To outsiders, Karel Bruckner must appear a contradiction in terms.

The 66-year-old Czech Republic manager - nicknamed 'Kleki Petra' after a fictional Red Indian chief - resembles a native American leader thanks to his rich mane of silver hair, craggy features, and deep, piercing gaze.

But that is where the similarity seems to end.

In almost every other respect, the intensely private Bruckner could be described - from a distance - as a bit of a geek, a chess-loving intellectual.

Witness his response to the Czechs' Euro 2004 semi-final silver-goal defeat to eventual winners Greece.

"In three years as coach and 30 matches, we have conceded a goal from a corner for the first time," he said.

Typical Bruckner. All the pressure and excitement of being on the brink of a major championship final, and he maintains the presence of mind to reel off a statistic like that.

But if a football team truly reflects the personality of their manager, then there must be more to 'Kleki Petra' than meets the eye.

For rather than the cautious, dour approach one would expect from such an ostensibly pragmatic figure, there will be few teams in Germany next summer who are more adventurous and eye-catching than the Czechs.

Indeed, top scorers in the whole of European qualifying, their attacking verve was almost their undoing, the 4-3 win over Finland perhaps the best example of this when their failure to protect a 3-1 lead could have cost them their play-off place.

There is also a tendency among outside observers to assume the game's deep thinkers, like Bruckner, automatically lack the personality necessary to motivate a group of highly paid international stars.

It is telling, therefore, that when asked about Bruckner's strengths as a coach, the first thing goalkeeper Petr Cech highlights is precisely that quality.

"One thing he does very well is to motivate the players," Cech told PA Sport. "I think the motivation is a huge help during games."

According to Cech, this is achieved on both a one-to-one and collective basis, perhaps the main reason why Bruckner has so successfully knitted together all his country's talents in one team since his promotion from the Under-21 side in 2001.

Of course, his reputation as an intellectual is not without significant merit, as Cech - one of a number of the current squad who reached the final of the 2000 European Under-21 Championships under Bruckner - is keen to point out.

"He can read the system of our opponents very well tactically, and is very well prepared for each opponent," Cech explained. "Sometimes this makes the main difference in games."

It goes much further than this, with the "huge respect" Cech says he and his team-mates have for their grandfatherly leader stemming from their confidence in his decision-making before and during games, with Bruckner's reading of the opposition bordering on the clairvoyant.

"Most of the time, everything he says before the game usually happens during the game," Cech said. "Or there is some period when you can really feel he understands what's happening on the pitch and it's a huge help. Everything he wants to do on the pitch we trust is the right way to play."

By spending most of his time during matches stood still, Cech is arguably better placed than most of his team-mates to assess the effectiveness of Bruckner's instructions, and even when things are not going to plan, his faith remains unswerving.

For the Czechs under Bruckner are also renowned for coming from behind to win, with Euro 2004 seeing them record comeback victories in all three group games, the most thrilling of which being the unforgettable 3-2 triumph over Holland after they fell 2-0 behind.

Similar turnarounds were needed during World Cup qualifying, with two goals in the final two minutes salvaging a 2-2 draw in Macedonia, as well as the late winner against the Finns.

Such results are no accident, according to Cech, with Bruckner trialling nearly all his tactical changes prior to major tournaments.

Cech said: " I remember the way we tried to play in the second half of a friendly against Japan in Prague - just three weeks before the European Championships - he said 'I think maybe this can happen during the European Championships - we will try to play like this in the second half'.

"It happened exactly like that against Holland and that's why we won."

But how long will the Czechs will continue the benefit from Bruckner's tactical mastery?

He will be 70 by the time of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and could be forgiven for planning his retirement to coincide with that of many of his ageing players.

No chance, according to Cech, who added: "He said he would love to train this team for another 15 years."