Dirk Heinen watches the sleet fall from his living room window as he reflects on Germany’s World Cup fortunes in sunny Qatar.
The Bundesliga winner has called Kilmacthomas in County Waterford his home since 2007, when he moved there with his Irish wife Sandra.
As a goalkeeper, he made more than 100 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen in the 1990s, and went on to play for Eintracht Frankfurt, Denizlispor in Turkey and VfB Stuttgart.
He played in a European Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-final and in the Champions League at the same stage against Real Madrid.
Heinen made the senior Germany squad for a couple of matches ahead of their victorious Euro 1996 campaign and trained alongside Oliver Kahn and Andreas Kopke.
Legendary 1974 World Cup winning goalkeeper Sepp Meier - the man who first inspired Heinen to pick up a pair of gloves - was the national team coach at that time.
So many great memories for the man who these days coaches League of Ireland side Waterford’s goalies.
And here he is, long settled in rural Ireland, wondering how the Germans can get their World Cup campaign back on track against Spain tomorrow, after their opening defeat to Japan.
Four years ago Germany, defending the title they won in Brazil in 2014, went out at the group stages.
Another group stage would be hard to swallow.
“Obviously I hope they stay in the tournament,” he says. “But if not, the German FA, the same with the English, French and Italians, they have to maybe change their academy system.
“There was the tiki-taka stuff when Spain was dominating and all the German academies were saying, we want to play tiki-taka, so there were no real strikers coming through.
“If you look at (Oliver) Giroud with France, if you look at (Erling) Haaland joining Manchester City, you need a variation. Probably the Germans are lacking in this.
“(Kai) Havertz, as an example, he came through the Leverkusen academy, but he was never a striker. He was always a midfielder or an attacking midfielder, but he was never a striker.
“It’s the same with (Thomas) Muller, he was never a striker.
“But then they had no options, so they said, look, we have to play this way.
“This is where they probably said, we need to produce. But it takes a while.
“But hopefully they will regroup and come back for the next game against Spain.”
Luis Enrique’s side set down a marker with their 7-0 thumping of Costa Rica.
Spain have no shortage of goalscorers, yet Heinen remains hopeful.
“Yes, why not? That’s us Germans,” he said. “I think we will regroup and hopefully come back stronger.
“But the facts are, like what I said, they were playing (Niklas) Sule at right-back when he is usually a centre-back, and there is no real right-back there.
“Then you talk about strikers, back in the day there was Mario Gomez who was this good striker. But there is not that much available.”
Despite Germany’s struggles so far, Heinen has enjoyed the first week.
“It looks like a really good standard at the World Cup. You watch Qatar and, hmm. But the other teams? I think there is a good standard there,” he said.
His earliest memories are of Germany’s win in 1974, when he was just three-and-a-half.
“I remember Sepp Meier playing for Germany and winning the World Cup in Munich,” said Heinen.
“I watched with my parents on the television and all of a sudden Franz Beckenbauer and all these fellows were lifting the trophy. As a little fellow I was thinking, how cool is that?
“I always wanted to be a goalkeeper, so for me it was Sepp Meier. I was flying around, digging in the dirt.”
Two decades later he got to meet his hero.
“I was with Leverkusen and I spent a few days with the German national team,” said the 51-year-old.
“In my first season I was doing quite well, so I was on the bench for a 1996 qualifier and Sepp Meier was the goalkeeper coach.
“So I spent a few days with them and then we had another friendly against Denmark.
“I didn’t get a cap, but it was a great experience and great to meet my heroes.
“You have probably come across so many heroes on television and then you meet them and say, ‘I don’t know’. But with him it was the character and the kind of training he put on.”
Although he enjoyed a fine club career, Heinen’s international ambitions were thwarted by a goalkeeping production line that he believes came about on the back of Meier’s heroics in ‘74.
“When I was underage it was Jens Lehmann. He is my age. Oliver Kahn is one year older,” said the Cologne native.
“Then there was Andy Kopke, who is two years older than me. These are the goalkeepers I grew up with.
“In the underage teams in Germany I was always competing with Jens Lehmann, then he started with Schalke and I was still in the reserves with Leverkusen.
“I really liked him because whenever he made a mistake he just moved on.
“With Jens, I was battling with him and then he moved on and he was then in Dortmund and Arsenal as well.
“Oliver Kahn, his attitude in training was really good.
“If you have a good tradition, if you grow up with Sepp Meier, he was probably one of the best goalkeepers of that time.
“I was always really admiring him. Then when I met him, I was like, wow, brilliant. His training was really good and he was a really good character as well.”
Back to Kilmacthomas and Heinen will watch this winter World Cup until the very end - while his neighbours will continue to probe him for his predictions.
“People are always asking me, who is the favourite, and this and that,” he said.
“I said, usually you have to put the Germans somewhere.”
Even after their shock defeat on Wednesday?
“I hope so.”
