Euro 2008: popular in England?

England will not be at Euro 2008. Any English fan will fondly remember their summers when they could grab a few beers in the sun, perhaps a barbeque, and then catch a game during the afternoon or perhaps the evening; before finally cramming into a local pub to watch England get knocked out of the tournament. Will Euro 2008 still attract the interest of footballing fans across the country?

So the ITV and the BBC now have to think up ways to attract watchers to the Euro 2008 games. How can they drum up interest in a tournament where England won't be represented?

The BBC have gone for the interesting tag line: 'who will you support?', it's a clever move from the BBC. As an England fan, you will probably be used to watching the Three Lions failing miserably. Won't it be quite nice to watch the tournament from a neutral perspective?

It's not just England that are obviously missing out; Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Northern Ireland won't be in Austria and Switzerland. With no home representation at the tournament.

What just doesn't seem fair is that the Champions League final, arguably the biggest event in club football, was contested for the first time ever by two English teams. But not even one of the home nations could reach the Euro 2008 finals.

However, think positive! It's probably likely that we'll enjoy being a neutral in this one. If you weren't a Manchester United or Chelsea fan in the Champions League final, you'll know what I'm talking about!

Aside all this, I think I'm rather looking forward to Euro 2008. I'll be watching as a Spain fan; as I watch the class act of Cesc Fabregas, the dynamic duo of David Villa and Fernando Torres, the steel of Sergio Ramos and Carlos Puyol at the back. So I'll still be watching the tournament closely... and I'm sure most footballing fans will be across the country too!