The Scottish set-piece guru plotting Portugal’s World Cup glory

With blonde locks Iggy Pop would be proud of, MacPhee stands out when he rises from the dugout to choreograph a set-piece situation.

His appearance was perhaps a reason why he was the subject of unfair criticism during his time in Scotland, particularly when he was Hearts caretaker manager and in the frame to take the full-time position in 2019.

Michael O’Neill, who worked with MacPhee for six years during his time as Northern Ireland boss, feared such scrutiny and passionately defended his then assistant.

“Austin brings a high level of knowledge on the opposition, a creative way to train and he’s creative in how he brings information to the players,” he said.

MacPhee was a vital part of Northern Ireland’s historic Euro 2016 qualification under O’Neill.

At that point, the coach was also working in Hearts’ backroom team while running a sports travel firm and a community football club.

Two years before, he was scouting for Mexico at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Clearly, this is no ordinary football career, if there is ever such a thing.

A peculiar journey as a player took him from Forfar Athletic’s youth set-up to US college football with the Wilmington Seahawks, then on to Romania and finally Japan.

His time as a coach has also been far from traditional, starting as manager of Cupar Hearts and guiding them to the Scottish Amateur Cup final.

A year at Midtjylland – a club that has become a hotbed for set-piece experts – followed his spells in Scotland with Cowdenbeath, St Mirren and Hearts.

Although MacPhee exited the Scottish domestic game, he would have a three-year stint with Steve Clarke’s national side, helping them qualify for Euro 2024.

Clarke and MacPhee were involved in a pitchside argument during the finals in Germany. The head coach glossed over the incident by saying: “He’s got long blonde hair, but I’m not going to give him a cuddle.”