If England would be able to assure Jürgen to be your new head-coach it would be like winning a jackpot in a lottery.

After the EM 2004 our german soccer team lies on the ground (like our team is wright now).

He completly changed the character of the team an gave them back the self-insurence that they needed.

You can be sure, that his choice for the assistent coach will be perfect.

The qualification for the worl-cup in Southafrica would be a fast-selling-item for your team.

But what is most important:

Team England would be finally able to win a penalty-shot-out!!!!!

With a little bit luck even against us, smile...

What ever happens, I wish your team all the best for your futere.

Dr. Guido Heine, Zülpich, Germany

English football is where German football was before Klinsmann took over - on its knees. Klinsmann - who could not count on much support right up to the World Cup (there was even a motion to summon him before the German parliament to explain his strategy that appeared to be leading straight to the team's humiliation at the World Cup on home soil) - turned things around. He is not a tactical genius, by any means. But he brought in the right people to assist him, changed the player's philosophy, daringly brought in young players and left more experienced ones that he considered part of the "old system" (Scholl, Hamann, Woerns) out of the squad. And where did that lead to? Germany finishing third, having played some of the most attractive football of the tournament, and paving the way (and this is the really important bit, his legacy is still there and being developed further) for a brighter future. Could O'Neill make the same happen for England? Keep on dreaming, Martin.

Tom, London,

klinsmann is obviously the suitable one, the german national team has been more attacking after his improvement.

the strategy and mentality do very suit england style, i.e. the long hard drive, effective cross from flanks, quality overlap from wing back, powerful header and physical competition, these are the england's features, i think klinsmann can enhance and inspirit 3 lion team's character and spirit

hon, hong kong,

I am embarassed by our ethnocentric views! What have we won lately? Let's take a good hard look at ourselves - we have a large contingent of primadonnas who are full of hot air! I could care less if Klinsman comes or not, we need to change something quickly and the best things might be someone from outside!

chris, london - islington, UK

Peter Ruth:

Yes, Cambiasso is a Defensive midfielder. but, unlike Netball, defensively minded players are allowed to score!

Andy, Clapham,

Why are you sure that Klinsmann is interested in this job?
Look where you are now, England! And then be proud of even having a small chance to get a man of his attitude.

Take Capello or Mourinho and all Germans will be happy!

Oliver, Hannover, Germany

I can't believe the author's arrogance...we know that our national team will never play football like Brazil or Argentina, but we fight and that's it what Klinsmann brought back to our team, the will to win a game, the passion, the pride. Insn't that what the english fans missed in the last years and what they want see again...make Klinsmann only the chairman of the the english national team and you'll see improvment in questions of motivation and will.
What has Mourinho achieved in his time as chelsea-coach...on internation level nothing. Klinsmann is at least the right person to do the job as mourinho is. The author's problem is not that it's Jurgen Klinsmann who could coach the english team, but that he's a german. By the way: Many germans will miss the english national team at the euro 2008 because they simply belong to a european championship, because of the phenomenal atmosphere your supporters create in stadium. Hope to see You in South Africa 2010, but without this arrogance!!

Niklas, Marburg, Germany

The article rests on two false premises: that living in the USA means one is out of touch with English soccer and that following English soccer on ESPN subscription is a sign that one lacks passion. Balderdash! What the article doesn't dismiss or underplay are Klinnsman's technical acumen and freshness of approach to the game. Pointedly, he has dealt with bigger egos in the German team i.e Oliver Kahn and Ballack and will thus not be fazed by the monumental egos in the English team. Isn't the problem in the current England team about egos and how to manage or mismanage them?

Gilbert Phiri, Swindon, UK

O'neill when did he win anything of consequence? La Liga, PL, Serie A, CL? Never that's when. We don't want any entertaining manager but a tried and tested winner a throughbred. Jose, Fabio or Marcello.

Haider, London, England

Whow! Two pages of rather 'cons', no doubt the campaign for the job get's to a crutial stage.

Capello is certainly a master of the game but would England's public and media put up with that? That would be a surprise ...

