TWB22: 01/11/24

Given a choice, the intelligent coach seeking a new job would always prefer to take over a team which narrowly avoided relegation rather than one which was current holders of the championship. But for Helmut Schon there was no choice in June, 1964, when Sepp Herberger retired. Herberger, then 67 years old had been selector-manager-coach of the German national team for 28 years; that in itself representing a World record, and the man who engineered West Germany's World Cup win in 1954, and steered them to the semi finals in Sweden four years later. To work in the shadow of 'Uncle Sepp' was problem enough, but Schon had been Herberger's chief assistant for six years and was an almost automatic choice. Herberger himself recommended that the Deutscher Fussball Bund should appoint Schon and that was enough for the DFB. Within four months of his appointment Schon's future was in jeopardy. Unbeaten in any World Cup qualifying match, the Germans came perilously close to defeat when they were held to a 1-1 draw by Sweden in Berlin. With Cyprus completing the West Germany-Sweden group it was clear to the critical press and the doubting public that the Swedes could not be expected to drop any silly points to Cyprus. Schon would have to earn Germany a place in the 1966 World Cup finals by beating Sweden in Stockholm...