Not much hurt over here I can tell you part II

As simple as it sounds, the best reason I can come up with as that Germans nearly always play as a team. As far as I can recall the Germans have 'failed' at major tournaments only twice in my lifetime: In the European Championships in 2000, when they were so poor that even we beat them, and again in 2004. And both times the team was divided or just plain shit, Ribbeck not being the man to lead Germany, and a team of mostly disinterested players turning up in 2004.

I, of course, had one great day pointing out how pisspoor Germany were to my colleagues that year, as England had just beaten Switzerland and Croatia, and then England contrived to lose to Portugal on penalties despite having should have won it, and being cheated out of a perfectly valid goal by referee Urs Maier. And then England reverted back to being poor.

In any case, take some time to watch Germany play. They get stuck in. They play for each other. Their passing is crisp and precise and hardly ever devoid of confidence. They score goals from midfield and have prolific strikers. And a ready supply of superb goalkeepers. etc etc etc.

All of this starts with the clubs. Whilst the Bundesliga is indisputably weaker than the other big leagues at the moment, German clubs have tended to turn out good players whose heads haven't been in the clouds, and who are prepared to work in hard in order to make themselves great players. German teams have made it to 13 UEFA Cup finals, 11 Cup-Winners-Cup finals (including three appearances by GDR clubs) and 13 European Cup/CL finals and that is testament to these clubs producing good players.

Moreover, you are much less likely to find Bundesliga players in the tabloids for the wrong reasons ie. on the front pages rather than the back. It can also be a pleasure to listen to German footballers after a game - in general they tend to be articulate and insightful. You also find that a lot of ex-players actually make the grade as coaches- Magath, Doll, Beckenbauer, Schaaf, Vogts, Eilts, Klinsmann, or as managers - the Höneß brothers for example (it is important to note that German clubs have both coaches, who train the players, pick the team and so on, and managers, who look after operational details, execute transfers etc). So could it be that there is a higher degree of intelligence fostered in the German game than in England?

Is it hard work? Technical work? A desire to improve? Intelligence? Or maybe even an attitude that doesn't border on the arrogance embedded in certain sections of the English media ie. the 'right' to be amongst the best in the world, irrespective of results?

Whatever it is, I would love to ask a few of these questions of Heribert Bruchhagen, the Chairman of Eintracht. And if I ever get invited to the VIP section again, I will do my level best to get some proper German perspective. After all, they are much more successful than England.