What Motherwell chairman saw in Jens Berthel Askou

All at Fir Park were rocked by the shock departure of Michael Wimmer at the end of last season due to family reasons, and MacMillan was as disappointed as any other Motherwell supporter that the journey the German had set them on had seemed to end so abruptly.
He was determined though that the new man in the dugout would be someone who would be willing and able to pick up where Wimmer left off, and implement the aggressive style that he wants Motherwell to be known for.
Having whittled down a huge list of prospective candidates to land on then FC Copenhagen assistant manager Berthel Askou, he is certain the club have got the right man to do just that.
Speaking on the 'Well Society's 'Our Club, Our Podcast', MacMillan said: 'We want to be ambitious, and we make no secret of that. I'd love to see Motherwell winning the cup again.
'I'm not promising anyone that is going to happen next season, don't misunderstand me, but there's nothing wrong with having that ambition and we want the manager to feel that too.
(Image: Craig Foy - SNS Group) 'I don't want to be in a conversation where we're just feeling that we need to low block constantly and try to navigate other teams. It's about how we impose ourselves, and you need to have a bit of confidence about you to do that. And I think he's got that.
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'There were about 100 applications that came in for the role, and some really good ones as well.
'We were pretty clear that the style of football, that journey we had been on with Michael, was really positive.
'So, first of all, it was right, what profiles do we think are aligning with that, what profiles do we think will allow us to continue on that journey and not have to kind of rip it up and start again?
'From there, there was an automatic sifting process for some of the profiles, and from there we do a kind of deeper dive into them.
'There are data analysis sets that are created by an external body that allows us to dig in a little bit more to their stats in terms of PPDA, xG and all these sorts of things, that allows us to see if this is a manager who plays on the front foot and doesn't just talk like that, he enacts it on the pitch.
'We go through that process, and ultimately Jens came through a contact and landed in my phone. So, it wasn't one of the initial applications that came through the emailing the club type of route.
'There is a lot of that, a lot of things that get done through network, and that's probably been a bit of a learning curve for me over the past few months as well, and building and growing that network is really important, for sure.
'We went through that process, and ultimately we landed on Jens. There were some really good people in there, but ultimately I think we found a good guy.'
As well as his preferred style of play, MacMillan found that Berthel Askou's values in terms of hard work and discipline – both on and off the pitch – aligned with those the board are trying to implement within the team and within the club.
'I think he's a very honest character,' he said.
(Image: GordonTerris/Herald&Times) 'Probably in terms of the Danish aspect, there's a no-nonsense, tell it like it is type of style, and we really like that. There's no beating around the bush, you get what you get, which we really liked.
'He likes to play football on the front foot, which is really important, press high up the pitch and be aggressive in terms of how we equip ourselves on the pitch. That style is going to continue, for sure.
'I think the fitness aspect for us is something we want to continue with the players as well. That leads into the profiles that we bring into the club too.
'One of the things we've been quite focused on, and that was coming through with Michael too, was how do we get the stats of the players up to a level that we feel they are able to leave everything on the pitch?
'It's a really boring stat, but most teams on average will run about 95 -98 kilometres over the 90 minutes between the 10 outfield players, and ultimately what Michael was working to - and it will be similar with Jens - is getting that to 105-110 kilometres, because ultimately what that means is that if you run that extra 10 percent, you have an extra man around the ball.
'So, again, that was what we wanted to see from the profile we brought into the club. High energy, and we'll see where that takes us.
"But it's exciting for sure.'

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Close friend of Michael Schumacher shares heartbreaking update

