Robertus Petrus van der Laan (born 5 September 1968) is a Dutch football manager of Northern Premier League Division One South club Newcastle Town, and a former player. He began his playing career in his native the 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 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 a total of 315 ap