Pocognoli Named Second Foreign Boss of Scotland Men's Team, Building on Strong Foundation
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“I’m very proud to be here,” roared Pocognoli. “Scotland is a passionate country and I think also, regarding the strong foundation that Steve Clarke and his staff did, that I can use this heritage to put the next accent in the style of play while also developing players for the future.” Pocognoli looked the part: sharp suit, art-dealer haircut, beard that has been through at least three focus groups to find the optimum length. He looked a bit like a cross between Diego Simeone and Gerard Piqué, which would be a helluva style of play to master.
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BBC SportPocognoli is taking over a Scotland side that have qualified for back-to-back European Championships and a World Cup, but the SFA are convinced the 39-year-old can take the national team to new heights.
Sky SportsSebastian Pocognoli is determined to do all he can to take Scotland to the next level after being overwhelmed by his "incredible" welcome.
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He becomes just the second foreign boss of the Scotland men's team, after the German Berti Vogts, and believes he has what it takes to build on Clarke's "strong foundation".
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Sky SportsHe is the second foreign boss of Scotland, coming 22 years after German Berti Vogts' failed spell in charge, and he believes he can build on Clarke's success.
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It’s 2026, not 2002, and the way to win people over is with a PowerPoint presentation rather than a cheesy pun. So even though Pocognoli’s middle name, Jean, gave him a bit of a portmanteau open goal, he didn’t ask to be called Jockognoli. Pocognoli, 39, is a former Belgium international who played for West Brom and Brighton. He had a glorious start to his senior coaching career in 2024-25 when he led Union Saint-Gilloise to their first Belgian title since 1935. His head was soon hunted by Monaco, who dispensed it in the summer after a disappointing season. Although Monaco finished seventh, their lowest position since 2019-20, Pocognoli’s win percentage of 42 wasn’t a complete affront to the memory of Tim Sherwood.
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Sky SportsAfter winning Belgian Coach of the Year in 2025 and managing USG's first-ever matches in the Champions League, Pocognoli took up the Monaco head coach role in October of last year.
BBC SportBelgium was Union Saint-Gilloise, who use the same data analytics company as Hearts, and the remarkable story of their first league title win in 90 years. That was 2024-25 and Pocognoli was in charge. He was 37 when he got the job and delivered massively at the first time of asking.
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01 Sky Sports The 39-year-old has been appointed as Scotland's new head coach; he won the Belgian league with Union Saint-Gilloise last year and was a free agent after leaving Monaco in June; his first game in charge will be against Slovenia in the Nations League on September 26
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02 BBC Sport Felice Mazzu left USG for Anderlecht, Karel Geraerts went to Schalke and then Reims. Alexander Blessin went to St Pauli. Pocognoli, himself, left for Monaco. All of them were a disappointment. It begs the question and adds to the suspense about these managers being products of a system at USG. Can they operate successfully outside of that system?
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03 The Guardian Sport FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS Watching Manchester City under new management for the first time, it’s kind of spooky how much Enzo Maresca channels the ghost of Pep Guardiola on the touchline. Except they are losing” – Chris Jersan.
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- guardian-sport
- skysports
- bbc-sport