Former Wolves, Ipswich Town and Hearts figure lands first manager's job

Former Wolves defender Christoph Berra has landed himself a role as a football manager of an American club.

Berra has been appointed as the interim head coach of Huntsville City Football Club following a shock sacking. Former West Ham and Wales midfielder Jack Collison has been axed in what was his first role in senior management after managing Peterborough, West Ham and Atlanta United's youth teams.

Huntsville failed to win their opening four matches and are currently 12th out of 15 teams in their respective conference. It has prompted the club, who act as a reserve team to MLS outfit Nashville SC to make a change.

Berra has been appointed as head coach until the end of the season. Fans of the Molineux club will remember him for his time in the Midlands, spending five years with them.

He was bought from Hearts for a reported £2.5m and was part of the side that went on to win promotion to the Premier League. Berra played regularly in the four years Wolves spent in the top flight of English football and after their relegation to the Championship, he remained for a season.

The 41-time Scotland international reunited with Mick McCarthy and spent four years at Portman Road, helping them reach the 2014/15 play-offs. Berra returned to Scotland in 2017 with Hearts and then wound down his career with Dundee and Raith Rovers. Berra retired from playing in June 2022 and worked as a coach at Raith Rovers, Livingston, Falkirk and the Scotland under-21s national team.

Berra, who possesses the UEFA Pro Licence, the highest qualification a coach or manager can have was working as an assistant to Collison. He moved to the USA in January 2024 and now he has been given his first role in senior level management.

A club statement published earlier this week read: "Huntsville City Football Club announced today the departure of Jack Collison as head coach, and the appointment, effective immediately, of Assistant Coach Christophe Berra as interim Head Coach for the remainder of the 2024 MLS NEXT Pro season.

“Berra, a seasoned professional with over 560 appearances in Scotland’s and England’s Premier Leagues, brings a wealth of experience and leadership to the role, including his 41 caps for Scotland’s National Team. Berra transitioned into coaching in 2022, most recently serving as a first-team coach for Livingston FC in the Scottish Premiership.”

His first match in charge will begin on Saturday, April 13 when Huntsville host Crown Legacy FC.