Hertha Berlin boss Felix Magath believes Mark Fotheringham deserves the credit for his side’s 3-0 win over Hoffenheim on Saturday.
And the Dundee-born coach was also hailed by German World Cup winner Sami Khedira in the aftermath of the capital club’s victory.
Veteran coach Magath was appointed Hertha boss last week and immediately announced ex-Dundee and Celtic star Fotheringham as his right hand man.
After Magath was struck down by Covid-19, the ex-Cowdenbeath assistant manager stepped in to lead the relagation-threatened Berlin side in their crucial Bundesliga clash with Hoffenheim.
With the 38-year-old at the helm, Hertha claimed a potentially priceless 3-0 win over the Champions League hopefuls.
Fotheringham impressed the German football press by delivering his pre-and-post-match press conferences in fluent German.
And speaking to German football title “Kicker”, Magath, who was asked about the difficulties of managing from his hotel room, laid all the credit for the result at his No. 2’s door.
Scots Bundesliga commentator Derek Rae translated on Twitter: “To put it that way doesn’t do the situation justice.
“Most of the work was done by my assistant Mark Fotheringham, on the bench, in training, in conversations with the players.
NEW: Kicker has managed to get hold of (Corona affected) Felix Magath & he has given much of the credit for yesterday to Mark Fotheringham. I’ve translated some of his quotes below here & firstly Magath was asked about coaching from his hotel room.
— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) March 20, 2022
“It was a really hard situation because we were all new, the players hardly knew us.”
Asked for the key to his side’s 3-0, Magath said: “The key was clearly that Mark Fotheringham succeeded in conveying to the players, in training, the importance of remaining compact.
“We only allowed one big chance, when we were caught on the counter attack.”
Finally, asked whether his players had worked “day and night” on the set-pieces from which they scored all three goals, Magath laughed: “Mark worked on the set pieces, yes. But the effect is dependent on the players.”
Huge praise on the @SPORT1_Dopa show for Mark Fotheringham from ex-Germany intl (& ex-Hertha man) Sami Khedira who met him for a few minutes & calls the Scot, Felix Magath’s “clever chess piece.”
Khedira: “I have rarely met someone who can bring people with him the way he can.”— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) March 20, 2022
Magath was also joined in his praise of Fotheringham by German 2014 World Cup winner Sami Khedira, who finished his playing career with Hertha last season.
Despite initially believing Magath’s appointment in Berlin was “a joke”, subsequent to Saturday’s win, the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus star described Fotheringham as Magath’s “clever chess piece” and said: “I have rarely met someone who can bring people with him the way he can.”
