He came, he left and everything changed.
Jens Berthel Askou has accepted an offer from Toulouse FC and leaves
Motherwell after a wonderful year.
When Askou was appointed last June he raised a few eyebrows in saying, "There
are things to improve, we're trying to build a new identity and a new approach
on top of 140 years of football history at this club. You don't do that
overnight."
Jens leaves with our thanks for a brilliant season
It was not an overnight change, it took only a few weeks but in the end
he delivered a team and a style of football that drew praise from all who saw
his philosophy at work on the pitch. He
merged a handful of new signings into an established group and convinced them
of his methods. They rose to his
aspirations and propelled a team that had been bottom half survivors into top
have challengers.
Motherwell fans feared that his coaching talent and his calm and
collected delivery in front of a microphone would make him a target for other
clubs. It appears that the reported £1M
a year salary from Ligue One side Toulouse has been sufficient to win his
signature. No one will criticise him for
that choice.
He has given us a season to remember.
The statistics that describe the 25/26 campaign are impressive but they
do not describe the joy that came from watching the Steelmen in full flow. We saw a high?pressing, possession?based, front?foot approach that monopolised the ball. The opposition’s opportunity to attack was
reduced and much of the game was played in their last third.
The club will set about finding a replacement using much the same
criteria as before and hope that Jens’ successor can continue the impressive
development that has treated us so well.
Jens leaves with our thanks and best wishes for the future. If he can have the same effect on Toulouse as
he had at Fir Park then we will surely see his stature in the game continue to
grow.
