12 hours ago
Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou aims to 'break barriers' in Scottish football as he takes reins at Fir Park
The Dane has spoken for the first time after being appointed the new gaffer of the Steelmen
New Motherwell boss Jen Berthel Askou says he wants to 'break barriers' in Scottish football and hopes to instil a style of play that will be attractive to play and watch.
The Dane was officially unveiled at Fir Park today as Michael Wimmer's successor after the German decided to return home for family reasons at the end of last season.
Former Gothenburg boss and ex-Copenhagen No.2 Askou says he is excited by the variations in style across the 12 sides in the Scottish Premiership and hopes to play a brand of football that breaks with Scottish traditions.
He believes Celtic have already started doing something similar themselves and he expects his old Norwich City team-mate and new Rangers boss Russell Martin to offer a more modern take as well.
Asked what Motherwell fans can expect from his side, the 42-year-old said: "The football I prefer to play is dynamic football with players who want the ball, who want to do something with it and take the initiative, with big intensity on and off the ball. Aggressiveness, discipline, structure.
"We don't just want to do the long ball in behind - that is still an important part of football - but we need to have more layers and more details in our way of playing football, using more dimensions in the game than what Scottish football traditionally has.
"We want to break barriers and traditions, but still show that intensity and team spirit that every fan will want to see.
"I expect to see a team that wants to win and shows that positive body language with a lot of intensity.
"Hopefully we see some intensity-filled football, which will be attractive to watch and play.
"I think Scottish football has been through a good development in recent years, like a lot of leagues.
"I think some other leagues are more pioneering and the Scottish league, as far as I know, there is still a lot of variation in terms of the way teams approach the game.
"Whereas, if you compare it with the Danish league, there is not a lot of variation anymore. It is very streamlined to a very modern, Northern European, passing possession-based style, playing out from the back.
"Some teams have gone in that direction here. Celtic, for example, has done that with Brendan Rodgers and I am absolutely positive that Rangers and Russell Martin is uncompromising in his style of play. He will play some very interesting football going forward.
"More teams have tried to do it at the other end of the league and some are still doing it very traditionally.
"I think that it is very interesting to be in a league where the variation is very big.
"The recent Motherwell manager tried to modernise the team and we will try to use the platform he has built and go from there."
Askou only arrived in ML1 yesterday but admitted he was immediately captivated by the community feel around Fir Park.
And he says the club's proud history and the chance to do something new at Fir Park was a big draw in coming to Scotland.
He added: "Many things have attracted me here; its proud history and ownership.
"It is quite a new board with new ideas and a more modern way of thinking.
"There's some plans of renewing Motherwell but with a respect for the traditions and the fans, and what the club means for the community, which I really like.
"There's a special atmosphere and you feel it when you enter the premises here.
"When I arrived from the airport yesterday, it [the area around Fir Park] was packed with children in the middle of the school run, so you feel the connection to the community and multiple generations, which I really appreciate.
"Then there is obviously the attraction of having a platform to do something new and modern, and break some new barriers in Scottish football.
"There is an openness to do that with the new people who have come in at the club recently."
