Steve Clarke has stated he has had no indication from the SFA that they wish to extend his contract. Is Jens Berthel Askou instead, the right person to be next Scotland manager? Or at some point later in his career?
Clarke’s record & standing at the Scottish Football Association
Clarke has qualified for 3 tournament finals out of his 4 attempts. In the other, his team were up against and denied in a play-off by an emotionally charged Ukraine team. At the 2 Euro Finals in which Clarke’s teams have appeared, the team performance has been criticised widely as underwhelming and disappointing; lack of ideas, energy, enterprise and ambition. Even in qualifying, some have suggested he has benefited from good luck. Clarke would likely reply, you make your own luck.
Is the lack of an approach to Clarke from the SFA, the signal that they will get rid of him cheaply, namely when his contract expires? If Clarke does go after the world cup, is Jens Berthel Askou, the right person to replace him?
Jens Berthel Askou’s management
Askou and his Motherwell side have been widely praised this season. Not just for the near title challenging results achieved on a modest budget for the division they play in; also for the attractive, dynamic brand of football that is now their trademark.
Askou talks in this Open Goal interview about many things prevalent in psychology and management theory; e.g., emotional quotient (EQ), adversity quotient (AQ) and psychological safety (although he doesn’t name all of them as such in the interview). His ideas are backed up by scientific study, that indicates that when the brain starts producing stress hormones such as cortisol, for example, intelligence drops by anything up to 30%. Decide for yourself if the ability to make excellent decisions is an important attribute for a professional footballer.
There’s nothing new about these theories. What is new (in Scotland at least), is successfully implementing these ideas into a football squad to the level Askou has. Askou talks about how important Motherwell fans commendably have been in their support; wising up to what he is trying to achieve, buying into the strategy, and thus keeping off player’s backs when a mistake is made.
If Jens Berthel Askou is the man for the job?
1) Can the SFA land him for the role? He will likely be in high demand, including for higher paying jobs. Many suggest Askou will succeed Martin O’Neill as Celtic boss.
2) Given the limited time international coaches have to work with players, will he be able to impose his desired constructive, positive approach into the culture of the squad?
3) Will the Tartan Army be able to follow the example set by Motherwell fans, and have the EQ and AQ to keep off people’s backs when mistakes are made, to allow the psychological safety to take effect among the players and staff?
Decide for yourself.
