Mark Fotheringham: Huddersfield Town name former Hertha Berlin assistant as boss

Mark Fotheringham was assistant manager at Hertha Berlin at the end of last season

Huddersfield Town have appointed Mark Fotheringham as their new head coach, following the departure of Danny Schofield earlier this month.

The 38-year-old has coached in Germany and Scotland, most recently as Felix Magath's assistant at Hertha Berlin.

His deal runs until 2025 and he will take charge at Reading on Saturday.

Schofield's nine league games yielded seven defeats, prompting the Terriers to terminate his contract with the club 23rd in the Championship table.

"We have explored a wide range of options in our search for our next head coach, and Mark became our first choice after our very first meeting," Town head of football Leigh Bromby said.

"His beliefs in coaching and football fit very well with our methods at the club, and we also believe he can also add to what we do because of who he has worked for and with during his career so far."

Fotheringham, a former Celtic trainee who played for clubs such as Dundee, Freiburg and Norwich during a 276-game career, has served his coaching apprenticeship in spells at Fulham, Ingolstadt and Karlsruhe - with this his first managerial job.

In an interview with the BBC after helping Hertha to safety in the Bundesliga, the Dundonian said he was "born to be a manager", and was ready to make the next step from assistant to main man.

His task at Huddersfield will be to resurrect the form of a side who were losing play-off finalists to Nottingham Forest in 2021-22 under Carlos Corberan, who resigned in July and was replaced by Schofield, a former fan favourite during his playing days.

Although Lewis O'Brien and Harry Toffolo left for Forest in the off-season, the Terriers have recruited extensively with Michal Helik, Tyreece Simpson and Luke Mbete among the signings in the recent transfer window.

Fotheringham will be assisted by coaches Narcis Pelach and Paul Harsley - who had been in caretaker change after Schofield's sacking - and other existing technical staff.

Analysis - 'Relief and certainty'

Paul Ogden - BBC Radio Leeds' Huddersfield commentator

There is a feeling of relief and certainty, which is not something we've had a lot of at Huddersfield Town recently. We know that Mark Fotheringham was on the training ground on Tuesday, when the formalities of his contract were agreed.

The players already know who he is, they've heard the sound of his voice and they know his credentials - he has been an assistant at some pretty prestigious places.

He helped Felix Magath do a very good job of keeping Hertha in the Bundesliga, and I remember him as a Norwich player when he was captain against Huddersfield.

My gut feeling is that the sound of his voice and the power of his personality will have attracted him to Dean Hoyle and Leigh Bromby.