BERLIN, Oct 20 - More than three months on from the World Cup there is no sign of Germany's feel-good factor abating.

According to research released this week, Germany's run to third place at the World Cup encouraged consumers to stop hoarding and start spending, with an average household apparently feeling 500 euros a month better off.

The boost in consumer confidence is remarkable given that the World Cup made no significant impact on the German economy.

It is even more surprising to see the German national team and Bundesliga clubs doing so well on the pitch, after many had predicted a long bout of post-World Cup blues in the wake of Juergen Klinsmann's decision to step down.

Klinsmann used to refer to himself in terms that made him sound more like the CEO of a company than a football coach and he certainly had the sort of motivational quality more usually associated with a politician or business leader.

Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple and like Klinsmann a resident of California, is jokingly said to possess a "reality distortion field" that means he can convince people of anything.

Klinsmann displayed the same sort of charisma as he inspired a modest group of players to the brink of the World Cup final.

When Klinsmann made way for Joachim Loew, many people assumed there would be a swift return to mediocrity.

Instead the team have gone from strength to strength, winning all three of their Euro 2008 qualifiers and avoiding the sort of problems being faced now by Italy, England and other big teams.

"When I see how the other big teams are lumbering through the qualifiers, I can see that we are at the moment miles ahead in Europe," Franz Beckenbauer said recently.

"You can see the joy and confidence our players have."

GROWING INTEREST

Public interest in the national team grows and grows. A new documentary charting Germany's World Cup run has been number one at the box office for two weeks and has sold two million tickets.

The Bundesliga has also defied predictions of a post-World Cup decline.

Attendances are close to last year's record figures -- the average crowd is currently more than 39,000 per match -- and after a slightly dull start to the campaign the teams are once again living up to the league's high-scoring reputation.

Joint leaders Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich meet on Saturday after winning 6-0 and 4-2 respectively last weekend and along with Schalke 04 they look like providing a good fight for the title.

Germany captain Michael Ballack left Bayern for Chelsea at the end of last season and other high-profile players such as Tomas Rosicky and Khalid Boulahrouz have also departed.

It is true that Germany lacks the star quality of England, Spain and Italy but there has been great compensation in the form of a series of young homegrown players, including Gonzalo Castro of Bayer Leverkusen, Aaron Hunt of Werder Bremen and the Bayern Munich pair Bastian Schweinsteiger and Philipp Lahm.

The main disappointment, and it is a big one, is that it remains hard to see a team from the Bundesliga making a serious challenge for the Champions League.

Hamburg, ravaged by injures, already have a foot out of the door after losing all three games so far, while Werder Bremen will likely have to win away to Barcelona to stand a chance of making it to the last 16.

Bayern Munich have won all three of their games so far but still the Bavarians say their lack of financial muscle means their goal is the modest one of making the last 16.

If even Bayern Munich regard themselves as rank outsiders in Europe there will be even more focus on the national team. As of now, the signs for Euro 2008 look excellent and Klinsmann's powers of persuasion have a lot to do with that.