Latest news with #MartinMark
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Newcastle swoop for Hibs Euro rivals set-piece guru
Dane follows in footsteps of former Hearts coach MacPhee Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, 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... Hibs Euro opponents FC Midtjylland have confirmed the departure of a key figure in the club's coaching staff, as set-piece expert Martin Mark moves to big-spending Premier League giants Newcastle United. But the Danes have already got a replacement in situ to cover for the departing guru. Mark, who joined the club as under-15s coach in 2017, has been responsible for set pieces with the first team since 2022. In moving on to the world's richest league, he follows the trail blazed by two of his predecessors – including a former Hearts boss. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad One-time interim Tynecastle gaffer Austin MacPhee, now set-piece coach for Aston Villa and Portugal, was with Midtjylland for a season. He also served as Scotland's set-piece expert under Steve Clarke before taking the Portuguese job. Mads Buttgereit also moved on from the role with Midtjylland, taking on a similar position with the Danish national side. He's now in charge of set pieces for the German senior men's team. Sporting director hails 'culture and environment' The club's sporting director, Kristian Bach Back, said: 'We are happy to be able to attach a capacity like Morten. He comes with great experience, strong leadership skills and an analytical eye for the details of the game - not least on set pieces. 'Morten already has a good knowledge of many of our young players through the national teams, and he fits well into our culture and the way we work in everyday life. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We have set pieces as a strategic focus area, and this has yielded concrete results on the pitch - and off. The fact that Mads Buttgereit, Austin MacPhee and now Martin Mark have become attractive profiles in international football says a lot about our approach and the environment we provide for specialists. 'It is a strong testament to the culture and environment we have created at FC Midtjylland that we are once again sending a talented specialist on to one of the world's biggest leagues. Martin is a product of our way of working - both as a coach and as a person - and we are proud that he is now getting the opportunity in the Premier League.' Danes in free-scoring form as new striker hits net Midtjylland continue to show good scoring form, meanwhile, as they build towards the Danish Superliga kick-off before welcoming Hibs to Herning for the first leg of their Europa League second qualifying round tie on July 24. They beat Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kyiv in a friendly this week. Coach Thomas Thomason was pleased to see new signing Friday Etim find the net, the Nigerian – a summer signing – looking increasingly at ease in his new surroundings. And top goal threat Franculino Dju scored his fourth goal in just three games, despite only playing for 45 minutes against Dynamo. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hibs are back in action next week when they travel to Bournemouth for a mini-camp including a closed-doors friendly with the Premier League side, owned by Easter Road minority investor Bill Foley's Black Knight group. They then face Bolton Wanderers in a home friendly before travelling to Denmark Midtjylland kick off their domestic season against Odense Boldklub at the MCH Arena on July 20, just four days before welcoming David Gray's side, who have a clear run at both legs of their European tie – the second game is in Edinburgh on July 31 – before their first Scottish Premiership fixture, away to Dundee on August 3.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Newcastle to appoint Martin Mark as new set piece coach
Newcastle to appoint Martin Mark as new set piece coach Newcastle United are set to appoint Martin Mark as their new set piece coach for the 2025-26 season, according to The Athletic. The Magpies have been tracking the 31-year-old for some time after his impressive work at FC Midtjylland. Advertisement Mark initially served as a youth coach at the Danish club before becoming their head of set pieces in 2022. Assistant manager Jason Tindall is currently in charge of set pieces at Newcastle, but the club want to hire a specialist coach. They have reportedly considered several candidates for the role in recent months and have now decided to hire Mark's services. The Tyneside club added James Bunce as performance director last summer following his 17-year career in professional sport across clubs, leagues and federations. Newcastle enjoyed their best campaign in the modern era by winning their first major domestic trophy in 70 years and also qualifying for the Champions League in 2024-25. Advertisement They achieved all that without a specialised set piece coach. Only six Premier League clubs scored more from dead-ball scenarios than Newcastle last term, while only three sides conceded fewer from set-pieces than their eight goals. Dan Burn's header played a key role in their 2-1 win against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final in March. But despite being impressive in dead-ball situations, they are appointing Mark, which shows their intent to further improve in this department.
New York Times
7 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Newcastle United set to appoint FC Midtjylland's Martin Mark as new set piece coach
Newcastle United are set to appoint Martin Mark as their new set piece coach for the upcoming season. The 31-year-old has been tracked by the club for some time after his innovative work at FC Midtjylland caught the eye. Newcastle looked at a number of candidates in recent months as they searched for a specialist coach to join head coach Eddie Howe's team. Last summer the club added James Bunce as performance director and they have been creating new specialised positions across multiple departments, including the first-team coaching set-up. Kieran Taylor, the senior analyst for set pieces, is highly regarded, and Stephen Purches, the first-team coach, is also heavily involved in dead-ball situations, alongside assistant coach Jason Tindall. Mark, who had been a youth coach at FC Midtjylland since July 2017, became head of set pieces in 2022 and has held the role since. The Danish side finished second in the top flight last season, after winning the title the season before. Newcastle finished fifth in the Premier League last season, qualifying for the 2025-26 Champions League. In March, they won their first domestic trophy in 70 years after beating Liverpool in the final of the Carabao Cup.
