Birmingham Live report that Austin MacPhee left Aston Villa on Friday to join Chelsea. Coverage in another outlet of his move included some jaw-dropping stats of his success at Villa. Further, he left the Portugal setup after the World Cup. We thus look at those stats & ask, should Austin MacPhee become re-involved in the Scotland setup?
Austin MacPhee at Aston Villa
Pre-Villa, MacPhee coached for various outfits. Specifically, he coached at Fife outfit, Cupar Hearts, early in his career near the town where he was born, Kirkcaldy. MacPhee then moved up the football ladder to nearby Cowdenbeath. He then coached at St Mirren, Northern Ireland, Hearts & Midtjylland.
The NYTimes report that following MacPhee’s 5 year stint as set piece coach at Villa Park, Chelsea have triggered his release clause. They also report he had interest from another EPL club as well as from Saudi.
Further, the NYTimes state of MacPhee’s highly impressive contribution, that Villa last season were equal joint most productive club in Europe with Arsenal from set pieces. Specifically, both clubs scored 29 such goals in senior men’s football. Also, under MacPhee’s tutelage, they scored 74 goals from set-pieces in the last 3 seasons. That article also highlighted the quality of his work by the variety of those set piece goals. Birmingham Live report that MacPhee also had responsibility for coaching of set piece defending.
Austin MacPhee in the Scotland setup
MacPhee was part of Steve Clarke’s coaching setup from August 2021 until September 2024. In November 2021, the fruits of MacPhee’s enterprise were plain to see.
Namely, at home v Denmark, John McGinn in the 35th minute swung over a corner from the right to Liam Cooper, near the touchline beyond the far post. John Souttar took a couple of steps back to the 6 yard line, away from the clutch of Danish defenders. Cooper’s header back to Souttar was immaculate, as was Souttar’s headed finish. All straight from the training ground.
Euro 2024
Clarke visibly had a touchline disagreement with MacPhee in the 5-1 loss to Germany in the opening game of Euro 2024. With a free kick opportunity, the players elected to play the ball short, were dispossessed and subjected to a counter attack. TV cameras caught Clarke in the technical area, clearly expressing to MacPhee his unhappiness.
Clarke though subsequently in a media interview, played down the incident. Specifically, Clarke stated that the players had made the decision themselves to play the free-kick short instead of delivering the ball into the penalty area.
“It was really simple. Obviously everybody’s frustrated. You get these moments all the time but you don’t often see it because we’re tucked under a canopies (sic) or whatever. Austin just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, as I turned around, after taking a short free-kick when we should’ve been putting the ball into the box as we did when we scored the goal… it wasn’t Austin’s fault because the players made that decision on the pitch and we got counter-attacked.”
Departing the Scotland setup
Subsequently, the Scotland Nations League campaign began in early September with games at home v Poland & away v Portugal. However, it was announced prior to the October fixtures that MacPhee had left the Scotland setup, to support his father through illness & focus on his club job.
MacPhee after Scotland
Then in February 2025, MacPhee was announced as assistant head coach to Roberto Martinez for Portugal. Consequently, MacPhee was with Portugal at the 2026 World Cup. His role in the Portugal setup was specifically as part of Martinez’s team. MacPhee is thus reported as having left the Portugal setup when Martinez did, after Portugal’s World Cup elimination.
Should Austin MacPhee get re-involved in the Scotland setup?
With the Steve Clarke era now a thing of the past, there’s obviously coaching positions currently up for grabs in the Scotland setup. Going by MacPhee’s stats & track record, involving him seems a terrific idea. Obviously though, there are variables to consider.
- Who will the incoming new Scotland boss be?
- Would the new boss want or agree to MacPhee being part of the coaching team?
- Does MacPhee’s Chelsea contract allow him to work for national teams during international breaks?
- Would MacPhee want to get re-involved with Scotland?
- Could the SFA afford MacPhee’s wage demands, given how MacPhee’s stock currently appears to be?
Even if Austin MacPhee doesn’t re-join the Scotland setup in the near future, that doesn’t preclude the now 46-year-old rejoining at some point in the longer term.
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