Addressing reporters after one year in the office, Houghton was asked howmuch India progressed under him.
"No progress," was his terse reply.
Houghton was clearly unhappy with the lack of international matches for thesenior national side which slipped to 165 in FIFA rankings.
The senior team played only three full internationals since Houghton tookover as various domestic and other commitments kept it from playing more games.
"We played two Asian Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and one againstJapan. This is too few in a season.
"The present ranking does not reflect the quality of the Indian side butthe amount of full internationals it has played," Houghton said.
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Only results in full internationals played by the senior national team counttowards FIFA rankings.
He said the domestic calendar, as it has been over the years, was the mainobstacle to raise the standard of the team.
"The calendar is not conducive at all. We have to sort it out. There aretoo many matches in a short period which results in injuries and prevents properrecovery," the Englishman, who took China to the World Cup finals, said.
Due to injuries, top players like Deepak Mondal, Ajayan, Climax Lawrence andMahesh Gawli have hardly played under the present coach.
"There needs to be a compromise if we are to realise our goals, whichare to be among the top 10 and eventually the top five in Asia, which will giveus a chance to qualify for the World Cup," he said.
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Various traditional local leagues and inter-state competitions insist onhaving the top players, who get overworked and are unable to give their best forthe national team.
"There are a lot of self-interest groups involved here," healleged.
Citing example, Houghton said he had to release eight players from thenational camp six days prior to an important Asian Cup qualifier last year for aEast Bengal-Mohun Bagan match in the Kolkata league.
"That is unacceptable and would not be allowed in any othercountry," said the miffed coach.
Besides giving sufficient recovery time between matches, the coach suggestedmaking competitions like the Santosh Trophy, local leagues and Durand Cupage-specific competitions.
Accordingly, the All India Football Federation has now decided that playersin a national camp will not be allowed to play any league matches in the 14 daysprior to a senior international.
"A choice needs to be made. The way things have been it will not bepossible to improve the standard of Indian football," Houghton said.
The professional national league starting on September 30, however, intendsto give more space between the matches.
Things, however, look better now with India concentrating on seniorinternationals and scheduled to play about 15 matches in the coming 12 months.
It includes the six-nation ONGC tournament (end of August), most likely inDelhi, the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup in Sri Lanka and theMaldives (December), the AFC Challenge Trophy (March 2008), meant for countriesranked outside the top 15 in Asia, and three World Cup qualifiers.
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The finalists of the AFC Challenge Cup will get a direct berth in the 2009Asian Cup.
"If everything goes to plan, we would be in a much happier state oneyear hence with an improved ranking," Houghton said.
The 27 players shortlisted for these matches will assemble for a trainingcamp, most likely in Gurgaon, from June 26 after before flying to Portugal for athree-week preparatory camp there.
"The two months of training will be vital for the coming season as onedoesn't get time for preparation between matches," he said.
PTI
