Strange Threesome to Coach Gemany

[beachesl]

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_ylc=X3oDMTBpYjk0aWtjBF9TAzk1ODYzNTkwBHNlYwN0aA--?slug=afp-fbl_ger_klinsmann&prov=afp&type=lgns

Klinsmann and Bierhoff to guide Germany

July 22, 2004

BERLIN (AFP) - Germany have turned to former strikers Jurgen Klinsmann and Oliver Bierhoff to lead them to the 2006 World Cup finals which will be held on German soil.

Klinsmann has told German football federation (DFB) president Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder that he would be delighted to step into the role vacated by Rudi Voller after the Germans' disastrous Euro 2004 campaign.

The former VfB Stuttgart, Inter Milan, Monaco and Tottenham star, who turns 40 on July 30, will be head coach, while veteran coach Holger Osieck will provide the experience of management that Klinsmann lacks, according to reports in the Bild tabloid and the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Bierhoff will also have a leading role in the coaching team.

Klinsmann won the World Cup as a player in 1990 and was a part of the team which won Euro 1996 when Bierhoff came on as a substitute in the final and scored both Germany's goals in a 2-1 extra-time win over the Czech Republic in the final.

The new coaching lineup could not be officially confirmed early Thursday but the German federation confirmed that talks had been held with Klinsmann in New York.

The former striker, who runs a sports marketing firm in California, said on Wednesday: "I'm overjoyed. We had a very frank and constructive meeting in New York lasting five hours.

"I indicated that I was available to participate actively in the construction and putting in place of new structures. We've decided to continue talks."

Appointing Klinsmann is a risky strategy as he lacks coaching experience and is relatively young, but he said he was relishing the task of re-building the German team, which has lost its way since reaching the 2002 World Cup final in which it was beaten by Brazil.

Klinsmann added: "The World Cup is the most important sporting event of the past 40 years in Germany."

His appointment would end a long and fruitless search for a new national boss.

Cameroon's outspoken German coach Winfried Schafer was this week reported to be under consideration, but the federation denied he had been contacted.

Otto Rehhagel, the German who guided Greece to a shock victory in Euro 2004, rebuffed an approach while the first choice, former Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, turned the job down.

Dutch coach Guus Hiddink, who led South Korea to the 2002 World Cup semi-finals, the current Denmark boss Morten Olsen and former German national team captain Lothar Matthaus have also been mentioned as possible choices.

[bettermirror]

finally, germany will have some offence again. i see klinsmann having the same attacking affect on germany that yallop (tho he was a defender) has so far on canada.