Jürgen Klopp

Is working at Mainz different to working at any other club?

Jürgen Klopp:

What's different here, compared to other clubs, is the incredible continuity in Mainz's administration, and the management's approachability. Don't forget seven years ago we were a normal second division side, and each year it was a fight for us to stay there. Coaches were constantly being fired - the usual story - but we've had the same coach for 6 years now, if not I wouldn't be sitting here, and we've developed a new public image, especially as far as our performance on the pitch is concerned.

We began to play a grittier game, we were more daring, more aggressive, surer of what we wanted to achieve, and when you pair that with the amazing fans from this city - I mean, they're amazing, that's something really special about Mainz - that helped us to project a new image.

And how did that come about, that Mainz's game became gutsier?

Jürgen Klopp:

I think it was just a question of how badly we wanted it. It was in my case. People have shown amazing faith in me. I was far from a top player, I was almost like a bad habit - I was there every weekend for eleven long years - whether they liked it or not. People just respected that I gave everything I had. That's why they've shown such faith in me, because they knew I'd do the same as coach.

When we managed to stay up last year, I said I wanted to see 2000 fans at our first training session. Back then that was unimaginable.

We were training in Pretzenheim, that's a small local stadium. And we couldn't get through with our cars. It was totally full, the pitch was full, there were people everywhere. Before that we could have trained naked and no-one would have noticed.

There don't seem to be many clubs whose management have a similar philosophy to the one you have in Mainz. Except perhaps in Bremen, or in Cottbus - continuity seems important to them too.

Jürgen Klopp:

At some point, management realise that what we're doing on the pitch is working and let us get on with it. Club presidents don't just suddenly decide after two years they want to get rid of a coach. Any decisions are based on how things are going on the pitch. That's the measuring stick.

Look at Thomas Schaaf - he couldn't be any more successful, unless he won the league every year. Bremen have been playing the best football in Germany for years. The idea of trying something new would be crazy.

Cottbus is in a similar situation to us. Petrick Sander's been there a long while, everyone knows him. Ede Geier was there for a long time too - they stick by a coach.

Then there are clubs like Nuremberg. They've always been quick to fire coaches in the past, but now they have Hans Meier. They'd happily give him a 10 year contract.

You always have to look at the big picture. That's when you can achieve continuity. People are satisfied with what I do here - and that's the reason - not because they all think I'm a nice guy.

Ok, but didn't the boss say you could lose every single game, and they still wouldn't fire you?

Jürgen Klopp:

Yes, that's true. He did say that.

And what role does your "Mission Possible 15" campaign play in all of this?

Jürgen Klopp:

Certain concepts get people going, and Mission Possible 15, even if it is a bit of a mouthful, does just that.

It shows that we want to make the impossible possible.

Yesterday I was at a coaching conference, and the others were honest and said they'd written us off.. there was no question we'd be going down.

When you go into the winter break in bottom place, is it easier to be motivated?

Jürgen Klopp:

It's definitely easier to call for a new start, when you NEED a new start, and no-one questions that. It's easier to get the lads to understand the need for certain changes.

But the most important thing in football is for the team to believe they're up to it. We weren't up to it at all. We hadn't won in 16 matches. We won the 1st game, and then lost 16. It was as if we hadn't won in years. That's how we felt.

We knew - that works, that works, that works. But that's not enough. It's not about some intellectual process, it's about a feeling - about what you want to achieve. It was easy to get the lads see we had to make some big changes. But to get back that feeling of being back in form isn't easy. To do that you have to decide to draw a line under the first half of the season, say that belongs to the past and start afresh.