Daily Record

34 minutes ago

Daily Record

Close friend of Michael Schumacher shares heartbreaking update

The seven-time world champion Formula 1 driver hasn't been publically seen since his skiing incident in December 2013. A new heartbreaking update has been shared on the condition of former F1 racer Michael Schumacher. Former Benetton boss Flavio Briatore, who often talks with Schumacher's wife, says he prefers to remember the driver 'smiling after a victory' than in his current condition. The 56-year-old has not been seen in public for well over a decade after he was caught up in a high-speed skiing incident in Meribel in December 2013. This resulted in the seven-time world champion sustaining long-term injuries. ‌ Since the accident, his wife Corinna has kept details about his treatment and progress private from the public, reports the Express. Back in a 2021 Netflix documentary titled Schumacher, she did not share any details about his condition at the time, but did talk about the impact the ordeal has had on his family. ‌ She shared: "Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and that gives us strength, I find. We live together at home. We do therapy. "We do everything we can to make Michael better and to make sure he's comfortable, and to simply make him feel our family, our bond. And no matter what, I will do everything I can. We all will. "We're trying to carry on as a family, the way Michael liked it and still does. And we are getting on with our lives. 'Private is private', as he always said. It's very important to me that he can continue to enjoy his private life as much as possible. Michael always protected us and now we are protecting Michael." She added: "I miss Michael every day. But it's not just me who misses him. It's the children, the family, his father, everyone around him." ‌ While there are a few select people who are allowed to see Micheal, Flavio Briatore has been revealed to be one of them. The 75-year-old Italian businessman has kept in frequent contact with Corrina, and he has now shared with the public a brief look into Schuamcher's life. Unfortunately, his update does suggest that the F1 racer is still severely restricted in terms of mobility. Speaking to Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, he said: "If I close my eyes, I see him smiling after a victory. I prefer to remember him like that rather than him just lying on a bed. Corinna and I talk often, though." ‌ This statement follows claims made by Briatore's former spouse, Elisabetta Gregoraci, who said: "Michael doesn't speak, he communicates with his eyes. Only three people can visit him and I know who they are." Briatore first joined Benetton in 1985, before taking over as the team principal only six years later. One of his first major moves in the role was to sign Schumacher from Jordan, which was seen as a pivotal moment in F1 history. In 1994 and 1995, the German driver won his first two world titles. From there, he later joined Ferrari and was crowned champion five times between 2000 and 2004. ‌ Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. It has previously been reported by German journalist, Felix Gorner, that Schumacher is "completely dependent" on his caregivers and "can no longer express himself verbally". In the last 11 years, Briatore's statement is one of the few public comments released about Schumacher, showing how private Corrina would like to keep his condition. At the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix, Sir Jackie Stewart wore a helmet with the initials 'MS' on it as a tribute to the driver during a special celebratory lap. This gesture was said to be backed by Schumacher's wife and is one of the few tributes allowed to take place concerning Schumacher's accident over the years.

Former Scotland international and ex-Celtic target's 'crucial' role in major Liverpool transfer revealed

Scotsman

3 hours ago

Scotsman

Former Scotland international and ex-Celtic target's 'crucial' role in major Liverpool transfer revealed

The ex-Scotland international was targeted for a role at Celtic in 2021. Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A former Scotland international has been praised for his 'crucial' role in Florian Wirtz's record breaking move to Liverpool this summer - just three years after a move to Celtic collapsed at the final hurdle. The 22-year-old had his £116million transfer from Bayer Leverkusen rubber stamped yesterday, with Wirtz now becoming the English Premier League's record signing, surpassing the previous record transfer of £115million, which Chelsea paid Brighton for Moises Caicedo in 2023. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad According to European sports outlet Bild, the German international is in line to earn a weekly salary of at least £325,000 at Anfield, and joins ex-Celtic full-back - and former Leverkusen teammate - Jeremie Frimpong as the Merseyside giants second major transfer of the summer window. Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz will hope to win further trophies at Liverpool after departing Bayer Leverkusen this summer. | Getty Images During his official unveiling by the English champions, Wirtz explained why head coach Arne Slot had played a big role in convincing him to move to Liverpool, but also reserved high praise for ex-Scotland international Richard Hughes, who has been hugely successful in his role as the club's sporting director since his appointment almost exactly a year ago. 'The talks with the coach and Richard [Hughes] and everybody were, from the start or from the very first time, so good,' Wirtz told Liverpool's official media channel. 'It just kept going like this. Every time I spoke to one of the [people from] the club I felt like, 'this is the place I want to be' and so in the end I was really 100 per cent convinced I want to join Liverpool and it was the best choice.' Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano also heaped praise on Hughes, writing on his official X account: 'The Liverpool director has been crucial to make the deal happen. Three months of hard work behind the scenes to get Florian's green light in May and close the deal with Leverkusen on Tuesday last week.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Glasgow-born Hughes, who won five caps for Scotland in the mid-noughties, has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the game after landing the Liverpool the role last summer. Poached from a similar role at AFC Bournemouth, the 45-year-old has been lauded for his work in replacing popular former manager Jurgen Klopp with Dutch head coach Slot last summer. Richard Hughes battles for the ball as Scotland Under-21s take on Belgium Under-21s at Dunfermline FC's East End Park. | SNS Group 0141 221 3602 Beginning his career with Atalanta's youth team, Hughes enjoyed a moderately successful playing career, making over 200 senior appearances for the likes of Portsmouth, AFC Bournemouth and Grimsby Town. However, it has been his work as a sporting director that has garnered the most attention. First joining the Cherries recruitment team following his retirement in 2014, he was appointed the club's technical director just two years later. Hughes found himself lined up for a similar role at Celtic in 2021, with the Hoops former managerial target Eddie Howe said to have been desperate to bring him to Glasgow if he was appointed manager at Celtic Park.

5-cap Scotland international and ex-Celtic target hailed for 'crucial' role in £116m Florian Wirtz transfer