FRANCE 1-1 ENGLAND

Last weekend, my Mum innocently asked me "is there football on every day at the moment?" - which I can only assume is due to my Father having stopped her watching Big Brother.

I told her to enjoy the tournament while she can, because when England start playing, the whole thing becomes a painful and tedious experience.

But I like Roy Hodgson and I think he's doing the best he can with a pretty duff hand. He's bluffing his way through the early rounds in the hope that his opponents go 'all in' early and leave England to sneak into the latter stages when they actually have no right to be there.

And it might just work. But I would never say that out loud...



A braver choice of substitutions (Big Andy, anyone?) could have seen us pinch this. France were out of ideas and there for the taking. But Uncle Roy looked at his cards and settled for the draw, when le President's French team were looking far from a royal flush.

To continue that clumsy metaphor would be unwise. And so special mention must instead go to the man stood behind me in a central London pub, who hated the French and liked to swear. A lot. Very loudly. In my ear.

Like it or not, Mum: now England are up and running, Euro 2012 - unlike Big Brother on Channel 5 - is going to be impossible to ignore.

THE STORY SO FAR

Match of the tournament: Poland 1-1 Greece

Player of the tournament: Andrea Pirlo (Italy)

Goal of the tournament: Di Natale (Spain v ITALY)