And regarding that Klinsmann's merrits are due of Pekerman. That's part of a world class' team mentality to take advantage of the oponents faults. England's nationals didn't show that kind of killer instinct for quiet a while. But who brought this quality back to the German squad? Guess Klinsmann would be the right answer.

Bernhard Preiss, Nashville, USA

"...arguably the finest goal in the history of the competition, a 24-pass move capped by a finish from Esteban Cambiasso. "

"introduced the more defence-minded Cambiasso."

??????????????????????

Peter Ruth, Burnley, U.K.

Let's not forget that the German national team was so rubbish that no other manager wanted to take over. Klinsmann was the very last choice. His record prior to the World Cup may be mixed but that is because he was building a new team with a different mentality -- Attack rather than grinding out a result.
England have a lot of quality -- what they need is not someone who is a technical mastermind but someone who can change the whole philosophy and mindset.
Klinsmann could be the one.

alex bahman, new york, u.s.a

Why O'Niell? The media again are trying to pick the England manager did you lot not have a say in the last lot of managers (with the exception of Sven.)Taylor, keegan,Hoddle, McClaren and what happened flopped to a man O Niell is a decent club manager who has won nothing major in this country The premiership the champions league to be manager of England you must have one of there titles on you CV really both would be better but as Wenger has not won the champions league but is a fantastic manager

Peter Monaghan, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Story full of speculation. England would be lucky to get Klinsmann. Beyond Mourinho he is the biggest coach in the world currently out of a job. And I know whose football I would rather watch. But I think the overall status of english national football is testament to the flaws of the FA, manager and team, and the media who harass anyone in this job to the extent that related issues become the focus of all involved instead of getting the football right. Fans also have to take their share of the blame as England has not won a major tournament since 1966 so the expectation levels are absurd.

Chris, London, UK

Samuel, this Article & its analysis is really a failure. To make Pekermans decision responsible for Klinsmanns fame is ridiculous. Anyone remember Wembley 66? The ball was not behind the line and all of u know that. Or Champions League Final 01? ManU vs Bayern. The Game was nearly over, Bayern leads 1:0 & Coach Hitzfeld made the same mistake than Pekerman. ManU won 2:1 with goals in min 91&93.
Or WC 06? Italy vs Australia? The penalty in min 94!!! for Italy that has been the most brazenly dive in football history?

Aren´t these moments the ones, that make soccer this unpredictable, exciting, emotionally from 0 to 100? Don´t we all wanna see this & don´t we saw this 1 decision, 1 second, 1 whislte for 1 million times in other games, some of them with victory, some with bitter tears?

U need a motivator? Klinsmann is the Best. He takes the Job in Germany when german football was on its deepest point. As a German i feel really hurt. Seems 2 me u dont want him, because he´s...
...german

Andre, Münster, Germany

Klinsmann brings some refreshing qualities to football, but he is not the best of the contenders for the England job; this would surely have to go to Fabio Capello or Marcello Lippi (if the latter is interested).

Karl Chads, London, UK

If a german is in charge I shall renounce my citizenship.

Andy Hedges, London,

Fine. I agree about Klinsman, and yes, Mourinho would be a good choice. However, in regard to Sven, he brought several strong players into the fold (like Hargreaves and Rooney) and don't forget he turned the campaign for the 2002 WCup around completely and qualified first in the group. He is showing quality at Man City and attacking him now, just shows bias or naivete.
2) What has Martin O' Neil done to prove his International worth? Champions Leauge or UEFA cup tropy? International experience? Sure Celtic won in the SPL, but that is hardly earth shattering?

justin , New York, usa

Klinsmann has been blessed. He's got the aura. His CV is his life.

Cosmopolitan, München, Germany

A superbly articulated piece of journalism, as an england die-hard, i could not agree more. I've even emailed my football team to explain that football is indeed a combination of players and management - which you have beautifully drawn upon.

As usual, a pleasure to read, thank you!

Tom Anderson, Birmingham, West Mids

I think Jose Mourinho is the the Choosen One. I like Klinsman as a player, but as a coach? I have my own reservations.

