Now that the World Cup is well underway, WCH thought it was an appropriate time to make further contact with our correspondent in Germany - Herr Colin. He is currently working in Stuggart and living in Munich.

How do Munich and Stuttgart compare with regard to levels of World Cup fever?
There is a subtle difference between the euphoria in Munich compared with the jubilation in Stuttgart. To pinpoint the reason for this you would need to examine the opposing social fabrics. Stuttgartonians are generally modest, knowledgeable, and posses a certain Schwabian piety unlike their rivals over in Bavaria. Munchepudlians are brash, proud, and look silly. These idiosyncratic differences can also be observed in their choice of wurst. Rotwursts in Stuttgart, and Weißwurst in Munich: I think this is the only way to measure the difference in World Cup fever.

You went to Nürnberg for the England v Trinidad & Tobago game – what was it like?
There were around 50,000 English fans in Nürnberg for the Trinidad game, and I went along and watched it in the fanzone with a few friends and 10,000 others. The atmosphere was a little muted during our abject display until Rooney somehow managed to alter the mood of the game without actually doing anything. After Gerrard scored a typical screamer the party was in full swing. Everyone was drinking beer and singing as we walked back into the city centre. There was some good banter with German fans and I liked the “5-1 and even Heskey scored” chant the best. The “10 German Bombers” song unfortunately cropped up on the train on the way home, which was embarrassing because I was practising my German with a pleasant old woman at the time.

What’s the atmosphere like in Germany at the moment and do the locals think that they will win the World Cup?
Everyone in Germany is WM 2006 mad. I think they were a little worried at first that they might not even make it out of the group. I for one hoped this would be the case and was very disappointed that Poland played so poorly. I don’t think the Germans actually believe they can win it but they have an excellent chance of getting to at least the quarters. I think this would be a huge success for such a mediocre team; having said that, I have been impressed with Philip Lahm, who was a good player for Stuttgart a season or two ago. Personally, I haven’t watched nearly as much of the tournament as I would have thought. Whether this is because of England’s poor form or the fact that I find most of the games boring I don’t know. Also the German commentary is dull. It reminds me of the computer commentary I used to hear at university when watching friends beat Herr Ed at FIFA ‘98 on the Playstation. Matter-of-fact phrases such as “that was an important block” and “good pass” with no follow up are very common, and I long for the banality of the English pundits.

Who’s going to win the World Cup?
Definitely Spain! They have the most players from Liverpool and everyone knows how jammy they are. I called Ladbrokes to get a quote for Alonso scoring the winning goal in the 98th minute from 50 yards taking a ricochet off Garcia’s arse. I got 7/2.

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