| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robertus Petrus van der Laan[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 5 September 1968 | ||
| Place of birth | Schiedam, South Holland, Netherlands | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1987–1990 | SVV | 59 | (13) |
| 1990–1991 | FC Wageningen | 27 | (3) |
| 1991–1995 | Port Vale | 176 | (24) |
| 1995–1998 | Derby County | 65 | (8) |
| 1996 | → Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 1998–2001 | Barnsley | 65 | (5) |
| Total | 401 | (53) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2018–2023 | Newcastle Town | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robertus Petrus van der Laan (born 5 September 1968) is a Dutch former football player and manager.
He began his playing career in his native Netherlands with Eerste Divisie club Schiedamse Voetbal Vereniging in 1987 before moving on to Wageningen in 1990. In 1991, he moved to England to play for Port Vale, where after four seasons as one of the club's key players, he was sold on to Derby County. He won the Football League Trophy with Vale in 1993, and won promotion out of the Second Division in 1993–94. He also won promotion out of the First Division with Derby in 1995–96. In 1998, he transferred to Barnsley, where he saw out his professional playing career until his retirement due to injury in 2001. He made 315 appearances in a ten-year career in the English Football League.
As a coach, he directed his own football school in Canada and was a senior coach for Manchester United Soccer Schools before he was appointed manager of Newcastle Town in February 2018. He stayed in the role for five years.