Luxolo Mantambo, East London, South Africa

It's true that Jogi Löw played a key role in Germany's World Cup campaign. It's also true that the team's scout Urs Siegenthaler who did in depth tactical analysis of Germany's opponents played and still plays a key role in Germany's success. It's true that the new fitness coaches helped Germany. It's true that a unified football philosophy established down to Germany's youth national teams helps Jogi Löw integrate young players fast and easily into the squad.

Anyway, using those arguments to belittle Kinsmann's achievement is looking at it from the completely wrong angle. What Kinsmann did was setting up the infrastructure and football philosophy I sketched out above. That's what England would get with Klinsmann. An infrastructure for success that doesn't collapse when Klinsmann leaves after the World Cup in 2010.

Jan, Dusseldorf, Germany

I would make one point, I was living in Germany in 2007 and there was little national fervour to support the team early on. To say that Klinsmann had this to help him (at least in the opening games) is simply not true - it was generated primarily off the back of the defeat of Poland and not before.

Dave Hone, Beijing,

I agree - Klinsman's a bluffer. Even South Korea reached a semi when they played at home. Even WE managed to win at home.

But there's something else closer to home that puzzles me. Why, if Alan Shearer is in with a chance, is Paul Ince not being mentioned? Both have similar international records although Ince has the much more illustrious club career. Ince is one of the very few Englishmen to have made a success of playing in Italy and of course he has made very promising progress as a coach and manager whilst Shearer has been warming his backside in a TV studio.

There is an obvious answer, obviously. But the FA has 'Kicked it out' haven't they? So it couldn't be that.

Bill, Sheffield,

Jürgen Klinsmann was "THE GREAT MOTIVATOR" , "THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR" no doubt at all about that, Anyone who has watched the DVD record of Germany's World CUp Campaign "Deutschland ein Sommermärchen"[Germany a summer fairytale] wil probably agree with that. By the same token however serious football fans will have noticed that his assitant Joachim Löw was "The Master Tactician", Löw who had been a successful trainer in Germany. Turkey and Austria was the perfect tactical foil to Klinsmann's enthusiasm. Give Klinsmann the job by all means but bring Löw along too.

séamus mcclelland, konstanz, germany

"This is a serious football job and Klinsmann is not a sufficiently serious football man" - This is the very reason why he would be the right man for the job! He has a very refreshing approach to football compared to those useless FAT Cats at the FA

Hardy, London,

Adam, Eastcote,

i assume you're talking about the FOURTH goal, scored by Carlos Alberto, right?

Andy, Clapham,

Once again a prime example for the grandeur still dripping out of so many English football commentaries. Who on earth do you people think you are - especially after last week?
Klinsmann may very well not be the experienced manager but what he has achieved for German football is unrivaled - the strength and depth of today's squad being entirely his making. Playing down last year's World-Cup games of Germany to be a simple achievement of the crowd smacks of nothing but arrogance, especially (once again) compared to what the English team delivered last year.

This entire piece sadly reminds me of Owen's insult to the Croatian players. It is precisely this arrogant attitude and self-delusion that brought English football to where it is now. Sad to see, that instead of a self-critical approach it still seems easier to put down others.

Ilja, Sliema, Malta

The rest of the world will be much relieved if Klinsmann doesn't coach England: nothing to fear at the next penalty shoot-out...

Achim, London,

I would love to see Klinsmann appointed to the England job. Any job really that will rule him out of the vacant Socceroos position.

Rick, Adelaide, Australia

Yes OK so Klinsmann might not be the right man to get the necessary short term results, but a least he'd bring a bit of the 'joy of the game' back into the national squad.

Isn't that what everyone has been asking for? Isn't that the 'missing ingredient'?

So what if he's German... If anyone could make Gerrard smile (once ever) it'd be he.

Tom, London,

"...arguably the finest goal in the history of the competition, a 24-pass move capped by a finish from Esteban Cambiasso. "

Better than Brazil's third goal in the1970 final Mr Samuel. Pshaw !

Adam, Eastcote, Middx, UK