McClaren struggles, but fellow deputy Low has Germany on a high
BERLIN: While England's Steve McClaren and Germany's Joachim Low had a similar journey to become national coach of their countries, they have trod different paths of success on the road to Euro 2008.
The similarities in their rise are numerous - both McClaren and Low were promoted from assistant coach after the 2006 World Cup finals.
They were low-key replacements for the high-profile pair of England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson and German legend Jurgen Klinsmann.
Both appointments received lukewarm responses in their countries' media and the two men were booed off the pitch by their home fans on the same March night, but for very different reasons.
Both men enjoyed success in their opening games, but Low caught the German football public's imagination with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic in Prague in March, while McClaren's England have gone from bad to worse.
England's fans turned on their manager at Barcelona's Olimpico de Montjuic after they struggled to beat minnows Andorra.
McClaren, 45, came to the job in the summer of 2006 having built up his reputation as England's assistant coach, first under Peter Taylor and then Eriksson.
He led English club Middlesbrough to the UEFA Cup final in 2006.
But after three convincing wins and a draw in his first four games, things started to unravel on a horror night in Zagreb last October when England lost their Euro 2008 qualifier against Croatia 2-0.
The downward spiral continued in their goalless draw away to Israel and then hit rock bottom in the 3-0 win over Andorra.
On the same night, Low was also enduring mocking whistles from disgruntled German fans when his experimental and inexperienced side lost 1-0 to a late goal against Denmark in Duisburg.
But while McClaren's jeers were borne of sheer frustration at an inept performance, the whistles Low endured were because the fans had come to expect a level of performance that the second-team, complete with six new caps, simply could not produce.
"This young side have learned from the experience, I heard the whistles at the end and I must honestly say I can't understand why, we threw everything at the Danish and there was really no reason to whistle," said Low.
Low became Klinsmann's assistant when the World Cup winning striker was appointed head coach in August 2004, and the 47-year-old came into the national set-up having had only mediocre successs at Austrian and German clubs.
The pair brought a new attacking philosophy to the German side with Low's tactical awareness crucial.
They formed a formidable team, reaching the semifinals of the 2005 Confederations Cup before a young German side punched above its weight to reach the semifinals of the World Cup on home soil, losing to eventual winners Italy.
After Klinsmann decided not to renew his contract in July 2006, Low took over and said his aim was to win the 2008 European Championships.
But the defeat to Denmark was his first defeat in eight games, a run which earned praise from Franz Beckenbauer - a World Cup winner with Germany as both player and coach.
"I dare to state it," said Beckenbauer. "But at the moment we are the number one team in Europe.
"Low has got the team playing like an instructional video and the momentum Klinsmann built has been carried into the current well-drilled side."
Praise indeed and 1990 World Cup winning captain Lothar Matthaus went as far as to say, in his column in Sports Bild magazine, that Low was a better coach than Klinsmann.
"Low is a good, switched-on coach and in comparison to Jurgen Klinsmann he is a genuine coach," wrote Matthaus.
AFP
(China Daily 05/30/2007 page23)
