manager of the Indian national side in 1982, Bootland then became coach of

JCT Mills Jagatjit Cotton & Textile Football Club (formerly known as JCT Mills FC; abbreviated as both JCT FC, or simply JCT) was an Indian professional football club based in Phagwara, Punjab. Founded in 1971, the club was sponsored by Jagatjit Cotton ...

winning the

Durand Cup The Durand Football Tournament, commonly known as Durand Cup, is an annual domestic football competition in India which was first held in 1888 in Shimla. Hosted by the Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and All India Football Federation ...

in 1983. Bootland later returned to Dempo SC, where he won the Rovers Cup for a second time in 1986. Bootland returned to the Indian national side – this time as an assistant coach – in 1987 for that year's edition of the

Nehru Cup The Nehru Cup was an international association football tournament organised by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), named after the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. It was launched in 1982, but was not held from 1998 to ...

. Bootland then coached club sides Sesa Goa FC and MRF FC, before becoming coach of

Vasco SC Vasco may refer to: * Basque language, called ''vasco'' in Spanish * ''Vasco'' (album), a two-part EP by Ricardo Villalobos * Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer * Vasco da Gama, Goa, a city in India, often called simply Vasco * Club de Regatas Va ...

. He was sacked as Vasco manager in October 1998. Bootland ended his coaching career with Tatas FC. In his later career, Bootland became an outspoken critic of Indian football, claiming that, "politics in Indian football is killing the players."

Honours

– 2 **1978, 1986 *

– 1 **1983

Personal life

Bootland was married to an Indian woman named Fatima who was a schoolteacher and amateur athlete. The couple had two sons named Allison and Ronald.

Death

Bootland died on 13 June 2007 in a hospital in

Bambolim Bambolim is a neighborhood located in the southeastern part of the city of Panaji, the capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is completely located on the island of Tiswadi, one of the talukas in the state of Goa. The only allopathic medical co ...

after complaining of chest pains. He was aged either 72, or 73. The cause of death was later determined to be a heart attack.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bootland, Bob 1930s births 2007 deaths English football managers India national football team managers Sportspeople from Newcastle upon Tyne English expatriate football managers English expatriate sportspeople in India Expatriate football managers in India Dempo SC managers JCT FC managers Vasco SC managers