
Football
Share
Published 19:11 7 Oct 2015 BST
Updated 16:37 8 Oct 2015 BST
Explore more on these topics:
The difference was evident immediately. The detail is in the coffee holders.
And the scramble.
Then the press conference actually started. But half the room got a disappointing surprise when they soon realised that the Germans were speaking German.
Thankfully, there was a translator there. One who the English-speaking crowd grew suspicious of though.
Not just because Joachim Low was filling our heads with nonsense like:
"I think Ireland are famous for defending very well. I see them physically stronger than Scotland and they play more imaginatively."
(That's Ireland he's talking about by the way.)
But the suspicion grew more so when the Germany boss spoke for a good three minutes and we were pawned off in three sentences by the translator.
Something like this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEHFVUDesqo&feature=youtu.be
But the difference was quickly evident in the line of questioning.
Whilst one of the planet's powerhouses were being pressed on the concern of Mario Gotze - a man usually on the bench for them but not in the last game - not starting every single game for Bayern Munich, conversation amongst the Irish journalists was a lot more humble.
Suddenly, we've had to accept that John O'Shea is a sure-fire starter and then, with our own superstars like Ciaran Clark and Marc Wilson unavailable for the Germany clash, our options were:
"Well, it's either Richard Keogh or Paul McShane..."
You also know the world champs are in town though when photographers are pulling out all the stops to show off their acrobatic moves.
But everyone was giving it their inspired best. You put in the work and the rewards are obvious...
Then, the inevitable Jurgen Klopp to Liverpool questions came in.
Of course they did - there were people who had travelled from Merseyside to get that soundbite.
Jaw-droppingly though, Low confirmed that he is not part of those negotiations. If you hadn't already guessed.
"I'm not part of the negotiations there so I don't really know what the status of that is," the Germany manager said. "Of course I do know that there are talks going on. Looking back, he had an extraordinarily successful time in Dortmund where he released loads of emotions in the Dortmund crowd. If you look at it from afar, it is comparative - Dortmund and Liverpool - with two fantastic footballing cultures. If it works out with Klopp and Liverpool, he would be a great addition to any team."
Well, that's what the translator told us anyway.
And, of course, the FIFA Manager of the Year would be no use to us on these islands if he wasn't talking about one day coaching a team closer to us.
"As far as I'm concerned, personally, I have a contract with the German FA until 2018 and I'm not looking at anything past that." Don't expect to see that on any back pages tomorrow.
If Low wasn't going to give us anything, maybe Germany captain Mats Hummels would.
After the Germans were finished asking the centre back about his comments after Dortmund's game with Bayern and his Twitter hashtags, the English media got down to serious business.
- What do you think of Jurgen Klopp as a manager and would he be good for Liverpool?
- Mats won't be answering any questions about Klopp and Liverpool until anything is finalised and confirmed.
- Forget Liverpool then, what do you think of him as a manager?
"He's a fantastic coach, an absolutely great coach and I think when people put their minds to the question, what is he going to do post-Dortmund, then clubs without a coach will certainly enter the frame in that discussion. He lives, breathes, eats and thinks football day after day and he would be a great addition to any side."
That's not really the sort of thing we're looking for, Mats. Quick, somebody ask him about breastfeeding.Football
35 is a great score in this Man United v Man City quiz
The derby for the ages! Over the course of their history, Manchester United have been the dominant side in the rivalry. However, that has changed dramatically over the last 15 years or so, with wins for the Red Devils at their neighbours home ground becoming rarer and rarer. But they do still cause the odd […]
Football
1 day ago
LIVE: Carabao Cup action after Fleetwood Town stun Arsenal
Follow every viral moment here! Twenty-four hours ahead of what had been expected to be the biggest match of the fourth round, between Liverpool and Chelsea on Wednesday, League Two outfit Fleetwood Town have served up one of the greatest shocks in modern English football history. The Lancashire outfit, placed 84 positions below Premier League […]
Football
1 day ago
Football